With five seconds remaining in Saturday's Capital Athletic Conference tournament championship game, Goucher men's basketball coach Leonard Trevino realized just how far his team had come.
The Gophers (18-9) were on the verge of defeating York, 82-72, to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
Goucher, the seventh seed in the Northeast Region, will play at second-seeded and defending national champion Lebanon Valley (22-5) in a first-round game on Thursday.
It's Goucher's first appearance in the tournament in the five-year existence of the men's program.
"It was an overwhelming experience," said Trevino, who has led the Gophers to a 35-18 record the past two seasons after going 20-52 the first three years. "A lot of thoughts rush through your mind. You think about the seniors who took some hard knocks. It was an emotional moment for us."
Both the men's and women's Division III tournaments were expanded from 48 to 64 teams.
On the women's side, Salisbury State and Johns Hopkins each received their first berths.
The Sea Gulls (21-6), the fifth seed in the Atlantic Region, will play host to seventh-seeded Waynesburg College (20-4) on Wednesday.
"I feel terrific that we're in and we'll be at home," said Salisbury State coach Bridget Benshetler. "Waynesburg is an excellent team and we hope the crowd advantage will be fantastic."
In the Atlantic Region on Wednesday, third seed Johns Hopkins (20-6) will play host to Centennial Conference rival Ursinus (21-4).
The Blue Jays lost to Ursinus twice this season, including an 80-78 defeat in the conference championship game on Saturday.
"I won't have to get the players up for this one," Hopkins coach Nancy Blank said. "It's encouraging to me that we have another shot at them."