2026 Conference Tournament and NCAA Selection Thread

[Ron Boerger]

SCIAC Finals

La Verne 1 - Whittier 0

La Verne wins the SCIAC and advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history with a very tidy performance in a tight game.

It will be interesting to see how the pod is constructed for Region X.  Southwestern, Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity, Hardin-Simmons, and La Verne are the qualifiers.  I could see Southwestern hosting with Trinity and Whitman sent elsewhere.  Whitman could go to Minnesota presumably.

I'll eat my hat if Trinity and Hardin-Simmons don't end up at Southwestern with one team being flown in.  CC has to fly regardless, and La Verne and Whitman are so low on the totem pole that they'll be flown too.   

[Kuiper]

SCIAC Finals

La Verne 1 - Whittier 0

La Verne wins the SCIAC and advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history with a very tidy performance in a tight game.

It will be interesting to see how the pod is constructed for Region X.  Southwestern, Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity, Hardin-Simmons, and La Verne are the qualifiers.  I could see Southwestern hosting with Trinity and Whitman sent elsewhere.  Whitman could go to Minnesota presumably.

I'll eat my hat if Trinity and Hardin-Simmons don't end up at Southwestern with one team being flown in.  CC has to fly regardless, and La Verne and Whitman are so low on the totem pole that they'll be flown too.   

Fair.  I just wasn't sure if they would try to avoid teams in the same conference playing each other this early as long as they were sending teams elsewhere.

[stlawus]

SCIAC Finals

La Verne 1 - Whittier 0

La Verne wins the SCIAC and advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history with a very tidy performance in a tight game.

It will be interesting to see how the pod is constructed for Region X.  Southwestern, Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity, Hardin-Simmons, and La Verne are the qualifiers.  I could see Southwestern hosting with Trinity and Whitman sent elsewhere.  Whitman could go to Minnesota presumably.

I'll eat my hat if Trinity and Hardin-Simmons don't end up at Southwestern with one team being flown in.  CC has to fly regardless, and La Verne and Whitman are so low on the totem pole that they'll be flown too.   

When it comes to NCAA committees, Texas pods are essentially crack cocaine. They will snort crumbs from the carpet and lick paint off the walls if they can find a way to get a Texas pod.

[Ron Boerger]

SCIAC Finals

La Verne 1 - Whittier 0

La Verne wins the SCIAC and advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history with a very tidy performance in a tight game.

It will be interesting to see how the pod is constructed for Region X.  Southwestern, Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity, Hardin-Simmons, and La Verne are the qualifiers.  I could see Southwestern hosting with Trinity and Whitman sent elsewhere.  Whitman could go to Minnesota presumably.

I'll eat my hat if Trinity and Hardin-Simmons don't end up at Southwestern with one team being flown in.  CC has to fly regardless, and La Verne and Whitman are so low on the totem pole that they'll be flown too.   

When it comes to NCAA committees, Texas pods are essentially crack cocaine. They will snort crumbs from the carpet and lick paint off the walls if they can find a way to get a Texas pod.

THIS.

Besides, Southwestern is abandoning the SAA so they have one foot in the SCAC already.  The rematch rule usually only comes into effect for the first round.

[Gregory Sager]

SCIAC Finals

La Verne 1 - Whittier 0

La Verne wins the SCIAC and advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history with a very tidy performance in a tight game.

It will be interesting to see how the pod is constructed for Region X.  Southwestern, Whitman, Colorado College, Trinity, Hardin-Simmons, and La Verne are the qualifiers.  I could see Southwestern hosting with Trinity and Whitman sent elsewhere.  Whitman could go to Minnesota presumably.

I'll eat my hat if Trinity and Hardin-Simmons don't end up at Southwestern with one team being flown in.  CC has to fly regardless, and La Verne and Whitman are so low on the totem pole that they'll be flown too.   

Fair.  I just wasn't sure if they would try to avoid teams in the same conference playing each other this early as long as they were sending teams elsewhere.

As long as they don't play each other in the opening round, it's within the rules to bracket league rivals within the same four-team pod.

As you well know, but perhaps some newer fans don't, this is a regular occurrence for the "island" conferences in Texas and on the West Coast in multiple D3 sports, and is probably the most glaring evidence of the budget restrictions  within which D3 national tournaments have to operate. Less money means fewer flights, which in turn means that geographic proximity often overrides seeding concerns and the understandable desire to separate teams from the same league within the larger bracket. And, of course, the geographically isolated leagues in the Southwest and West bear the brunt of it.

[Ejay]

Interesting sidebar, on the women's side Virginia Wesleyan (not Batten University) has made the tournament.

Projected NCAA field: Division III women's soccer

[jknezek]

Interesting sidebar, on the women's side Virginia Wesleyan (not Batten University) has made the tournament.

Projected NCAA field: Division III women's soccer

That's not the official NCAA page. It's correct on the NCAA page:

https://stats.ncaa.org/selection_rankings/nitty_gritties/55050

But the ODAC getting 4 women's teams is fairly unprecedented I think. As for Batten, I still struggle equating them with Va Wes, but another season or two and I'm sure I'll be fine.

[LibbyMoore]

You can't say Bates doesn't deserve it.  The record speaks for itself!

Bates might be the most well rested team of all-time going into the tournament if they are able to sneak in...HAH!

I wonder if they were even still training!

[kansas hokie]

5-6-4 Bates gets in as #9 NESCAC...Next would have been Trinity (CT, 6-7-1, #10 NESCAC). Wash U (10-3-4), TCNJ (9-1-9, this year's York), Rutgers-Newark (9-4-5), and Emory (11-3-4) are next four.

Just doesn't feel right and I said it last year, how can this process elevate the #2 teams in one-bid conferences with uncommon successes. Maybe start with "you have to have a winning record to make NCAA tourney". Do that this year and Wash U and TCNJ are in, Bates and Trinity are out.

[CollegeSoccerFan]

5-6-4 Bates gets in as #9 NESCAC...Next would have been Trinity (CT, 6-7-1, #10 NESCAC). Wash U (10-3-4), TCNJ (9-1-9, this year's York), Rutgers-Newark (9-4-5), and Emory (11-3-4) are next four.

Just doesn't feel right and I said it last year, how can this process elevate the #2 teams in one-bid conferences with uncommon successes. Maybe start with "you have to have a winning record to make NCAA tourney". Do that this year and Wash U and TCNJ are in, Bates and Trinity are out.

Is that not a thing? You don't have to have a winning record to get an at-large bid? That's a qualifier in D1 but I find it surprising its not in D3?

[jknezek]

5-6-4 Bates gets in as #9 NESCAC...Next would have been Trinity (CT, 6-7-1, #10 NESCAC). Wash U (10-3-4), TCNJ (9-1-9, this year's York), Rutgers-Newark (9-4-5), and Emory (11-3-4) are next four.

Just doesn't feel right and I said it last year, how can this process elevate the #2 teams in one-bid conferences with uncommon successes. Maybe start with "you have to have a winning record to make NCAA tourney". Do that this year and Wash U and TCNJ are in, Bates and Trinity are out.

Is that not a thing? You don't have to have a winning record to get an at-large bid? That's a qualifier in D1 but I find it surprising its not in D3?

Sadly, no. The men's soccer dials were set to disproportionately favor Strength of Schedule. They moderate a bit this off-season, but I think they still are pretty strong in that direction.

[kansas hokie]

How are the dials adjusting? Sorry I haven't tracked those changes, but am certainly curious. The lack of value for away wins is shocking as well in the current iteration. Anyone who watches the sport knows that away wins are significantly harder than home wins.

[CollegeSoccerFan]

5-6-4 Bates gets in as #9 NESCAC...Next would have been Trinity (CT, 6-7-1, #10 NESCAC). Wash U (10-3-4), TCNJ (9-1-9, this year's York), Rutgers-Newark (9-4-5), and Emory (11-3-4) are next four.

Just doesn't feel right and I said it last year, how can this process elevate the #2 teams in one-bid conferences with uncommon successes. Maybe start with "you have to have a winning record to make NCAA tourney". Do that this year and Wash U and TCNJ are in, Bates and Trinity are out.

Is that not a thing? You don't have to have a winning record to get an at-large bid? That's a qualifier in D1 but I find it surprising its not in D3?

Sadly, no. The men's soccer dials were set to disproportionately favor Strength of Schedule. They moderate a bit this off-season, but I think they still are pretty strong in that direction.

Thanks, That's very interesting.

[Hopkins92]

Looking at the women's selections... Much more parity in conference representation.

I'm not a NESCAC hater. They have proven to be the best conference in the country, no question.

But something really seems off with the existing algorithm.