The UW-Oshkosh women’s basketball team was selected for the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball tournament March 2. Not only is it the sixth time in the last seven years that UWO heard their name be called (2021 canceled due to COVID-19), it is also the third straight year that the Titans will be hosting a regional at the Kolf Sports Center.
The Titans earned their spot as an at-large bid after falling in the WIAC Tournament championship to UW-La Crosse 52-49 on Feb. 27. UWO is coming into the tournament with the hopes of not only recreating last year’s magic of appearing in the Final Four for the first time since the 1996 National Championship, but will be looking to bring home the program’s second national title.
UWO is led by sophomore duo Paige Seckar and Sammi Beyer. Seckar, who was selected as WIAC Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring 13.6 points per game. Beyer, a 2026 All-WIAC Team selection, is second with an average of 11.7 points per game. UWO head coach Brad Fischer was tabbed for his fourth WIAC Coach of the Year, while forward Sarah Hardwick was chosen for the All-WIAC Team. Guard Avery Pool made the All-WIAC Honorable Mention squad and was selected for the All-WIAC Defensive Team along with Hardwick.
The Titans are opening up the tournament with a matchup against Webster University (Missouri). The Gorlocks are coming into the tournament as the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Conference (SLIAC) Tournament champions after defeating Principia College (Missouri) 70-64.
Webster (19-8) is making its ninth NCAA appearance and fourth in the past five years. The Gorloks, who own a 2-8 record in the national tournament, were ousted by Oshkosh during the 2024 first round in Kolf Sports Center. Webster picked up both of its Division III Championship wins when it reached the third round in 2002.
Following the SLIAC Championship victory over Principia, WU’s Meghan Illingworth, Akaela Caquelin and Miya Webb were named to the SLIAC Women’s Basketball Tournament All-Tournament Team as Illingworth was named the Most Valuable Player. Illingworth, a 6-foot-2 forward, leads Webster with 11.8 points per game. Webb and Caquelin, both guards, are averaging 10.1 and 10 points per game, respectively.
Wisconsin Lutheran College is heading into the tournament as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) tournament champions with a 23-5 record. The Warriors secured an automatic bid by defeating St. Norbert College 48-29 in the tournament championship.
Wisconsin Lutheran College landed six postseason honors from the NACC, highlighted by sophomore guard Lily Oiler being named Defensive Player of the Year and the Warriors’ Klay Knueppel earning Coaching Staff of the Year accolades.
Sophomore forward Abby Cole and junior forward Margie Stevens were selected First Team All-NACC, freshman guard Kenly Frey and senior forward Jayden Hill received Second Team All-NACC recognition.
Stevens secured her third consecutive First Team All-NACC selection. The junior has started all 26 games and leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game while adding 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest.
Frey made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season, starting all 25 games she has played. The freshman averages 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, reaching double figures 14 times.
Saint Mary’s University (Minnesota) received an at-large berth after finishing fourth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season standings. The Cardinals are making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2014.
Freshman Ayla Olson ranks fifth in the MIAC in scoring at 15.6 points per game, while Brianna Nusbaum sits seventh at 15.1 points per contest. Nusbaum also etched her name into the record book earlier this season with a 33-point performance against Grinnell College in November, setting a new single-game program record.
The Cardinals boast the conference’s top scoring offense at 71.4 points per game and rank second in rebounding at 38.7 boards per contest, while limiting opponents’ second-chance opportunities. The Olson sister duo, Ayla and junior Kali Olson, anchor the defense, each averaging one block per game.
In the MIAC title game, Ayla Olson led the charge with 19 points and seven rebounds. Sternquist added 16 points and four assists, while Nusbaum contributed nine points, five rebounds and two steals.
Saint Mary’s will take on Wisconsin Lutheran at 4:45 p.m. on Friday at the Kolf Sports Center.
The Titans opening round of the tournament against Webster will take place on Friday, March. 6 at 7:15 p.m. You can catch the game on Titan T.V. or listen to it on 90.3 WRST FM.
