(05-04-08)
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. -- The University of New Haven has been selected as one of 64 participants nation-wide for the 2008 NCAA Division II Softball Championships. UNH earned the No. 8 seed in the Northeast Region, and will take on top-seeded host and 10th-ranked C.W. Post in an opening round game on Wednesday, May 7 at 4:30 p.m.
It is expected that the NCAA will announce the full brackets, including game times, on Monday afternoon.
UNH (25-19) earned the No. 8 seed after finishing third in the East Coast Conference regular season race and in the ECC tournament. UNH won two games to advance to the semifinals, where they bowed to top-ranked C.W. Post and second-seeded Adelphi.
The NCAA appearance is the fifth in the history of the UNH Softball program, the first since 2005, and the first under second-year head coach Jen Starek. UNH advanced to the NCAA Softball Championships in 1995 and 1996, and then again in 2004 and 2005.
The eight-team regional marks the third time that C.W. Post will host the regional, as the Pioneers hosted and won the 2007 event, advancing to the Division II College World Series.
In the Northeast Regional, the champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate, East Coast, and Northeast-10 Conference tournaments receive automatic qualification to the Championships. Additionally, the next five remaining teams from the final NCAA Regional Rankings will be selected for participation the tournament. UNH earned one of the five so-called at-large berths to the tournament.
The winner of each regional advances to the eight-team championship round at the NCAA Spring Sports Festival in Houston, Texas, May 14-17.
The East Coast Conference placed four teams in the eight-team Northeast Regional, with the Northeast-10 and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conferences each placing two teams.
2008 NCAA Division II Softball Championships - Northeast Regional
(Hosted by C.W. Post at Brookville, N.Y.)
Seeding
1. LIU/C.W. Post (44-14) - ECC Champion
2. Le Moyne College (43-9) - NE-10 Champion
3. Adelphi University (40-19)
4. Caldwell College (33-20) - CACC Champion
5. Georgian Court University (39-14)
6. Bryant College (29-14)
7. New York Institute of Technology (29-16)
8. University of New Haven (25-19)
