The Muhlenberg women’s basketball team has been assigned to Fredericksburg, Va., for the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Mules (25-2), who earned an automatic bid by winning the Centennial Conference championship, will face Wesleyan (Conn.) (18-7) in a first-round game on Friday, March 3, at 4:00. In the other first-round game at the site, host Mary Washington (27-1) takes on The College of New Jersey (19-8) at 8:00. Friday’s

BOYLE NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK Muhlenberg freshman Lauren Boyle was named Centennial Conference player of the week after leading the Mules to the CC title. She was the team’s top scorer in both tournament games and hit the go-ahead basket in the final minute of the championship game against Johns Hopkins. She made clutch free throws in both games. Boyle is Muhlenberg’s second-leading scorer, averaging 10.6 points per game.

winners meet Saturday at 8:00 with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Muhlenberg, ranked 15th in Division III, is making its third NCAA appearance, and its first since 1998. The Mules reached the second round in their last NCAA trip, defeating DeSales (then known as Allentown College) in the first round before falling to Johns Hopkins.

Wesleyan, which made its NCAA debut last year and went 2-1, was one of four teams chosen from the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Cardinals reached the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament before falling to No. 25 Bates. Wesleyan owns wins against No. 20 Williams and took No. 6 Bowdoin to overtime.

The only opponent common to the two teams is Gettysburg, which defeated Wesleyan in the first game of the season and lost to Muhlenberg in late January.

The Mules and Cardinals have met once previously in women’s basketball, in the opening round of the 1997 Scotty Wood Tournament (won by Muhlenberg). Coincidentally, Wesleyan was the first-round opponent of the other Muhlenberg team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year, men’s soccer.

Host Mary Washington, ranked fourth in Division III, was the last remaining undefeated team in Division III before dropping the Capital Athletic Conference championship game to Marymount. New Jersey upset Richard Stockton to claim the New Jersey Athletic Conference title.

Click here for the tournament bracket.