INDIANAPOLIS – IUP has earned the third seed in Super Region One and will host sixth-seeded Shepherd in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championships on Saturday, November 17.
13th-ranked IUP earned an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason with a resounding 41-10 over seventh-ranked Shippensburg in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship game on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium.
The Crimson Hawks (10-1) earn the third seed in the region behind top seeded Winston-Salem State (11-0) and second seeded New Haven (11-0), which both receive first round byes. Shippensburg (10-1) earned the fourth seed and will host Bloomsburg (10-1) in a rematch of the October 27 game that saw the Red Raiders win 49-42 to clinch the PSAC East.
Shippensburg was the top team in the region from the outset until IUP’s dominating victory this weekend. The Crimson Hawks entered the contest as the fifth ranked team in the region, moving up two spots with the win.
The four conference champions in the region receive automatic bids, with IUP picking up the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference spot. Shepherd took the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference bid while Winston-Salem State comes from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and New Haven from the Northeast 10 Conference.
Shippensburg and Bloomsburg received the two at-large teams spots.
This will be IUP’s first trip to the NCAA postseason under head coach Curt Cignetti, now in his second year at the helm. IUP last appeared in the playoffs in 2007, going on the road to beat West Chester 45-35 in the first round before losing at Shepherd 41-34 in the second round.
IUP has appeared in the NCAA playoffs 14 times in program history, accumulating a 16-14 all-time record.
The playoffs begin on Saturday, November 17 with the first round at campus sites. The national championship game is set for Saturday, December 15 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama.
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Check IUPathletics.com for additional ticket sales information throughout the week.
