HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Houghton women's basketball has earned a spot at the NCCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Tournament for the second time in three years.

The eight-team championship is being hosted by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., March 19-22.

Houghton, who earned the qualifying spot for the Midwest Region, is the No. 4 seed and will open the tournament against No. 5 Asbury University on Wednesday, March 19 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Each team is guaranteed three games during the week. The Highlanders went 1-2 at the 2023 tournament, claiming seventh place.

Houghton is currently 17-9 overall after losing in the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament on February 22.

Over the past three years the Highlanders have won 58 games (the most over a three-year stretch since 1997-2000), and made the Empire 8 conference tournament all three years. This year's team has established a new Houghton women's record for made three-pointers in a single season (232), crushing the old record of 194, set by the 2022 team, in three fewer games.
 
The Highlanders are led by senior Kayla Camacho who has scored 450 total points on the year, which ranks sixth in Houghton women's history for a single season. She is averaging 17.3 points per game, which led the team and ranked her fourth in the Empire 8.  She also ranked in the top-10 in the conference in assists (10^th), three-point percentage (3^rd), and three-pointers made per game (1^st). Camacho, a first team All-E8 and NCCAA All-Region selection for the second-straight year, has tallied 1,127 points in her career. She is just six steals shy of becoming only the fourth Houghton women's player to record 1,000 points, 450 rebounds, 200 assists, and 150 steals. She has accomplished all of this in only three seasons.

Crysta LaCrosse was named Second Team All-E8 and Second Team NCCAA All-Region. The junior is averaging 9.5 points per game and pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game. Her 125 assists during the season rank her third all-time in Houghton history and she is approaching the career mark for that category with one season remaining. Tabitha DeVries earned third team honors in both the conference and NCCAA Midwest Region. The sophomore center is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.2 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per contest. She leads the team with 23 blocked shots and finished second in the conference in field goal percentage (.531).

"I'm very excited to be going back to the NCCAA National Tournament. It is an extremely well-run event that gives our student-athletes to compete against some of the top college programs in the nation. Representing Houghton University, the Houghton community and Houghton women's basketball at a national stage is a dream come true," said Head Coach Phil Pellegrino. "I'm so proud of our team and program of everything that we have accomplished both on and off the court over the past couple of seasons. Begin able to qualify for this tournament is a testament to all of the work that these student-athletes put in every day."

See more about the qualifying teams and the schedule of games at the Tournament Website.