71 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances by nine different programs

RINDGE, N.H. (November 18, 2013) – When Franklin Pierce fans think of the school’s athletic success, they quickly look to the six combined NCAA Division II Championships won by men’s and women’s soccer, and the 10 regional titles won by men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball.

However, over the last three seasons, Franklin Pierce Athletics has proven to be more than just those five programs, as several other teams have started to make their presence felt on the national scene.

Since the spring of 2012, three other programs have made their inaugural debuts in the NCAA Tournament, and have bolstered Franklin Pierce’s claim as being one of the top all-around Division II programs in the entire nation.

The run of surging programs began in May of 2012 with men’s golf qualifying for the NCAA Regional in Hershey, Pa., and continued several months later in November when volleyball reached the NCAA East Regional. The string continued recently with men’s cross country finishing second at the NCAA East Regional Championship a little more than a week ago, and earning a trip to the national championship meet in Spokane, Wash. this Saturday.

With those three programs now added to the stable of NCAA Tournament participants in school history, Franklin Pierce Athletics now boasts 71 all-time national tournament appearances by nine different programs since 1991. With men’s cross country heading out to the nationals this weekend, Franklin Pierce has now had at least one program qualify for the NCAAs in 23-consecutive years.

The soccer teams, basketball squads, and baseball have proven to be more than just a flash in the pan when it comes to the length of their historic success. And the three new programs that have made the NCAAs recently are proving that they have staying power as well.

Volleyball, under the guidance of head coach Stephanie Dragan, will be competing in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship this week, beginning with a quarterfinal showdown at Adelphi on Tuesday. The Ravens have a legitimate chance to make a second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2013, as they have been ranked among the top teams in the East Region all season. The announcement for the NCAA regional pairings in volleyball will be made early next week.

Men’s golf reached the NCAA regional in 2012 under former head coach Greg Scerbinski, but under the guidance of new head coach Tyler Bishop, the Ravens are proving once again this fall to be one of the top teams in the region, thanks to a terrific seventh-place showing (out of 38 teams) at the NEIGA Championship last month. That finish, along with a strong showing in the spring season, could catapult Franklin Pierce into consideration for the NCAA regional once again this year.

Men’s cross country has reached the nationals in just its second season of varsity competition. The trip to the NCAAs serves as a capper to a terrific season under the leadership of head coach Zach Emerson. The Ravens opened the fall season with three-straight victories, a national ranking, and followed that up with an impressive second-place showing at the NE-10 championship. All seven runners competing for the Ravens at this weekend’s NCAA championship have remaining eligibility, and will return for another highly anticipated season in 2014.

Franklin Pierce Athletics, through its official website (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu), will be following each of these programs – along with all other Ravens teams – as the 2013-14 season progresses. To learn more about the history and success of Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/information/history/index(.)

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the department’s official site at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu. To follow the department even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce sport specific apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)