Six teams in D2 playoff fields

CIAA and SIAC men’s and women’s tournament champions were joined by two other CIAA teams granted at-large berths when the respective 64-team NCAA Div. II Men’s and Women’s playoff fields were announced Sunday.

Virginia Union’s men and women received the at-large bids and joined tourney champions Bowie State (men) and Johnson C. Smith (women) in the 8-team Atlantic Region fields. SIAC Tournament champions Clark Atlanta (men) and Benedict (women) are in the South Region fields.

The women hit the floor Friday (3/10). 3rd seed VUU (23-4) faces 6th-seed Wheeling Jesuit (21-8) at 12 noon in California, Pa. Seventh-seed JCSU (24-7) plays at 2:30 p.m. vs. No. 2 Indiana (Pa.) (23-6). Benedict (21-7), seeded third in the women’s South Region in St. Petersburg, Fla. will take on 6th-seed Valdosta State (20-9) at 12 noon.

The men begin play on Saturday (3/11). Bowie State (16-14) is seeded eighth and will face top seed and host Fairmont State (29-2). VUU (22-7) is seeded 7th and will face 2nd-seed Shippensburg (26-3). In the South Regional, Clark Atlanta (21-11) is seeded eighth and will face host and top seed Alabama-Huntsville (24-7) at 5:30 p.m.