Wagner College students celebrate March Madness win at watch party
NEW YORK -- March Madness got underway Tuesday and one local team -- Wagner College -- earned a spot in the Big Dance after winning a First Four game.
The Wagner College campus may be quiet for spring break, but some students were making noise at a watch party Tuesday night, celebrating a big win for the men's basketball team against Howard University.
It's the first March Madness win in school history.
"It's a huge accomplishment for them," freshman Jack Mason said.
"It was close at the end. Were you nervous?" CBS New York's Jenna DeAngelis asked.
"Oh my god, my heart rate was like up and down, up and down, up and down watching the last five minutes of the game," Mason said.
"I knew they had it, they had it," junior Kharlin Watkins said.
A 71-68 victory lands the Seahawks in the 64-team bracket going onto the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"I feel like it's putting Wagner on the map," graduate student Nicole Donello said.
Representing the small Staten Island school is a small team of only seven healthy players. Avoiding more injuries has meant months of no-contact practices.
"They worked really hard for it, and they definitely, they earned their spot," said Malia Mpondo, who is on the Wagner College women's basketball team.
This win means Wagner advances to face the No. 1 seed North Carolina in a first-round game Thursday. Fans here are hoping for a Cinderella story.