Mount St. Mary's Headed To NCAA's Big Dance
FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- A six-year wait comes to an end for Mount St. Mary's University. The men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA's big dance.
As Gigi Barnett reports, the Frederick County campus is dreaming of a Cinderella championship run.
Down to the final seconds of their NEC Championship game, Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team didn't quit, beating Robert Morris University Tuesday night.
Students stormed the court as the scoreboard and the clock showed that their team is headed to the NCAA's big dance.
"We had the fire this year to keep pushing through everything and I'm so happy. Well deserved for everyone," said player Rashad Whack.
Wednesday on the small Catholic university's campus in Frederick County, that fire still burns--even if students had to whisper a few prayers during the game.
"I was saying, `I want to win,'" said student Emily Davis.
"Last year, we had a chance but we came up a little short. So this year we made it and it feels really good to be one of the teams to make it to the big dance," said player Greg Graves.
Mount St. Mary's--or The Mount, for short--made it to the tournament back in 2008, but can the school turn their Cinderella run into a team that gets in year after year?
Head coach and alum Jamion Christian says that's definitely the goal.
"That's the chance of a lifetime for everyone," he said.
Students may have another victory to celebrate soon. The women's basketball team is almost in the same position as the men's basketball team. If they win the next two games, they're headed to the big dance, as well.
Next week, Mount St. Mary's will learn which team they'll face first in the tournament.
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