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Worcester, Mass. – Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) won the ECAC New England Division III women’s basketball championship on Saturday, March 3, with a thrilling 58-57 victory over Wheaton College in WPI's Harrington Auditorium.
It was the first ECAC championship for the women's team since 1987. The win brought the team's record to 23-7, equaling the school record for wins in a season established during the 1995-96 season. Tournament MVP Meghan Pajonas, a WPI senior, scored a game-best 20 points.
The team earlier won the regular-season NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) title before losing to Mount Holyoke College in the final game of the NEWMAC championship.
WPI's men's basketball team, ranked 18th in the nation, succumbed to Stevens Institute of Technology, 68-57, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball championship at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J., on Friday, March 2. WPI was led by senior guard Ryan Cain, NEWMAC Player of the Year, who had 15 points and five rebounds. Cain is a finalist for the prestigious Jostens Trophy, awarded to the Division III player of the year.
The men's team, which won the regular-season NEWMAC title, only to lose to Coast Guard in the NEWMAC tournament championship game, finished the season with a 22-4 record.
Read more about the men's and women's teams and other news of WPI's varsity teams.
