Worcester, MA --- The WPI women's basketball team has earned a bid to compete in the ECAC New England Region Championships, beginning Wednesday March 4th. The Engineers are seeded second and will host seventh-seed Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday at 7pm at Harrington Auditorium. Nichols received the tournament's top seed.

The winner between WPI and Colby-Sawyer would compete in the semifinals on Saturday, with the championship game to be held on Sunday. Sites and times of the semifinals and championship will be announced following completion of the quarterfinal round.

The Engineers currently stand at 21-6 on the season following a semifinal loss to Wheaton in the NEWMAC Tournament.

WPI, under the tutelage of ninth-year head coach Cherise Galasso, completed NEWMAC play with a 12-1 mark. Seniors Natasha Deschene (Presque Isle, ME) and classmate Caitlin Macko (Cromwell, CT), are WPI's all-time winningest class (73 victories), while juniors Kaileen Selen (Worcester, MA) and Serena Dubois (Bangor, ME) have combined to win four NEWMAC Players of the Week awards this winter.

Colby-Sawyer (16-9), fell in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament to Salve Regina.

Nichols, from nearby Dudley, MA, received the ECAC Tournament's #1 seed. The Bison currently sport a 23-4 record, but also succumbed to Salve Regina in the CCC tournament, 60-45 in the tournament semifinals. Nichols is the only team in the field of eight that WPI has faced this season, with the Engineers coming away with a 56-48 win in the opening round of the Worcester City Tournament in November.

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2009 ECAC Division III New England Women's Basketball Championship
First Round - Wednesday, March 4th

No. 8 Plymouth State (16-10) at No. 1 Nichols (23-4), 5 p.m.
No. 7 Colby-Sawyer (16-9) at No. 2 WPI, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Emerson (20-8) at No. 3 Endicott (23-5), 7:30 p.m.**
No. 5 University of New England (20-7) at No. 4 Keene State (20-7), 7 p.m.
**Tentative Start Time

Semifinals - Saturday, March 7th at highest remaining seeds

Nichols/Plymouth St. winner vs. Keene St./UNE winner, TBD
WPI/Colby-Sawyer winner vs. Endicott/Emerson winner, TBD

Championship - Sunday, March 8th at highest remaining seed

Two Semifinal Winners, TBD