The Stevenson University players let out a collective cheer when the name of their school flashed across the screen during the 2015 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship selection show.
A first-round game against Williams College was their reward for winning the Commonwealth Conference title. That announcement was also the confirmation of a steady climb under coach Jackie Boswell, who took over the program in 2011.
The Mustangs were 10-16 in 2011-12, then 7-16 and 14-14 over the next two years before this season, when Boswell led the Mustangs (23-3, 15-1) to the program's first automatic NCAA tournament bid.
"Obviously, our goal is try to win six more games," Boswell said. "I am very proud of this team. We are just trying to enjoy the moment right now. It's very exciting for us. I honestly think we're good. Let's just see where it goes."
Stevenson has already set a program record for victories in a season and reeled off a 19-game winning streak from Nov. 30 to Feb. 17. One of the team's biggest boosts has been the play of Sara Tarbert, who transferred from UMBC to enroll in Stevenson's nursing program. Tarbert was named to the All-Commonwealth Conference First Team and led the league in scoring with 18.3 points per game.
She is also ranked 11th in Division III with 3.6 steals per game, set a single-season program record for points, made field goals, field goal percentage and steals and is 10 rebounds away from tying that single-season record.
"The entire team was welcoming from the very first day I got here," Tarbert said. "I think it says a lot about this group of girls that I was able to just come in and we all gelled automatically. They really just took me under their wing and embraced me being here."
Senior Ty Bender has also been effective and led the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.7). Bender also was second in steals (3) and fourth in assists per game (3.6). The Mustangs have received contributions from seniors, Kayleigh Guzek, Kyarra Harmon and Kayla Kelly, who averaged a combined 25.3 points per game.
But Tarbert has been the difference-maker.
"Sara was the missing piece that we needed," Boswell said. "We needed that inside post player as a presence, and she was able to fill that for us."
Stevenson will play the Ephs at Montclair State University in New Jersey on Friday at 4 p.m. Williams (20-6) has earned a bid to the NCAA tournament five times in the past six years. Top-seeded Montclair State (26-1) plays Regis (22-5) in the other first-round game. The winners of Friday's games play Saturday at 6 p.m. for a trip to the Sweet 16. McDaniel and Salisbury also advanced to this year's Division III tournament.
Kelly said the key against Williams will be how well the Mustangs defend.
Stevenson leads the conference in scoring defense (52.5), turnover margin (6.7) and steals per game (14.2).
"We're confident," Kelly said. "Even though we're away, defense travels. So, we're going to go up there and execute our defense as best as possible."
Kevin J. Manning, president of Stevenson, said the success of the women's basketball underscores the school's goal to have one of the best Division III sports programs in the nation. Women's basketball is the seventh program to reach the NCAA tournament at the university. The national exposure has helped Stevenson attract athletes from all over the United States and abroad.
"This is an exciting time for us," Manning said. "It's all consistent in what we are trying to do, which is be a national leader in Division III athletics. We just had a great season."
Boswell said the university's commitment to athletics and the resources it provides have been instrumental in her program success. The pieces were already in place for a successful program when she arrived.
"We were able to inherit a very good freshmen class," Boswell said. "We just started building on the players we need to get in here to be successful. I think the support system has been the biggest thing."