OSHKOSH Wis. — For the first time in nearly 30 years, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Final Four.

The Lady Titans loaded up at the Kolf Sports Center in Oshkosh on Tuesday morning.

The team advanced after beating Baldwin Wallace University 60-53 over the weekend in Illinois.

Now, they will travel to Salem, Virginia to play in the NCAA Division III Championship semifinals on Thursday. There, the 15th-ranked Lady Titans will face 9th-ranked Smith College.

Last year, the Lady Titans lost 61-59 to Smith College in the Sweet Sixteen.

“I knew after we lost that game last year in Maine that we were going to do everything we could to get here. And as the summer played on and we got back to the season, I felt like if everyone was going to do it, it was going to be this group,” said head coach Brad Fischer, who's tied the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) record for most 20-win seasons. 

This year, the team said it hopes the outcome will be different.

“Everyone knows what happened last year, and we watched some film from it, and I think we’re ready to grow from that and really make a run here for the national championship,” said forward Kayce Vaile.

This will be the Lady Titans’ third Final Four appearance. The last time the team reached the national semifinal round was in 1996. That year, they defeated New York University in the semifinal and took down University of Mount Union in the national championship game. In 1995, they beat Salem State University and finished as runners-up. 

“It’s a surreal experience. You know, you watch the teams growing up, and you watch March Madness, and it’s just a surreal experience to be a part of it,” said forward Sarah Hardwick.

The Lady Titans take on Smith College Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.