Colorado State women’s basketball is headed back to March Madness for the first time in a decade.
The Rams were selected Sunday as the No. 12 seed in Region 4 of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, marking the program’s first tournament appearance since 2016.
“It’s just ever since we were little girls, this is what you work for, this is what you strive for,” sophomore guard Kloe Froebe said. “So to be able to accomplish that with the group of girls that we have and the coaching staff and support staff that we have, it’s just been so exciting.”
The Rams secured their spot in the field after defeating Air Force 56–42 in the Mountain West Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game March 10. The team will enter the tournament with a 22-10 overall record so far this season.
Colorado State will face No. 5 seed Michigan State in the first round Friday, March 20, in Norman, Oklahoma.
Senior guard Hannah Ronsiek said that she had been anticipating a No. 13 seed selection, so the No. 12 seed selection was a surprise, but her outlook on the tournament remained largely the same.
“I just want to show them our toughness and our resiliency,” Ronsiek said. “We’re not going to be afraid of anybody and we’re not going to back down. We’re going to go to win.”
The appearance marks the seventh NCAA Tournament berth in program history and the second under head coach Ryun Williams, who previously led the Rams to the tournament in 2016 where they ultimately lost in the first round to South Florida.
“To see the excitement, the reaction of the players — that’s what it’s all about,” Williams said. “Colorado State on a national stage; that’s where we belong. We really believe that. And for these young women to be representing this university, there’s nothing better than that.”
CSU holds a 5-6 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with its most recent victory coming in 2001 against Maryland. The program’s deepest run came in 1999, when the Rams advanced to the Sweet 16, led by standout players Becky Hammon and Katie Cronin.
Williams acknowledged that much has changed in the NCAA in the decade since his last NCAA Tournament appearance.
“The players are so much better and so are ours,” Williams said. “It’s obviously the most fun, it’s the most competitive tournament in the world, and so for us to be a part of that is a really cool thing, and this group deserves it and they’ve earned it.”
Game time for the Rams’ first round face-off against the Spartans has not yet been announced.
Reach Hannah Parcells at sports@collegian.com or on social media @hannahparcellsmedia.
