SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Spring Arbor University is headed back to the national stage for the third straight year after the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the 64-team field for the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, presented by Ballogy, on Thursday evening.
The tournament format features 16, four-team pods to be played at campus sites – one of those being Spring Arbor – around the nation. The First Round games will be played on Friday, Mar. 13 with the Second Round taking place on Saturday, Mar. 14 at those campus sites.
The winners of those 16 pods advance to the national tournament final site in Sioux City, Iowa, where those games will be played over the span of a week at the Tyson Events Center from Mar. 19-24.
Spring Arbor earned its way into the tournament as an at-large selection. The Cougars are the No. 6 seed in the Liston Quadrant and face off against No. 11 seed Indiana Tech in the first round.
Joining SAU and Indiana Tech in the pod are No. 3 seed Tennessee Southern and No. 14 seed Northwestern College (Iowa).
The winners of the two Friday games meet on Saturday with a trip to the final site on the line.
Spring Arbor is making its seventh all-time trip to the national tournament. This year, with their No. 6 seed, the Cougars have earned their highest ranking for the tournament in the
John Williams coaching era.
The Cougars, ranked No. 18 in the latest NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, enter the tournament with a 22-7 record after finishing third in the Crossroads League regular season standings. The team is led by their four All-Crossroads League selections –
Megan Zeitz,
Ashley Weller,
Haven Chapman, and
Emma Smieska.
Indiana Tech is making its 15th appearance in the tournament and comes in with a record of 26-5. The Warriors qualified as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champion.
Tennessee Southern, ranked No. 24 in the most recent top 25 poll, returns to the tournament for the sixth time in its program history as an at-large selection out of the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Firehawks are 22-6 overall.
Northwestern, making its 22nd appearance, owns a 16-13 record and was an at-large selection out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Tickets will be available for purchase at the door
(CASH ONLY). Prices will be $15 for general admission, $5 for seniors and non-SAU students (with ID) while children ages 6 and under will be free. SAU students, faculty and staff will also be free (with ID). Passes will not be accepted for the national tournament.
