WEBSTER GROVES - The Webster University Athletics Department has announced that is it holding a watch party for the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament selection show webcast on Monday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. in the Sunnen Lounge inside the University Center on the Webster campus.

The NCAA will officially unveil the 64 team field for this year's NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament online beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26.

Webster's women's basketball team will be part of this year's NCAA Tournament after earning an automatic bid thanks to taking home the 2018 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship on Saturday evening with its 63-61 win over Westminster at Greenville University. The SLIAC Tournament championship is the third for the Gorloks in school history and first since 2011.

With its NCAA Tournament berth secured this season, Webster, who is sporting a 20-6 overall record, will be making its fourth all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 2011 when they fell in the first round to Illinois Wesleyan, 82-70. Webster's other NCAA Tournament appearances came in 2002 and 2005.

Forty-three conference champions (including the SLIAC) will receive an automatic bid into the 64-team field, leaving 21 teams remaining. One team will be selected from a group of 10 teams that are either independent or members of non-automatic qualifying conferences (Pool B). The other 20 teams come from Pool C, and make up the at-large bids. 

The three week tournament kicks off March 2 and 3, when 16 four-team sites host the first and second round. Eight sectional semifinals continue on March 9, followed by four sectional finals on March 10. The national semifinals and final will be played the following weekend March 16 and 17 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn.

Reigning champion Amherst, who is 25-0 and hasn't lost since March 19, 2016, enters its season finale the No. 1 team in D-III. The Mammouths look to accomplish what Thomas More did in 2015 and 2016 with back-to-back, 33-0 national championship runs.

All members of the Webster community are invited to join the team members and coaching staff as they learn who they will play and where they will play their first round tournament game later this week.