Going to the Big Dance! Crusader Women Get NCAA Bid, Hosts Gwynedd-Mercy Wed.

SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) - The Susquehanna University women's basketball team has been invited to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the ninth time in program history, and fourth time under 12th-year head coach Mark Hribar - but first time since 1993. The 17-9 Crusaders not only received an at-large berth in the 48-team national tournament field, they will be hosting Pennsylvania Athletic Conference runner-up and fellow at-large team Gwynedd-Mercy College (23-4) in a first round game this Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m.

The tournament field was announced by representatives of the NCAA during a Sunday night press conference. The Crusader women's team watched together in the media center of Susquehanna's Blough-Weis Library and reacted jubillantly upon receiving the news.

While the Crusaders finished as runners-up in the Commonwealth League and lost 82-65 in the MAC semifinals at eventual champion Scranton last Thursday, they went 12-5 over the last two months of the season - including a 6-2 record in February. All of their last four losses were to teams ranked in the Mid-Atlantic Region poll at the time, including two to top-ranked Scranton.

The NCAA Tournament game gives Hribar his second chance to become only the second coach to win 200 games at Susquehanna, as he'll take a 199-103 record (.659) into the game Wednesday. Current Susquehanna Director of Athletics Don Harnum is the only other coach to win 200 games at the school, compiling a 201-153 mark (.568) in his 13 seasons as men's basketball head coach. Hribar is just 1-3 (.250) in NCAA Tournament games, including three-straight losses, and is 10-13 (.435) in all post-seasons games.

"It's (getting a bid) unbelievable. What a great relief it is for me and my personal goal of getting our three senior captains to the NCAA Tournament. We've done that now," said Hribar. "We're just so anxious to play this game and get another game. There's nothing in the world like being on that floor in an NCAA Tournament game. There's only 48 teams in the country that have that chance and I'm just so happy to be a part of it."

The extension of the season also extends the careers of the three Crusader senior tri-captains in swingplayer and "sixth-player" Karrah Henry (4.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.), starting small forward Sandy Jenkin (8.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) (Millersville, Md./Severna Park H.S.), and All-American power forward Kristen Venne (21.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg) (Shillington/Governor Mifflin H.S.). The 5-9 Venne is one of the 10 finalists for the Jostens Trophy as the Division III Player of the Year and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding - ranking 8th in scoring and 19th in field goal percentage (57.9%, 212 of 366) in Division III. She has scored in double figures in 40-straight games, and 97 of 99 during her collegiate career, is second in Susquehanna women's history in career scoring (1,911 points) and third in rebounding (881).

"I was just really excited. I was so borderline whether we were going to get in or not," said Jenkin. "It's a great chance to win a few more games and I think we will too."

Gwynedd-Mercy was seeded fourth in last week's Mid-Atlantic Region poll entering its PAC Championship Tournament. The Griffins are 23-4 after dropping a 61-52 decision to Cabrini in the conference title game Saturday. Fourth-year head coach Keith Mondillo has done a great job turning around the Gwynedd-Mercy program - taking it from going 21-27 during his first two seasons, to 45-8 the past two seasons and its first NCAA Tournament bid this season.

The winner of Wednesday's game at Susquehanna will play at Mid-Atlantic Region top seed and MAC champion Scranton in a second round game on Saturday, March 6. Under the direction of legendary 19th-year head coach Mike Strong (455-103, .815), Scranton won the conference title Saturday with an 81-60 rout of Elizabethtown, improving to 25-2 in the process. In addition to last Thursday's win over Susquehanna, the Lady Royals also won at Susquehanna this season, 72-51, on January 25. Scranton has won 18-straight games vs. Susquehanna - including all 16 vs. Hribar - and has a 19-1 series lead all-time. The Lady Royals are ranked 12th nationally.