Photo by: Luke White
Wildcats Earn Automatic Berth in Postseason WNIT
3/15/2026 7:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Abilene Christian women's basketball will continue a historic campaign as it earned an automatic berth in the Postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament, powered by Triple Crown Sports, the WNIT announced Sunday night. The Wildcats return to the WNIT for the second year in a row after competing in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
ACU joins a 48-team field, with the event's bracket with matchups, locations and start times being released Monday. The tournament features six rounds, beginning with the first-round games on March 19-21 and concluding with the championship on April 4 at 2 p.m. (CT).
The WNIT includes automatic qualifiers and at-large bids. Automatic berths are awarded to teams in each of college basketball's 31 conferences that were here the highest-finishing team in the regular season standings that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament or the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Last season, ACU beat Northwestern State and Central Arkansas en route to the WNIT's Super 16, marking the program's deepest postseason run in the Division I era. The Wildcats hosted the Demons in the first round at Moody Coliseum.
Following a second-place finish in the WAC regular season standings, ACU played in Saturday's WAC Tournament championship, its first conference championship since 2019. The Wildcats beat UT Arlington in the tournament semifinals, 70-50, for their first-ever WAC Tournament win.
At 23-10, ACU collected its most victories since 2019-20, while its 13-5 showing in WAC play was also good for its most conference wins in six years. The Wildcats have 45 wins in the past two seasons, their most in a two-year period since 2018-20. ACU's 22 conference wins over the past two seasons are their most since 2019-21.
The Wildcats have been fueled by All-WAC selections Payton Hull and Erin Woodson, who were named to the conference's All-Tournament team. Hull was the WAC Player of the Year and landed on the All-WAC First Team and All-WAC Defensive Team. Woodson earned All-WAC Second Team honors.
Hull has rewritten the Wildcats' record book with the most points (606), field goals (205) and steals (88) in a season in the program's Division I history. Woodson's 463 points rank fifth, and her 61 steals are sixth-most in a season. Her 105 free throws rank eighth. Emma Troxell's 59 steals are tied for seventh.
ACU joins a 48-team field, with the event's bracket with matchups, locations and start times being released Monday. The tournament features six rounds, beginning with the first-round games on March 19-21 and concluding with the championship on April 4 at 2 p.m. (CT).
The WNIT includes automatic qualifiers and at-large bids. Automatic berths are awarded to teams in each of college basketball's 31 conferences that were here the highest-finishing team in the regular season standings that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament or the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Last season, ACU beat Northwestern State and Central Arkansas en route to the WNIT's Super 16, marking the program's deepest postseason run in the Division I era. The Wildcats hosted the Demons in the first round at Moody Coliseum.
Following a second-place finish in the WAC regular season standings, ACU played in Saturday's WAC Tournament championship, its first conference championship since 2019. The Wildcats beat UT Arlington in the tournament semifinals, 70-50, for their first-ever WAC Tournament win.
At 23-10, ACU collected its most victories since 2019-20, while its 13-5 showing in WAC play was also good for its most conference wins in six years. The Wildcats have 45 wins in the past two seasons, their most in a two-year period since 2018-20. ACU's 22 conference wins over the past two seasons are their most since 2019-21.
The Wildcats have been fueled by All-WAC selections Payton Hull and Erin Woodson, who were named to the conference's All-Tournament team. Hull was the WAC Player of the Year and landed on the All-WAC First Team and All-WAC Defensive Team. Woodson earned All-WAC Second Team honors.
Hull has rewritten the Wildcats' record book with the most points (606), field goals (205) and steals (88) in a season in the program's Division I history. Woodson's 463 points rank fifth, and her 61 steals are sixth-most in a season. Her 105 free throws rank eighth. Emma Troxell's 59 steals are tied for seventh.
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