 Location St. Louis, Mo. Founded 1853 Enrollment 5,800 Colors Red and Green Nickname Bears National Affiliation NCAA Division III Conference University Athletic Association Chancellort Mark S. Wrighton |
| HOW THEY GOT HERE: Defending national champion Washington University played its 13th-straight match away from the friendly confines of the WU Field House last Saturday when they traveled to La Crosse, Wis., for the NCAA quarterfinal match, which the Bears won 3-1. The Bears, who are 19-2 on the road this year — including winning 10 straight — earned a berth in the NCAA quarterfinals by winning the Central Region title, where they rolled past Calvin, 3-1, then swept 20th-ranked Elmhurst , 3-0. TOURNAMENT NOTES: The Bears went 11-4 against this season's NCAA Tournament field in the regular season. WU defeated Emory, Fontbonne and New York twice apiece. The Bears also notched wins against Lakeland, Ohio Northern, UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater and Wittenberg. Washington U. lost to the following tournament contenders: Central, Juniata, Trinity and UW-Whitewater. … Washington University, which has won eight NCAA Division III championships, knows all about climbing to the top. In their first 17 trips to the Tournament, the Bears have advanced to 13 NCAA semifinals, including last year's run to the national championship. … With five wins at the UAA Championship on Nov. 5-6 in Atlanta, the Bears improved their all-time UAA record to 206-3 (.987). WU is 120-2 in round-robin play and 86-1 in championship action. The Bears have not lost a conference match since Oct. 6, 2001, when they dropped two on the same day against NYU and Carnegie Mellon. … Washington University captured its16th consecutive UAA championship this year. The Bears have won 17 of the 18 UAA titles since the conference began play in 1987. … Five Bears were named to the All-UAA Team, led by senior Colleen Winter who garnered first-team and MVP honors. Juniors Megan Houck and Kara Liefer joined Winter on the first team, while junior Nicole Hodgman and sophomore Whitney Smith were named honorable mention. Freshman Emilie Walk was named the league's Rookie of the Year. Head coach Rich Luenemann and his colleagues were also tabbed as the Association's Coaching Staff of the Year. Luenemann's assistants are Krista Haukap, Brent Ruoff, Paula Urbanek, Shelley Swan, Brielle Killip and Lee Hale. … Three Bears have been named to the All-America and All-Central Region Teams, as announced last week by the AVCA. Senior Colleen Winter was named first team all-region for the fourth straight season. Juniors Kara Liefer and Megan Houck also garnered first-team accolades. Winter and Liefer were also tabbed first-team All-Americans, while Houck was named to the third team. … The Bears own an all-time record of 63-10 (.861) in the NCAA Tournament. WU's 63 wins rank second in Division III history for NCAA Tournament play. That includes a streak of 31 straight wins from 1991-97. … Washington U. has won Division-III record eight national championships. WU won national titles in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2003. … Washington U. is 16-4 this season against top-25 opponents, including 3-1 against top-five squads. |