FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Utah Valley women's basketball has been selected to participate in the 28th annual Postseason WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports. The field of 48 will begin play on Thursday, March 19, with the full bracket announced on Monday.
The selection marks the second consecutive season the Wolverines will play in the postseason, the first time the program has reached the postseason in back-to-back seasons during its Division I era. Utah Valley earned its first-ever postseason victory last season with a 70-64 win over Air Force before falling in a heartbreaking 57-54 loss to Washington State in Pullman.
The Wolverines have faced and beaten four teams in this year's field: Abilene Christian, Air Force, Pepperdine, and Southern Utah.
"Our longstanding belief has always been that women's college basketball demanded the respect that comes with a genuine postseason challenge outside the standard tournament," said Sarah Sullivan, WNIT director. "For more than a generation, we've been there to celebrate the determination and hard work of players, coaches, and staff that helped make the sport so great. Others have tried to copy our model, but for pure excitement and the kind of competitive environment that lifts programs higher, the Postseason WNIT set the standard before the turn of the century."
THE FIELD
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
Abilene Christian (23-10) - WAC
Alcorn State (17-13) - SWAC
Florida International (20-11) - Conference USA
Lamar (20-10) - Southland Conference
Mercyhurst (15-16) - NEC
Montana State (25-7) - Big Sky
Radford (22-12) - Big South
Maryland Eastern Shore (19-14) - MEAC
Youngstown State (24-9) - Horizon League
AT LARGE
Air Force (16-18) - Mountain West
Arkansas State (24-9) - Sun Belt
Army (24-7) - Patriot League
Austin Peay (19-13) - ASUN
Binghamton (19-12) - America East
Bradley (20-12) - Missouri Valley
Cleveland State (24-9) - Horizon League
Drexel (21-10) - CAA
Florida Gulf Coast (16-15) - ASUN
George Washington (15-17) - Atlantic 10
Illinois State (20-13) - Missouri Valley
La Salle (18-13) - Atlantic 10
Lehigh (17-14) - Patriot League
Loyola Chicago (14-17) - Atlantic 10
Marshall (23-9) - Sun Belt
Merrimack (19-12) - MAAC
Middle Tennessee State (16-15) - Conference USA
Monmouth (20-11) - CAA
Morehead State (18-14) - OVC
NJIT (18-12) - America East
Norfolk State (18-14) - MEAC
Northern Colorado (22-10) - Big Sky
Ohio (18-13) - MAC
Pepperdine (19-12) - WCC
Portland (18-14) - WCC
Purdue Fort Wayne (20-13) - Horizon League
Sam Houston (18-12) - Conference USA
San Francisco (18-14) - WCC
South Alabama (16-18) - Sun Belt
South Dakota (23-9) - Summit League
Southern Indiana (21-10) - OVC
Southern Utah (19-12) - WAC
St. Bonaventure (16-15) - Atlantic 10
Stetson (20-11) - ASUN
UC Davis (23-10) - Big West
UMBC (16-14) - America East
Utah Valley (16-14) - WAC
UTRGV (20-13) - Southland
Wake Forest (14-17) – ACC
Follow the 2026 Postseason WNIT:
X: @WomensNIT
Facebook: /womensNIT
Hashtag: #WNIT
About Triple Crown Sports
Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing youth, high school and college events for more than 40 years. TCS runs the Postseason WNIT basketball event and produces the men's and women's DI Cancun Challenge tournaments in November. Triple Crown is also powering a "WNIT" concept event in D-I volleyball (NIVC), with that event debuting in 2017. Triple Crown's PV College Challenge features more than 10 of the top DI college softball teams in the country each year in Puerto Vallarta, MX. Anchored by the 1,300-team Colorado 4th of July event, TC fastpitch softball tournaments draw the nation's finest club programs, and hundreds of college coaches attend TCS events for recruiting purposes. TCS produces one of the largest youth baseball events in the world with the 700-team Omaha SlumpBuster during the College World Series. The Triple Crown Volleyball NIT has become the top-recruited club volleyball event in the country each February when 650 teams compete in Kansas City, MO.
