INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Committee has selected the teams that will compete in the 2004 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.

The championship provides for a 19-team tournament. Thirteen conferences have been awarded automatic qualification for the championship. Four teams are selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final two berths are reserved for Pool C, which are institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion.

Three first-round games will be conducted May 5 at campus sites. Eight second-round games will be conducted May 8, and four quarterfinal-round games will be conducted May 9. The second- and quarterfinal-round games will be contested at four regional sites on the campuses of participating institutions. Winners of the four regionals will advance to the semifinals and final, to be played May 15-16 at Growney Stadium, Rochester, New York. St. John Fisher College will serve as host for the championship.

The following conferences received automatic qualification:

Centennial Conference
Commonwealth Coast Conference
Empire 8
Little East Athletic Conference
Middle Atlantic States Conference
New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance
North Coast Athletic Conference
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference
State University of New York Athletic Conference
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference

For more information about the 2004 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship, log on to www.ncaasports.com.

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