PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Swarthmore College men's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four for the second time in program history.
Their first run was in 2019, when Swarthmore made it all the way to the national championship game before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
On Thursday, they will battle Christopher Newport University in the national semifinals in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
So far in the tournament, the 28-3 Garnet have defeated SUNY-Delhi, St. John Fisher, Keene State and Nichols College.
Getting this far, head coach Landry Kosmalski said maintaining the team's mentality is key to continued success.
"Making sure everyone's on the same narrative, that you're not getting distracted by all the outside influences and outside desires of families and fans like that," he said.
Since the 2016-2017 season, Swarthmore is 155-26 under Kosmalski.
But for him, the experience itself is what it's all about.
"The NCAA does a great job of making it special for the players," he said. "I'm just really excited that our guys get the opportunity.
"Someone asked me yesterday, 'What was the best part when you went in 2019?' And I don't even think about that. I don't have a list, but immediately I thought … it's watching the players get to enjoy all the meals together and the locker rooms and the bus rides. That's the best part. It's just a great experience for them."
Swarthmore punched their Final Four ticket with a 78-77 win over Nichols College on Saturday, a game that saw them rally from 11 points down with 7 ½ minutes to play.
The other national semifinal will feature Wisconsin-Whitewater and Mount Union. The two winners on Thursday will play for the national title on Saturday.
