Landmark Sending Four Teams To NCAA Tournaments

MADISON, N.J. – A total of four Landmark Conference teams have earned the right to represent the conference in NCAA Division III Tournament play as announced Monday morning. First-round play in the Division III Men’s Lacrosse and Women’s Lacrosse Tournaments will begin on Wednesday, with regional action in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament starting on Thursday. Game times for all the first-round games have not yet been released.

The Landmark earned two spots in the Women’s Lacrosse Tournament as Landmark Champion The Catholic University of America, and runner-up Drew University both earned spots in the field. In men’s lacrosse the United States Merchant Marine Academy won the Landmark title and will appear in the tournament. In softball Moravian College is back in the tournament after claiming the Landmark Championship. In its second year the Landmark champions were not eligible to earn automatic bids to the NCAA field, but the teams were eligible to earn either Pool B (Independents) or Pool C (At-Large) bids. All three Landmark teams were selected as Pool B entries.

The Catholic women’s lacrosse team is back in the tournament after making a run to the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. Catholic has claimed the Landmark Championship in each of its first two seasons, and was ranked as high as 9th this season in the IWLCA Division III rankings. This year the Cardinals (15-3) will host Messiah College (14-4) in an opening round game. The winner will move on to a regional hosted by Salisbury University which will be played Saturday and Sunday May 9 and 10. The winner of the Catholic/Messiah match will face the winner of the match between Christopher Newport and Mary Washington. Drew (10-7) earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 2007, its final season before joining the Landmark. The Rangers will travel to Medford, Mass. to face Tufts University (14-2) in the opening round. The winner will move to the regional hosted by Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pa. Drew comes into the postseason in fine form having won seven of its past eight games, including a win over Catholic in its season finale.

USMMA will also be hosting an opening round match in men’s lacrosse as the Mariners will take on Eastern Connecticut (14-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The winner will move on to face Wesleyan (Conn.) on Saturday May 9 at Wesleyan. The quarterfinals will be at a site TBD on Wednesday May 13. USMMA (11-5) defeated The University of Scranton 8-6 on Saturday to claim its first Landmark men’s lacrosse championship, and it was also the team’s sixth-straight win. USMMA is the first Landmark men’s lacrosse team to earn a berth in the tourney field, as the conference did not earn a bid in men’s lacrosse in its inaugural season.

Moravian returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in the last 12 years after not receiving a bid a season ago. The Greyhounds won a pair of extra-inning games over the weekend to claim the Landmark Championship, and now will take part in the eight-team regional hosted by Ramapo College in Mahway, N.J. Moravian (25-11) is the fourth-seed for the eight-team regional and will take on fifth-seed Eastern Connecticut (25-11) on Thursday at a time TBD. After going 3-0 at the Landmark Championship, Moravian has dropped just three games since March 21, posting a record of 24-3 during that stretch.

In its second year of existence the Landmark has earned at least three NCAA Tournament bids in each of the three sports seasons during the 2008-09 academic year.