BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) teams are headed to the outrounds of the NCAA Fall Championships this weekend. Bethel and Saint John's advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs, while St. Olaf is one of the Final Four teams remaining in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
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MIAC, WIAC TO SQUARE OFF IN THIRD ROUND OF FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Bethel (11-0) and Saint John's (10-1) advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs with big wins at home over Thanksgiving weekend.
In snowglobe-like conditions, the Royals run past Coe, 51-26, while the Johnnies rolled over Monmouth, 49-15.
Bethel quarterback Cooper Drews accounted for six touchdowns, passing for three and running for three. Two of his three scoring strikes went to top target Albert Rundell, who finished the day with six catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Phil Conant had two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries in the snow for the Royals' defense.
Senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler led the Johnnies, hauling in four of quarterback Trey Feeney's six passing touchdowns in the SJU win. Wheeler totaled 10 receptions for 144 yards, while Feeney finished with 387 yards through the air, despite the wintery conditions. Defensive back Weston Hoyt had three pass breakups and a 68-yard interception return in the third quarter.
Bethel and Saint John's will both face foes from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the Sweet 16 this weekend.
The Johnnies will head to UW-River Falls on Saturday for a noon game against the WIAC champion Falcons. SJU is 8-0 all-time against UWRF, with their most-recent meeting having been decided by three points in September 2022. This will be the first-ever NCAA Playoff matchup between the two programs.
Bethel will host WIAC at-large qualifier UW-Platteville at noon on Saturday. The Royals and Pioneers have only met twice before - in a home-and-home non-conference series in 2021 and 2022. Each team successfully defended their home fields in those contests. This will also be the postseason game between the two programs.
All NCAA Division III playoff football games will be streamed on ESPN+ in 2025. Fans without an ESPN+ account can subscribe here.
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OLES HEAD BACK TO MEN'S SOCCER FINAL FOUR
St. Olaf (20-2-3) will compete in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Final Four for the second time in the last three seasons this Friday, December 5, at 2:00 p.m. Central time.
The Oles will take on No. 1-ranked Tufts (18-1-3) in the national semifinal at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
St. Olaf's 2-0 victory over Wheaton (Mass.) in the Elite Eight was the program's 20th triumph of the season, tying the 2023 national championship team for the most wins in a season in program history. The shutout was the Oles' 12th of the season - a new program record.
No. 5 Trinity (Texas) and No. 6 Emory will square off in the other semifinal contest on Friday. The national championship game is scheduled for Sunday, December 7 at 11:00 a.m. Central time.
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FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can use the NCAA's interactive brackets as well as the MIAC scoreboard to track the progress of each championship throughout the postseason.
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