March 13, 2025
Postseason WNIT | 3/13/2025 12:38:49 PM
There’s a long list of teams that have used the Postseason WNIT as a launching pad for successes down the road, and the 2025 season is providing another entry in that resume thanks to the play of the Vermont Catamounts.
Vermont caught fire in the 2024 WNIT and reached the Fab Four round with one of the signature wins in program history, a 67-59 victory at Purdue which marked the Catamounts’ first victory over a Big Ten team since 2010. The run to the title came up a bit short for Vermont in the next game, as eventual champion St. Louis eked out a 57-54 victory.
As always in college basketball, some personnel changes needed to be absorbed as Vermont prepared for the 2024-25 season, but the roster has shown its mettle from start to finish. And on Friday, March 14, the team will play for the America East tournament championship against Albany.
The Catamounts (20-12) went 13-3 in league play this year and wrapped up the regular season winning six out of seven games. On Monday, March 10, Vermont topped Bryant 62-45 to advance to the title game – two-time all-conference first teamer Anna Olson was held to just four points, but she reeled in 10 rebounds as the Catamounts played their typically tough defense when it mattered most.
"I don't really care if I score," Olson told the Burlington Free Press. "I just want to do my role to the best of my abilities. I had a tough match up with (6-foot-1 forward) Nia Scott. My mindset going into this game was I need to stop her. If I can stop her from scoring, I'm going to equate that to scoring a point."
Senior guard Bella Vito was named the defensive player of the year for the America East; Vermont ranks No. 6 in scoring defense in all of Division I.
Kansas won the 2023 Postseason WNIT and followed it up with a 20-13 finish the next season, which included an overtime win over Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. The 2022 Postseason WNIT champion, South Dakota State, stormed its way to a 29-6 record the following season, beating USC in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament.
Who will find a favorable boost from their time in the 2025 Postseason WNIT? Selection Night is set for Sunday, March 16. Officials will announce the field of teams after the NCAA has released its tournament brackets, and the Postseason WNIT will follow up on Monday, March 17 with matchups, locations and tipoff times.
Here's the schedule for each round:
Round 1 - March 20-22, 2025
Round 2 - March 23-25, 2025
Super 16 - March 26-28, 2025
Great 8 - March 29-31, 2025
Fab 4 - April 1-2, 2025
Championship - Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 3 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)