Jim Thorpe graduates Skyler Searfoss, Leila Hurley and Olivia Smelas will all be participating in the NCAA Division 2 women’s basketball tournament, which begins today.

Searfoss, a junior who battled back from a mid-season injury to play in the postseason, helped Holy Family University capture the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) to earn an automatic bid in the tourney. The Tigers, who defeated Jefferson in the CACC title game, will be the third seed in the NCAA East Regional and will face sixth-seeded Assumption in a rematch of a Nov. 23 game that Holy Family (24-6) won by a 56-50 score.

Searfoss, a three-times Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Player of the Year, is averaging 9.0 points per game and 3.3 assists in her 23 games played this season.

Hurley and Smelas, meanwhile, were key members of Kutztown University’s team that won the first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship and currently own a 22-11 record.

The PSAC title earned the Golden Bears an automatic berth in the tournament and will be the sixth-seeded team in the Atlantic Regional. Kutztown, which defeated Edinboro in the conference finals, was slated for a noon game today against third-seeded Seton Hill (23-6). The two teams played earlier this season with the Bears suffering an 89-72 loss.

Hurley, a PSAC Second Team All-Star selection, is averaging 10.7 points per game and has hit 67 three-pointers this season, while Smelas is averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.