Bethel Makes NCAA Division III Playoffs

Sunday night's NCAA Division III tournament selection show revealed Bethel University as one of the 32 teams to make it to the 2012 playoffs. The No. 25-ranked Royals (8-2) will face No. 18-ranked Concordia College-Chicago (10-0) next Saturday at Concordia Stadium in River Forest, Ill. Concordia College-Chicago qualified automatically after winning the Northern Athletic Conference. 


Bethel finished its regular season with a 27-22 win over Saint John's University on Saturday, securing a tie for second place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) with Concordia-Moorhead, as both teams finished league play 6-2. However, Bethel’s 15-14 homecoming win over the Cobbers earlier in the season left the Royals one step ahead of Concordia-Moorhead for the postseason.  St. Thomas also qualified for the playoffs as the MIAC winner.

 

This year's postseason appearance will be the seventh tournament for the Royals since 2000, as Bethel enters the NCAA Playoffs with a 6-6 (.500) record overall. The last two times BU was part of Division III postseason they were crowned West Coast Region Champions (2007 and 2010).