Championship Central
Franklin & Marshall edged Swarthmore 3-2 in a battle of the conference unbeatens to clinch the top seed in the Centennial Conference tournament on the final day of the regular season on Saturday. The Diplomats (17-6, 10-0 CC) will be the No. 1 seed in the CC postseason for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2018. This marks the sixth time F&M has completed the CC regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.
Swarthmore (19-4, 9-1 CC) is the No. 2 seed following the defeat to the Diplomats in Lancaster on Saturday. The Garnet will joing the Diplomats as hosts of next Friday's semifinals.
All six playoff spots were locked up heading into Saturday's action, with this year's field featuring the same teams as last fall - F&M, Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, Haverford, Dickinson and Gettysburg.
Needing a win to secure the No. 3 seed, Johns Hopkins downed Muhlenberg 3-1 to claim the third seed. The Blue Jays (15-8, 7-3 CC) will host sixth-seeded Gettysburg (18-8, 6-4 CC) in one of Wednesday's first round matchups. The Bullets, who downed Hopkins 3-2 on the road last Wednesday, ended the regular season with a 3-0 sweep over Bryn Mawr.
Wednesday's other first round match will feature fourth-seeded Haverford (16-7, 7-3 CC) hosting fifth-seeded Dickinson (17-9, 6-4 CC). Haverford was idle in conference play on Saturday while Dickinson clinched the No. 5 seed with a 3-0 sweep at Washington College. The Fords and Red Devils showdown is a rematch of last year's first round, in which the Fords ousted the Red Devils 3-2 in Haverford.
The Centennial re-seeds in the conference tournament, meaning that F&M will host the lower seeded first round winner on Friday while Swarthmore will host the higher seeded first round winner.
Sunday's championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning the CC's automatic bid to the NCAA postseason.
FIRST ROUND: Wednesday, Nov. 11 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#6 Gettysburg at #3 Johns Hopkins, time TBD
#5 Dickinson at #4 Haverford, time TBD
SEMIFINALS: Friday, Nov. 13 | at #1 & #2 seeds
Higher seeded first round winner at #2 Swarthmore, time TBD
Lower seeded first round winner at #1 Franklin & Marshall, time TBD
CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, Nov.15 | at highest remaining seed
Semifinal winners, location & time TBD
