WUSTL football gains bid to NCAA Division III championship

Bears make second NCAA appearance in school history

The Washington University in St. Louis football team received a Pool B bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III football championship, the NCAA Committee announced Sunday, Nov. 17. WUSTL was one of three teams (Framingham State, Wesley) that received Pool B bids.

WUSTL will make its first NCAA appearance since 1999 and second all-time. The Bears take on No. 20-ranked Franklin College at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in the first round. This will be the first meeting in school history between the two teams.

“What I am most excited about is the grit and determination of this team,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “We raised our standard of play and performance on the field, which put us in a position to succeed each game.”

WUSTL posted an 8-2 mark in the regular season, including a 3-0 record in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Bears ended the season with seven straight wins, their first regular-season seven-game winning streak since 1948. WUSTL also won its second-straight and 10th overall UAA championship in school history.

Franklin College won its fourth-straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) title and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a 59-21 victory over Hanover College Saturday.
The Grizzlies are making their fourth-straight and sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Championship, all coming in the last seven years.

To follow the game live for free, visit here.

The winner of Saturday’s game will face the winner of No. 6 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (10-0) and St. Norbert College (8-2) in the second round Saturday, Nov. 30.