Wheaton (Massachusetts) basketball player Jennie Pleat describes the program's first NCAA tournament appearance in 13 years.

In the middle of all the Division I March Madness, I can't help but think back about this past season and our team's first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 13 years. That NEWMAC cup and a trip to the big dance was what everyone on our team wanted from day one of preseason in September. I know for myself and the other upperclassmen on the team, coming to Wheaton meant building the program ultimately to reach the conference championship by the time we graduated.

I think everyone in the program is still in awe over this season. The race for the NEWMAC cup was a battle as always. We played probably one of our best games all season in the first round against MIT where it seemed every Wheaton player was focused and in sync. The few superstitious of us found ourselves constantly knocking on wood, not washing "lucky" clothing and abiding by our normal routines that week of NEWMACs. The semifinal and championship games were close against two physical and experienced teams. However, we all knew that there was no way any of us were going to let the final buzzer sound without Wheaton on top. With the NEWMAC cup in our hands, we all knew that our hard work, time and effort got us to this point. It was a complete relief.

That night, we started a new tradition and slept on the gym floor we won on just hours before: a great way to end an unforgettable day. As promised, our senior captain, Becky, directed our next practice and the coaches jumped in the pond on campus. Celebrating was memorable and we still had a great opportunity ahead of us in the NCAA tournament. At the end of the week, we set off to face our regular season opponent, Tufts, at Mount Saint Mary in New York. The last time we played Tufts, we were down by four at halftime but struggled in the second half to lose by quite a bit. With the revenge game approaching, we felt like we knew their style and personnel better this time around to compete and possibly upset them.

We practiced on the Mount Saint Mary court Thursday night and then shot around on Friday as well. Everything was done so officially, as there were time constraints for practice and warm-ups before the game. The NCAA signs and the brand new basketballs we played with reminded my thrilled teammates and I that we were actually playing the NCAA tournament: this was no dream. The game was a battle to the end, and I am convinced that if we had a minute left on the clock we could have won. We battled back after being down about 14. e all wanted to win at least one game in the tournament, and we came so close.

Overall, the NCAA experience and winning NEWMACS combined for an unforgettable season and a raising of standards for our program. Now that we've gotten a taste of the NCAAs, you can be sure that we will be working hard to get there again next year. However, I will never forget this season and the sense of true togetherness I felt being on this team.