West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford women's basketball team will be making its fifth-straight appearance in the postseason, receiving one of 17 at-large bids in the 48-team Women's National Invitation Tournament field. Hartford received a bid in the opening round and will take on the winner of the Harvard versus St. John's first round game, which will be played on Friday, March 20. The Hawks first game would be on Sunday, March 22 at Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. Game time is to be determined.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue our season,” said head coach Jennifer Rizzotti. “it is great for the University of Hartford and the America East to receive an at-large bid to play in the WNIT, and It is great for our senior class to have another opportunity to play at home.”

Hartford is making its second appearance in the postseason WNIT. The Hawks last played in the tournament in 2007, the first season after the field expanded to 48 teams, guaranteeing every conference an automatic bid.

The Hawks first appearance came after they were upset in the 2007 title game by UMBC. The Hawks hosted Bucknell in the opening round, winning by a 70-54 margin. The Hawks eventually lost to South Carolina in a second round game.

A meeting with the Harvard Crimson would be the eighth meeting between Hartford and Harvard. The Crimson hold a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series, with Hartford winning the last two meetings, 74-63 at Harvard on December 5, 1990 and 62-61 at home on December 4, 1991, both meetings prior to Rizzotti taking over at the helm of the Hartford Hawks.

A meeting against St. John's would be the third meeting in the history of the two teams, with Hartford holding a perfect 2-0 record in the all-time series. Both meetings came in the past two seasons with a 58-46 win on the road on December 4, 2006 and a 64-62 home win on December 7, 2007.

The Hawks goal of a second-straight America East Championship were dashed by the Vermont Catamounts in the semifinals 66-56. Vermont went on to win the America East Championship. The quarterfinal win over Stony Brook guaranteed Hartford its fifth-straight 20-plus win season.

Hartford is one of two teams in the postseason WNIT as the Boston University Terriers earned the America East's automatic bid by virtue of winning the regular season championship and will play Central Connecticut State University in the opening round. The America East has never sent more than one team to the WNIT and for two straight seasons the America East's representative in the WNIT has won at least one game-Vermont defeated Dartmouth before falling to Boston College in 2008 and Hartford defeated Bucknell before losing to South Carolina in 2007. Boston University will be making their first appearance in the WNIT and only their second appearance in the postseaon-2003 NCAA Tournament.