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Bethel bound for NCAA Football Quarterfinals

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Only one Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) team remains in NCAA competition as the fall-sport championships wind down for the 2025 season.

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BETHEL ADVANCES TO NCAA FOOTBALL ELITE EIGHT
For the third time in the last four seasons, the Bethel Royals (12-0) are headed to the NCAA Football Quarterfinals. The Royals defeated UW-Platteville, 35-24, in the third round of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday, setting up a showdown with defending national champion North Central (12-0) this weekend. The Cardinals held off UW-La Crosse, 35-27, in the third round.
 
North Central has played in every national championship game since 2019, recording as many national titles (3) as losses (3) in that time span. The Cardinals' last NCAA Playoff loss in a round other than the NCAA Championship came at the hands of Bethel, 27-24, in the 2018 Playoffs. It was the second-ever meeting between the two programs; North Central ended the Royals' undefeated season, 41-17, in the 2013 Playoffs. Kickoff for the 2025 Quarterfinal contest is tentatively set for noon on Saturday, December 13, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Illinois.
 
MIAC runner-up Saint John's (10-2) saw its season come to a close in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in River Falls, Wisconsin, where the high-powered UW-River Falls offense scored 28 second-half points for a 42-14 final. SJU senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler finished his collegiate career as just the fourth 3,000-yard receiver in Johnnie history, totaling 3,182 yards during his time in Collegeville.

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 FALL TO EVENTUAL NATIONAL CHAMPS IN MEN'S SOCCER FINAL FOUR
The men's soccer season came to an end over the weekend, as St. Olaf (20-3-3) fell to eventual national champion Tufts by a 2-1 margin in the national semifinals last Friday. Sophomore forward Ryan Wilson got the Oles on the board first with a goal in the 29th minute; however, the Jumbos found the back of the net for an equalizer five minutes later and tallied the game-winner late in the second half to secure a berth in the national championship game, where Tufts defeated Trinity, 2-1, in overtime for the NCAA title on Sunday. St. Olaf's 20 wins in 2025 tied the 2023 national championship team for the most in program history.

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FOLLOW THE ACTION
NCAA action also wrapped up over the weekend for women's soccer and volleyball teams. WashU defeated Emory, 2-1, in the women's soccer title game, while UW-Oshkosh swept La Verne to win the first volleyball national championship in program history. The Titans hosted two MIAC squads - Gustavus and Saint Benedict - for the regional rounds of the national tournament, defeating the Gusties in second-round action last month.

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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