The Saint John’s University football and College of Saint Benedict volleyball teams are both on their way to the NCAA Division III postseason.
The Johnnies (10-0) – ranked No. 3 in the nation in the most recent D3football.com Division III poll – earned the MIAC’s automatic playoff bid with a 41-33 win over Bethel in the conference championship game Saturday afternoon at Clemens Stadium.
SJU was named the top overall seed in the expanded 40-team field when it was announced late Sunday afternoon. The Johnnies received a first-round bye and will play host to the winner of this coming Saturday’s first-round game between Wisconsin-La Crosse (7-3) – ranked No. 18 nationally – and Northwestern (Minnesota) (7-3) at noon Nov. 30 in Collegeville.
For more details, including ticket information, visit gojohnnies.com.
As the top seed, SJU would play at home all the way through the national semifinals if it advances that far.
The Bennies (15-11), meanwhile, completed a Cinderella run through the MIAC playoffs with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-14) victory over St. Catherine in the championship match Saturday night in St. Paul.
No. 4 seed CSB knocked off No. 5 seed Augsburg 3-2 in the quarterfinals last Tuesday (Nov. 12), then swept top-seeded Gustavus 3-0 on the road in the semifinals Thursday (Nov. 14). The Bennies followed with another sweep over the second-seeded Wildcats to earn the conference postseason title and the MIAC’s automatic bid to the Division III tournament.
CSB will take on Washington (Missouri) University (28-6) at 2 p.m. on Thursday as part of an eight-team regional pod at Wisconsin-Whitewater. The winner will meet the winner between Wisconsin-Platteville (25-6) and Edgewood (Wisconsin) (24-9) in the second round Friday.
The other half of the pod has Wisconsin-Whitewater (26-3) taking on Ohio Wesleyan (18-12) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (20-8) facing Northwestern (Minnesota) (24-8). The two second-round winners play in the third round Saturday for the right to advance to the national quarterfinals.
The full 64-team tournament field was announced Monday.
The Bennies – who began the season 3-9, but have won 12 of their past 14 – will be making their first NCAA appearance since 2019.
For more coverage, check out gobennies.com.