Nov. 15, 2009

Brackets: Interactive | PDF

NCAA RELEASE

The NCAA Division III Football Committee announced today the field of 32 teams for the 2009 NCAA Division III Football Championship. The committee selected teams based on conference results and competition within an institution's respective evaluation region.

Twenty-three conferences received automatic-qualifying berths. Three berths were reserved for true independents and those teams that are members of conferences that do not receive automatic qualification. The remaining six berths were awarded to teams from either automatic qualifying conferences that did not win an automatic berth, or remaining true independent teams and teams in non-automatic qualifying conferences.

The first round of the championship will be played November 21 at the host institution's campus or at an alternate site approved by the football committee. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the national championship game, will be played December 19, at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The game will be broadcast live on ESNP2 HD/E360 at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

The following 23 conferences and their respective schools received automatic-qualifying berths:

American Southwest Conference - Mississippi College
Centennial Conference - Johns Hopkins University
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin - Illinois Wesleyan University
Empire 8 - Alfred University
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference - College of Mount St. Joseph
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Central College (Iowa)
Liberty League - Susquehanna University
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association - Trine University
Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference - Delaware Valley College
Midwest Conference - Monmouth College (Illinois)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - St. John's University (Minnesota)
New England Football Conference - Maine Maritime Academy
New Jersey Athletic Conference - Montclair State University
North Coast Athletic Conference - Wittenberg University
Northern Athletics Conference - Lakeland College
Northwest Conference - Linfield College
Ohio Athletic Conference - Mount Union College
Old Dominion Athletic Conference - Hampden-Sydney College
Presidents' Athletic Conference - Thomas More College
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - California Lutheran University
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - DePauw University
USA South Athletic Conference - North Carolina Wesleyan College
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - University of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Pool B Berths (3):
Case Western Reserve University
Huntingdon College
Wesley College

Pool C Berths (6): Albright College
Coe College
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
Wabash College
Washington and Jefferson College

The first-round dates, sites, and team match-ups are:

November 21 at Alliance, Ohio
*Mount Union (10-0) vs. Washington & Jefferson (9-1)

November 21 at Montclair, New York
*Montclair St. (9-1) vs. Maine Maritime (9-1)

November 21 at Alfred, New York
*Alfred (8-1) vs. Albright (9-1)

November 21 at Doylestown, Pennsylvania
*Delaware Valley (9-1) vs. Susquehanna (8-2)

November 21 at Whitewater, Wisconsin
*Wisconsin-Whitewater (10-0) vs. Lakeland (6-4)

November 21 at Bloomington, Illinois
*Illinois Wesleyan (9-1) vs. Wabash (9-1)

November 21 at Cleveland, Ohio
*Case Western Reserve (10-0) vs. Trine (9-1)

November 21 at Springfield, Ohio
*Wittenberg (10-0) vs. Mount St. Joseph (9-1)

November 21 at Dover, Delaware
*Wesley (10-0) vs. North Carolina Wesleyan (8-2)

November 21 at Montgomery, Alabama
*Huntingdon (8-2) vs. Mississippi College (8-2)

November 21 at Hampden-Sydney, Virginia
*Hampden-Sydney (10-0) vs. Johns Hopkins (8-2)

November 21 at Crestview Hills, Kentucky
*Thomas More (10-0) vs. DePauw (7-2)

November 21 at Collegeville, Minnesota
*St. John's (Minnesota) (10-0) vs. Coe (9-1)

November 21 at Monmouth, Illinois
*Monmouth (Illinois) (10-01) vs. St. Thomas (Minnesota) (9-1)

November 21 at Pella, Iowa
*Central (Iowa) (10-0) vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1)

November 21 at McMinnville, Oregon
*Linfield (9-0) vs. Cal Lutheran (8-1)

*Denotes host institution

All games start at noon local time.

2009 will be Mount Union's 21st appearance followed closely by St. John's Minnesota and Central (Iowa) both making their 20th appearance. Teams making first appearances are Cal Lutheran, DePauw, Huntingdon, Mississippi College, Maine Maritime. In 2008 Mount Union College defeated the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, 31 - 26.

The complete 2009 NCAA Division III Football Championship bracket is attached.