NEWBERRY — The Wolves will hit the road for the third consecutive weekend to take on top seeded Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan for the NCAA Division II Semifinals.
Newberry College is thrilled to still be playing for a national title and I am sure if you asked head coach Todd Knight he would probably tell you that they will travel to another planet for a game. Of course, the players don’t mind either but they have really put some miles on their tires the past three weeks.
The Wolves were only fortunate enough to host one home playoff game during this run due to seeding. Their journey began in the second round when they hit the road to face West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. They drove 531 miles there in eight hours and a total of 1,062 miles and 16 hours round trip.
The third round took them to Albany, Georgia to face Albany State. That trip was five hours and 263 miles one way. It totaled 526 miles and 10 hours.
This weekend, they will travel 887 miles with a little over 13 hours of travel to face Ferris State in the semifinals. The total round trip to Big Rapids, Michigan will be 26 hours and 1,774 miles. The past three weekends they will total 3,362 miles and over 45 hours of travel time.
Also, if the total miles and total travel time weren’t enough then the weather conditions might raise your eyebrows. The weather in Pensacola on November 29, which was the date of the game, was 59 degrees. The weather in Albany last weekend was 54 degrees with rain throughout the entire game.
This weekend in Big Rapids the weather is predicted to be a high of 21 degrees and a low of seven degrees on game day with a 45 percent of snow on the day before the game.
To sum it all up, the Wolves are battle tested on and off the field. So, they are not scared to travel anywhere and face whoever. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN+.
Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3119 or on X @TheNBOnews
