INDIANAPOLIS -- Kutztown University women's lacrosse heard its name called as one of 16 participating teams in the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship tournament during the NCAA Selection Show Sunday night.

The Golden Bears, ranked 23rd in the latest IWLCA Division II Poll, will be making their first national tournament appearance in program history after earning the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region. Kutztown's first round opponent will be No. 3 seed East Stroudsburg, which it will meet Friday, May 12, at 3 p.m., at West Chester University's Vonnie Gros Field. It will be the third matchup between the two teams in 13 days, with the Maroon and Gold having earned victories in the regular season finale and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) quarterfinal both on its home turf at Keystone Field.

West Chester, the PSAC champion and Atlantic No. 1 seed, secured hosting rights with an unblemished 19-0 record. The Golden Rams will take on No. 4 seed Seton Hill in a rematch of Sunday's PSAC championship game, a 22-9 WCU victory. That Atlantic Region semifinal will precede the Kutztown/East Stroudsburg game at 11 a.m. Friday's winners will move on to the Atlantic Region championship on Sunday, May 14, at noon.

Kutztown, under the leadership of second-year head coach Kristen Nicholson, has already tied a program single-season record with 13 victories this season --a nine-win improvement over last year's 4-13 campaign. The Bears qualified for the postseason for the first time since the program returned to varsity status in 2008 after a 17-year hiatus between 1991-2007, defeating East Stroudsburg, 12-9, in the PSAC quarterfinals Tuesday, before falling to Seton Hill, 9-7, in the semifinals Friday.

Junior attack Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) ranks in the top five nationally in assists (58) and assists per game (3.41). She's already set Kutztown single-season records in assists and points (81). The talented sophomore duo of attack Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and midfielder Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) (GRAPH) have combined for 101 goals to lead the Bears' scoring efforts. ElBouazzaoui has 52 on the season and Graf 49. Defensively, the Golden Bears rank top 25 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 9.53 goals per game, and eighth among DII schools in ground balls per game at 21.8.

Tickets for this weekend's games are available on the day of the games at the gate and sales are CASH ONLY. Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (65+), $5 for students, $2 for children (2-5) and children under two are free. One ticket will gain admission for both games on Friday.

Similar to this past weekend's PSAC Championship semifinals and final, West Chester will once again provide live video and stats of all games.