Benedictine to take on St. Thomas in NCAA first round
Courtesy of Benedictine University, Sports Information Department
LISLE, Ill. -- The Benedictine University football team is the No. 8 seed in the west region of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs and will travel to St. Paul, Minn. to take on the No. 1 seed, the University of St. Thomas on Saturday, November 20 at 12 p.m.
The Eagles learned their fate on Sunday afternoon when the football team and their fans gathered in the Coal Ben to watch the selection show.
"To be at the selection show in Coal Ben was a great feeling," said head coach Jon Cooper. "To see the Coal Ben packed with fans to show their support gave me goose bumps."
Benedictine earned the automatic NCAA bid after winning the Northern Athletics Conference championship for the first time since 1934. Benedictine went undefeated in conference play, going a perfect 7-0 and are 8-2 overall.
"This is a great moment for Benedictine," added Cooper. "This is our first conference championship in a very long time and it feels great. We are very excited to go to St. Thomas. They are a great football team and this experience will be something our guys will never forget."