KANSAS CITY, Mo - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and bracket for the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy. The 64-team bracket will begin with the First and Second Rounds at host sites nationwide on March 13-14. The 2026 NAIA Second Round winners will meet in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 45th annual championship occurs at the Tyson Events Center from March 19-24.

The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars earned the No. 2 seed in the Cramer Quadrant and will host No. 15 Brescia University (Ky.) on Friday, March 13, at 5:00 p.m. for the first game of the Fort Wayne Priority Life Care NAIA National Tournament First and Second Rounds.

Selection Show | 2025 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Field| First & Second Round Schedules

ADMISSION

• First Round - March 13
  • No online tickets are available; cash/credit card payments will be available at the gate.
  • General admission for adults: $20 each
  • General admission for children 12 years and younger: $10
  • General admission for adults 60 years or older: $10 
• Second Round - March 14
  • No online tickets are available; cash/credit card payments will be available at the gate.
  • General admission for adults: $10 each
  • General admission for children 12 years and younger: $5
  • General admission for adults 60 years or older: $5

GAME NOTES

• Saint Francis enters the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament with a 27-4 overall record, including a 15-3 mark in Crossroads League play. The Cougars finished as the Crossroads League Tournament runner-up and were ranked No. 6 in the final edition of the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
• This appearance marks the 21st NAIA Tournament berth in program history, as Saint Francis is one of 11 teams in the field to have captured at least one national title. The Cougars last appeared in the tournament a season ago, falling to Indiana Tech in the NAIA First Round in Fort Wayne.
• As a team, Saint Francis is averaging 72.9 points per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. The Cougars are also averaging 34.4 rebounds and 12.6 assists per contest.
• Saint Francis is led by Cali Gregory, who averages a team-high 16.4 points per game while shooting 46.1% from three-point range, the fifth-best mark in the NAIA. She has also contributed 42 steals and eight blocks this season.
• Taylor Fordyce earned First-Team All-Crossroads League honors after leading the league and ranking second nationally with a 47.8 three-point shooting percentage. The junior guard is averaging 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while adding 37 steals and 74 assists.
• Renna Schwieterman adds 12.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while totaling 25 steals and 83 assists this season. Isabella Gizzi has recorded 39 steals and 140 defensive rebounds while averaging 11.3 points and 2.1 assists per game.
• Brescia enters the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament with a 24-7 overall record, including a 13-3 mark in River States Conference play. The Bearcats secured their spot in the 2026 championship field with an automatic bid after finishing as the River States Conference Tournament runner-up, ending an 18-year drought since their last appearance in 2008.
• As a team, Brescia is averaging 73.5 points, 43.9 rebounds and 16.9 assists per game this season.
• The Bearcats are led offensively by Brooklyn Stewart, who averages 11.5 points per game while shooting 51.4% from the field. Jenna Krampe ranks first in the NAIA with an impressive 74.5% field goal percentage.
• Cassidy Morris leads Brescia with 252 total rebounds, averaging 8.2 per game, while Brooklyn Stewart has a team-high 50 blocks this season.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.