Unbeaten Christopher Newport, ranked third in the latest national field hockey poll, received one of six byes in the 26-team NCAA Division III championship tournament and never will have to leave its home field, Jennings Family Stadium.
Even before the season started, the Captains (17-0) were slated to be the Final Four hosts Nov. 17 and 19, whether they advanced to it or not. CNU has only made one semifinal in program history, losing to Bowdoin of Maine in Virginia Beach in 2013, but the Captains are entering the NCAAs unbeaten for the first time.
CNU’s first NCAA game will be in the round of 16 at 11 a.m. Saturday against the winner of Wednesday’s 3:30 p.m. clash pitting St. Mary’s (13-5) of Maryland and 13th-ranked Kean (11-5).
No. 11 Lynchburg (19-2) also gained a host role and will face Keystone (11-5) of Pennsylvania at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.
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Division I
With the momentum from a 12-game winning streak, Big East Tournament champion Old Dominion (14-5) will try to knock off No. 4 seed Maryland (16-5) in the NCAA round of 16 Friday in the Terrapins’ stadium in College Park.
Per the bracket reveal Sunday night on NCAA.com, the ODU-Maryland victor will advance to a quarterfinal in College Park against the winner of at-large selection Virginia (12-6) and Saint Joseph’s (16-4). The Cavaliers lost to ACC Tournament champion North Carolina in a semifinal, but they upset the Tar Heels in a regular-season game.
Liberty (17-2) comfortably got an at-large bid despite its loss to ODU in the Big East final and will face Syracuse (10-7) on Friday. That game will be on the field of third-seeded Duke (16-4), which will meet American (11-7).
Meanwhile, Coastal Athletic Association Tournament champion William & Mary (11-8) was assigned to one of two Wednesday games that will narrow the field from 18 to 16. The Tribe took the CAA title by beating Monmouth 3-2 in double overtime on Lauren Curran’s hat trick, twice coming from behind.
W&M will go to Chapel Hill to play Sacred Heart (9-0) of Connecticut in an opening-round game at 2 p.m. Wednesday. That game’s victor will stay to play Friday against top-seeded UNC.—