OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team is heading to the NCAA Division III tournament Sweet Sixteen. But the team wants more.
"It just gives us goosebumps thinking about it. We've worked so incredibly hard," junior guard Bridget Froehlke said. The Titans started the season 4-2, but powered back and finished with a 22-5 record. Oshkosh defeated Trine University 74-48 in the second round of the NCAA tournament to advance to the third round.
Head Coach Brad Fischer led Oshkosh to their 15th regular season WIAC title and 19th NCAA Tournament trip in program history.
"Just sustaining it year after year. You know we set the conference record for most straight 20-win seasons? The dedication from our players, they are the reason we can sustain success. To go back to the Sweet 16 with another young group, with mostly underclassmen, is a huge accomplishment," Fischer said of his program's continued success.
This will be the Titans' sixth Sweet Sixteen trip under Fischer, whose team advanced to the Elite Eight in 2022 before falling to UW-Whitewater.
Froehlke and teammate Sarah Hardwick credit the team's loss to UW-Stout in the WIAC Tournament Championship game as motivation for this post-season push: "You can't win forever. Sometimes you need a loss to propel you to that next step."
Now, the Titans eye more than just a third-round win over Smith College, who advanced to the Final Four last season. Oshkosh's main goal is to make it to this season's Final Four, and ultimately to bring home the first program National Championship since 1996.
"You don't come to Oshkosh and not want to win a national championship, that's why people come here, it's a winning culture. It's something that everyone is hoping for and we work for every single day," Froehlke said.
The Titans fly to Brunswick, Maine on Wednesday. UW-Oshkosh will face off against Smith College in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m.