The IUP women’s basketball team started the season outside the Top 25. Today they are in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, seeded number two and tipping off this afternoon at 2:30 against number seven Holy Family at Duquesne University’s Cooper Field House.
It’s the fourth Elite Eight in the history of the IUP women’s basketball program, the first since 2019 when they lost in the semifinals. It’s also PSAC West Coach of the Year Craig Carey’s first trip to the Elite Eight.
Carey hopes to see strong support from IUP fans, who will have only a short drive from Indiana to Pittsburgh.
Carey says his team’s work ethic has brought it to this point.
The coach is well aware of how strong the competition will be, starting this afternoon with Holy Family.
Carey says IUP’s two straight losses at the end of the regular season were a turning point for his team, and they responded in the Atlantic Regional.
While 29-3 IUP is led by PSAC Athlete of the Year ‘Shae Weaver, first-team All-PSAC Teresa Maggio and second-team All-PSAC Ellie Wilkerson, Holy Family coach Bernadette Laukaitis is the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year and the 30-4 Tigers are led by All-CACC first-teamer Taylor Hinkle, All-CACC third-teamers Skyler Searfoss and Kaelah Carter, and the conference’s Rookie of the Year, Ella Brown.
The action begins at noon with number 3 Colorado Mesa taking on number 6 Minnesota Duluth, then IUP and Holy Family at 2:30, top seed Grand Valley State against number 8 Carson-Newman at 6, and number 4 Cal Poly Pomona against number 5 Alabama Huntsville at 8:30.
We’re on the air at 1:45 this afternoon on 92.5 FM U92 for the start of IUP’s run in the Elite Eight.
IUP MEN
IUP men’s basketball star Dallis Dillard has been named first-team All-Atlantic Region by the
National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Dillard averaged 20.6 points per game and ranked among the top five in Division II in both total steals and steals per game. He also topped the 1,000-point mark for his career after missing most of the previous two seasons with a knee injury.
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