Marietta College basketball playing in both men's, women's tournaments
MC men host first round; women travel to Michigan
Marietta, Ohio (03/03/2022) — For only the second time in school history, both Marietta College's men's and women's basketball team will be playing in the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend.
Only 11 other schools are represented in both tournaments.
"I am so proud of both programs for two reasons," said Marietta's Athletic Director Larry Hiser. "First and foremost, both teams are filled from top to bottom with great people, especially in their lives off the floor. Second, both teams really enjoy working at it. It's cultural. Coach (Jon) VanderWal's success is unprecedented in the OAC, and Coach (Kole) Vivian is proving that we are going to have good women's basketball around here for a long while. It is really exciting!"
The men were the OAC's automatic qualifier after defeating Mount Union in the conference championship game. The Pioneers ran the OAC table by going 17-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the conference tournament.
Marietta enters the tournament as the nation's second-ranked team and boasts a 25-2 record. The Pioneers are also riding a 23-game winning streak. Marietta is hosting the first-round games on Fenton Court inside Ban Johnson Arena on Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers face Medaille College at 7:15 p.m., Friday, March 4th. You can watch the men's game at https://boxcast.tv/view/mens-basketball-marietta-vs-medaille-499651.
Coach Jon VanderWal's team placed four players on the 2021-22 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Team, including the Player of the Year Jason Ellis. Ellis was joined on the first team by Lukas Isaly, while Tim Kreeger and Mason Lydic earned honorable mention. VanderWal was also recognized as the OAC Coach of the Year.
The women earned an at-large bid after going 21-5 this season and will travel to Holland, Michigan, to take on Wittenberg University (18-7) in the first game at Hope College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 4th. You can watch the game at www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9bOfx78aNk.
Coach Kole Vivian's squad placed three players on the 2021-22 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Team, including first-team selection Erin Hahn. Olivia Gribble made the second team and Devin Hefner was honorable mention. The Pioneers finished third in the OAC.
Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers more than 50 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major. Marietta College has also been named a Great College to Work For four consecutive years (2018-2021).
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