ROCK ISLAND -- For the first time ever, the Division III national championship tournament will be held outside the state California, with the No. 5 Augustana Vikings set to host three other teams to compete for a national title. The tournament will take place from Saturday, May 6 to Sunday, May 7 at the Anne Greve Lund Natatorium on the campus of Augustana College.

The Vikings earned the No. 1 seed in the CWPA after defeating the Austin 'Roos in the championship game two weeks ago. The team posted the first three scores of the game and never looked back, led by Casey Barragan, who led the way with a team-high six goals and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player to go with her First Team All-Tournament selection. Teammates Lizzie Pelzman, who accumulated 16 saves in the title game, and Annie Opal Dickson were also named First Team honorees. Augie currently sits with a 16-5 overall record and finished 7-1 in league play this season.

Augustana will take on the No. 2 seed from the SCIAC and No. 2 ranked team in the nation for the second time this season, squaring off with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas in the first semifinal of the weekend. The Athenas enter with an 18-10 overall mark and 11-1 record in conference play. CMS fell to No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer in the conference title game last Sunday, falling by a score of 9-5. The defeat broke a five-game winning streak, with their last loss prior also coming to the Sagehens by a final of 13-10.

Saturday will be the second-ever meeting between the Vikings and Athenas, with the first coming earlier this season on March 3. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Augustana 21-13 at home as part of the Claremont Convergence. Barragan had seven goals for Augie in the contest.

The other semifinal will feature the No. 1 ranked Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens and No. 8 ranked Austin 'Roos. The Sagehens sit 24-10 overall and 13-0 in the SCIAC. The team is currently riding a 14-game winning streak, with their last loss coming on March 15 against Princeton. Austin enters Saturday with a 9-10 record and 7-1 clip in the CWPA. 

Satruday's semifinal games will commence with Augustana vs. CMS at 2 p.m. followed by Pomona-Pitzer and Austin at 4 p.m. Sunday will feature the third-place match at 10 a.m., followed by the national championship at noon.

Tickets, live stats and video links, and other information can be found on the tournament home page.