On Nov. 17, 24 teams were selected to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
And for the third year in a row, the Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves were one of the teams picked.
The ThunderWolves, who were rewarded with a first round bye after being selected as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Super Region 4, will take on the winner of the Nov. 23 match up between Saginaw Valley and Grand Valley State on Nov. 30 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.
“We’re going to play the winner of two historic programs in Division II football, what an opportunity for us,” head coach John Wristen said. “We’re just going to make sure we enjoy this experience and go play our tail ends off.”
After making the Division II playoffs the previous two seasons, the ThunderWolves will take a different approach than in prior years.
“The first year I think we were just excited to be in the playoffs, the second year we kind of understood about the playoffs,” Wristen said. “I think this third year, this team is more business-like in trying to approach it. Hopefully we’ll be able to play that way.”
In being selected as the top seed in the Super Region 4, the ThunderWolves will host each game until at least the national quarterfinals on Dec. 7.
“It’s nice because you can stay in your own bed. You get to eat some of the same food that you’ve had, we get to practice here, you don’t have to uproot everything and travel,” Wristen said. “It really is a nice luxury to have.”
