By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – For the second season in-a-row the Central Washington women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16, as the Wildcats are set to face Cal Poly Pomona in the regional title game on Monday night.
 
No. 1 Seed Central Washington vs. No. 3 Seed Cal Poly Pomona
Monday, March 16 – 7 p.m. (Pacific) – Nicholson Pavilion – Ellensburg, Wash.
WATCH LIVE FREE
LIVE STATISTICS
TICKETS
 
After earning hosting privileges at Nicholson Pavilion, top-seed CWU took care of business last week with wins over No. 8 seed Montana State Billings, 63-36 and No. 4 seed Vanguard, 81-73 to reach Monday’s matchup against the third-seed No. 8 Broncos set for a 7 p.m. (Pacific) tipoff. Improving to 25-6 on the season and ranked 25th in the latest WBCA national poll, the Wildcats were selected as the Athletic Solutions GNAC Team of the Week on Monday.
 
Last year was CWU’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, with a loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills leaving the Wildcats one stop shy of their first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Monday will mark the 18th time since the GNAC was founded in 2001-02 that a team has advanced to at least the Sweet 16, as the league has had a representative reach that stage in all but five years of its existence.
 
The Wildcats are led by head coach Randi Richardson, who is in her ninth year in charge of the program. Richardson holds an all-time record of 164-81 (.669) during her tenure and has gone 99-51 (.660) in conference games since taking charge in 2017.
 
Facing must-win games starting with Friday’s opening round against the Yellowjackets, the Wildcats have played some of their best basketball of the season on the NCAA stage. It was a disappointing 79-74 loss to the sixth-seeded and eventual GNAC tournament champion Yellowjackets on March 6 that thwarted CWU’s quest for a conference trophy, but the Wildcats completely flipped the script in Friday’s rematch. MSUB’s 36 points scored were its fewest of the season and it was the fewest allowed by CWU against a Division II opponent. Behind a monster 15-point, 14-rebound double-double by junior Capri Sims, CWU smashed MSUB 51-31 on the boards and held the Yellowjackets to just 13-for-55 (23.6%) shooting. Fiona Snashall added a game-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting and narrowly missed a double-double with nine boards. Annalee Coronado was the other Wildcat in double digits, scoring 17 points while chipping in five assists and four rebounds.
 
In Saturday’s win over Vanguard, the ‘Cats relied on a signature performance from GNAC Player of the Year Asher Cai on their way to victory. The conference’s all-time leading scorer poured in 31 points, making 8 of 15 field goals including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. It was her fifth 30-point performance of the season, and she continues to rank second in Division II basketball at 22.4 points per game. Sims was stellar again with 24 points and a season-high 17 rebounds to once again lead the Wildcats to a positive rebound margin, 37-31. CWU shot 48.1% (26-for-54) and took advantage of its trips to the foul line making 20 of 22 free throws (90.9%). Snashall had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Coronado matched her career high with eight assists.
 
Cai broke the GNAC all-time scoring record earlier this season and enters Monday’s game with 2,242 points. She became the second player in GNAC history to reach 2,000 points in a career, breaking the league record of 2,001 set by Montana State Billings’s Alisha Breen from 2013-18. Cai is also the GNAC’s career leader in made 3-pointers with 288 and made field goals with 744, while ranking third in points per game (18.23) and made free throws (466), fourth in games started (122) and minutes played (4,077), 11th in rebounds (843) and 22nd in assists (373).
 
 
In her third season with the Wildcats, Sims has also established her among the GNAC all-time record books. After her two standout performances last week, she ranks sixth in GNAC history with 8.83 rebounds per game, eighth in field-goal percentage at 55.2, and 14th in total rebounds with 821. Sims also eclipsed the 1,000-career point plateau in Friday’s win over MSU Billings, with her total sitting at 1,032 and an average at 11.1 points per game across 93 career contests for CWU.
 
The winner of Monday’s regional championship game will earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which is scheduled for March 24-28 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Broncos enter the contest at 28-4 on the season and knocked off Azusa Pacific 56-54 on Friday and Western Washington 57-54 on Saturday to earn their spot against the Wildcats. The teams have not previously met this season.
 
The GNAC has had 10 representatives at the Division II Elite Eight historically, with the last being Western Washington which advanced to the national championship game in 2022. The Wildcats will look to join WWU, Seattle Pacific, Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings and become the fifth GNAC program to make it to the Elite Eight.
 
GNAC Women’s Basketball History – All-time NCAA Division II Sweet 16 Appearances
2003 – Seattle Pacific, Sweet 16
2004 – Seattle Pacific, Elite 8
2005 – Seattle Pacific, Title Game (Lost to Washburn, 70-53)
2006 – Seattle Pacific, Sweet 16
2008 – Alaska Anchorage, Final Four
2009 – Alaska Anchorage, Final Four
2010 – Seattle Pacific, Elite Eight
2012 – Alaska Anchorage, Elite Eight
2013 – Western Washington, Final Four
2014 – Montana State Billings, Sweet 16
2016 – Alaska Anchorage, Title Game (Lost to Lubbock Christian, 78-73)
2017 – Simon Fraser, Sweet 16
2018 – Montana State Billings, Elite 8
2019 – Alaska Anchorage, Sweet 16
2022 – Western Washington, Title Game (Lost to Glenville State, 85-72)
2024 – Montana State Billings, Sweet 16
2025 – Central Washington, Sweet 16
2026 - Central Washington, Sweet 16
 
18 Total GNAC Teams To Sweet 16 or Further
5 – Seattle Pacific (3 Elite 8, 1 Final 4, 1 Title Game)
5 – Alaska Anchorage (4 Elite 8, 3 Final 4, 1 Title Game)
3 – Montana State Billings (1 Elite 8)
2 – Western Washington (2 Elite 8, 2 Final 4, 1 Title Game)
2 – Central Washington
1 – Simon Fraser

---

GNAC Team of the Week presented by Athletic Solutions
Athletic Solutions was introduced as an official partner of the GNAC on Dec. 8, 2025 and it will sponsor the GNAC Team of the Week award. Athletic Solutions is a national leader in NIL fan engagement and e-commerce technology, collaborating with colleges and universities to bring NIL Locker Rooms to life. Its platform simplifies NIL opportunities, providing student-athletes with the tools and exposure needed to thrive in the evolving landscape of college athletics.