Diplomats Headed To Salem!

LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team, the Division III defending national champions, returns to the national semifinals for a second straight season in 2008. The Diplomats are among the last four teams and one of two squads returning to the NCAA semifinals from last year.

Franklin & Marshall, 18-1 overall and ranked No. 3 in the latest IWLCA poll, will travel to Salem, Virginia to take on No. 2 The College of New Jersey at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Donald J. Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College. The other semifinal game will pit No. 1 Salisbury and No. 4 Hamilton, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday's winners will meet in the 2008 NCAA Division III national championship game on Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be aired live by CBS College Sports, which is available on certain local cable systems around the country. Live stats will also be available for each game along with a live webcast for Saturday's semifinals from the championship website.

Single-session, all-session and other ticket information can also be found on the championship website.

The Diplomats are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament this season. F&M earned a spot in the field by winning their second consecutive Centennial Conference championship, defeating then fourth-ranked Gettysburg 14-6 on April 27. The Diplomats made their way to the national semifinals with a 15-4 win over No. 12 Babson in the regional semifinals and by defeating No. 11 Amherst 16-9 in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

F&M enters with a 1-1 record against the field this season, defeating Hamilton in 14-13 in West Palm Beach, Florida over Spring Break on March 19 and falling at Salisbury 9-7 on March 29. The Diplomats and TNCJ are meeting for the first time since 2004. F&M is looking for its first-ever win over the Lions in program history.