Jess Strom
The California, Pa. women and the Indiana, Pa. men will represent the PSAC in their respective Division II Elite Eight finals this week in Sioux Falls, S.D. and Evanasville, Ind.
The Vulcans, (29-4), the PSAC champions who won the Atlantic Regional with a 72-69 overtime win over Bloomsburg at Cal’s Hamer Hall Monday, will face South Regional champion Nova Southeastern, the second seed a 67-62 winner over top seed Union, Tenn. On Tuesday at 1 p.m. At the Sanford Pentagon.
Cal, the 2003-04 Division II champion, returns to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 2008-09 season. Nova Southeastern (27-5) advanced to the semifinals in 2013-14 at the Erie Insurance Arena before losing to West Texas A&M, the runner-up to unbeaten champion Bentley.
The Vulcans, coached by Jess Strom, feature sophomore guard Miki Glenn, MOP of the Atlantic Regional, and seniors Kaitlynn Fratz, Emma Mahady and Irina Kukolj.
The NSU Sharks are making their third straight Elite Eight appearance and are led by the senior inside-outside duo of Jasmine Wilkins and Danielle Robinson and guards Monaye Merritt and Jessica Valley, who have combined for 262 assists.
The winner plays the winner of New Haven (East) and Cal Baptist (West) on Wednesday.
Joe Lombardi
West Texas A&M faces 2009-10 champion Emporia State and Limestone, a loser to West Texas in the quarterfinals in Erie, meets Lewis in the other half of the bracket.
IUP, (29-6) the third seed in the Atlantic Regional but who beat top seed host and 2013-14 D-II runnerup West Liberty 77-74 in the finals Tuesday, returns to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 when the Crimson Hawks lost in the D-II title game 65-53 to Cal Poly Pomona. The Hawks face West top seed Azusa Pacific 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Evansville’s Ford Center.
The Crimson Hawks, making their sixth Elite Eight appearance and second under coach Joe Lombardi, showcase guards Devante Chance, the senior from Philadelphia a fourth-year regular and PSAC West athlete of the year, and graduate student Shawn Dyer, who transferred this season from West Liberty and was the MOP of the Atlantic Regional.
Azusa Pacific (26-5) beat California Baptist 91-79 to win then West Regional in its first season in the NCAA. The Cougars however have a long history of success as an NAIA member, making the Ellite Eight nine times, the Final Four five times and twice losing the championship game.
IUP won the only meeting between the two schools in 1974.
APU, averaging 83.5 points per game, is led by 6-1 senior guard Troy Leaf, who averages 23.5 points, has made 85 3-pointers and 186-of-208 free throws (89.4 pct.). Leaf, who played one season at Division I UC-Santa Barbara, scored 3,318 points as San Diego County’s top high school career scorer, third all-time in California. His father Brad played college ball at Evansville, once a small-college powerhouse.
The winner plays the winner of 2010-11 champ Bellarmine-Minnesota-Morehead on Thursday in one semifinal. The other half of the bracket has No. 1 Florida Southern, with Edinboro grad Ben Swank an assistant coach and former Gannon forward Stephen Battle the Moccasins’ second-leading scorer, versus Southern New Hampshire, and Tarleton State meeting Mount Olive.
The championship game will be televised March 28 at 3 p.m. on CBS
— Bob Jarzomski
