Welcome to March Madness: Juniata women’s hoops receives NCAA Tournament bid

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College women's basketball team has received a "Pool B" bid to the 2008 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, according to selections unveiled Sunday night on the NCAA's website.

The complete bracket will be unveiled on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m., when the Eagles (18-9, 10-4 Landmark) will learn when, where, and against whom they will begin NCAA tournament play.

"I'm still in shock," said Danny Young, Juniata College head women's basketball coach. "The girls are pretty excited, and I'm excited for everything it means for this program."

"I want our girls to get excited for what they've accomplished this season. I don't want them to hold their emotions in check, which is what I think we did a little bit in the Landmark championship game. I want them to enjoy every minute of this, and to savor it," said Young.

This will be Juniata's second appearance in the NCAA tournament. Juniata's previous trip to the NCAAs was in 1986, when the Eagles dropped a 70-53 decision to the University of Scranton in a first round game, then defeated Moravian College 66-50 in a Regional Third Place contest.

Pool B berths are reserved for independent institutions, or institutions from conferences that do not have an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament such as the Landmark Conference. The Landmark will not be eligible for an automatic qualifier until 2010. A total of three Pool B bids were awarded; the other two Pool B bids were awarded to Chapman University (Calif.) and the University of Scranton. 

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