Aquinas and Indiana Tech Qualify for NAIA National Championship Opening Round
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (NAIA Release) - Aquinas and Indiana Tech were announced as two of forty teams that qualified for the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. Aquinas earned their way in as WHAC regular season champions and Indiana Tech punched their ticket by winning the WHAC tournament. Both teams will compete in the opening round on Thursday. Aquinas will travel to Mishawaka, Ind. where they will take on Tennessee Wesleyan while Indiana Tech heads to Columbia, Ky. for a matchup with Ottawa (Kan.). The 2023 NAIA National Championship Second Round winners will head to Wichita, Kan. at the NAIA National Championship final site. Scheels Stryker Sports Complex will be the host for final site action from November 27 – December 4, 2023, hosted by Visit Wichita.
This year's championship field includes 27 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up at the conference tournament or regular season as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Men's Soccer National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the president of the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches Association, and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
All championship first and second round matches will be video streamed by the host.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast 14 matches live at the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship final site in Wichita, Kan., and the championship match will be on ESPN3. The NAIA Network, powered by Presto Sports, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register, click HERE.