NEW ROCHELLE, NY - A day after clinching their second consecutive MAAC championship, the Iona College softball team learned that they would be traveling to Norman, Oklahoma to take on No. 9 seed Oklahoma in their opening contest of the 2011 NCAA Regionals. The Gaels take on the Sooners Friday evening at 8:30 p.m.
Iona earned the automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals with its MAAC Championship clinching win over Fairfield on Saturday. On the brink of elimination after dropping their first game on Thursday, Iona became just the fourth team in conference history to come from the losers bracket and win the tournament with four straight victories credited to junior RHP and the championship's Most Outstanding Performer Sarah Jackson. Jackson tossed two complete game victories over the Stags, allowing just two runs, one earned, in 14 innings of work in Saturday's two wins. She was joined by sophomore OF Eileen McCann and juniors IF Chelsea Sheehan, IF/DP Alyssa Maiese and IF Deanne Algeo on the All-Tournament team.
Joining Iona in the Norman, OK regional are Missouri St. and Tulsa. Missiouri State wrapped their sixth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title Saturday. Tulsa earned an at-large invitation after dropping the Conference USA championship game on Saturday against host East Carolina, 4-1. The Hurricane has compiled a 43-13 overall record and 19-5 mark in C-USA play.