Women's Basketball | 3/2/2026 3:00:00 PM

2026 NCAA III Championship Bracket

Indianapolis, Ind. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's basketball team earned one of 43 automatic bids to the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, the national committee announced Monday.  The Eagles (18-9) will travel to a four-team NCAA III Regional at Carroll University (Wis.) Friday, March 6. UWL will face LaGrange College (Ga.) at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. 

NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT

• A total of 64 teams earned bids to the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships. 
• Sixteen four-team sites will conduct first- and second-round play on the first weekend of the championship, March 6-7. 
• Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 13-14.
• All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions.
• Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the semifinals on March 19th in Salem, Va. The National Championship game will then be played on March 21st also Salem, Va. 
• Both the semifinals and the championship game will be played at the Cregger Center. 

2025 NCAA III REGIONAL AT UW-WHITEWATER

• Hear From Coach Moran Lonning on her thoughts on the Eagles making the NCAA Tournament.
• Hear from Malia Nelson on the Eagles excitement of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
• UWL will face LaGrange College (Ga.) (20-7) in the first round Friday, March 6 at 5:15 p.m. at Carroll University's Van Male Fieldhouse.  
• Carroll University (Wis.) (22-5) hosts DePauw University (Ind.) (19-9) in the other first round match-up at 7:45 p.m.
• The winners of the first round games will play in the second round Saturday, March 7 at 7:45 p.m.

EAGLES IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

• The Eagles will be making its seventh appearance in the national tournament.(1983, 1984, 1988, 2011, 2020, 2025)
• UWL is 6-6 all-time in the national tournament.
• The Eagles made their first appearance since 2020 last season after earning an at large bid to the tournament.
• In the first round of the 2025 NCAA III National Tournament, UWL won it first tournament game since 1988 when they defeated Colorado College 79-52. The Eagles then fell to UW-Whitewater 50-49 in the second round. 
• Head coach Moran Lonning is in her third season at the helm of the Eagles and will be making her second appearance in the NCAA tournament. Prior to coming to UWL, Lonning was head coach at Central College (Iowa) for one season (2022-23).