FORT COLLINS, Colo. – For the sixth-straight season, Illinois State will play in the postseason as the Redbirds were selected to compete in the 28th annual Postseason WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports. Tournament officials concluded months of research and thoughtful discussion on Sunday night with the announcement of the field of 48 teams.
Bracket details will be announced on Monday with locations, opponents and date/start times.
Illinois State (20-13, 13-7 MVC) secured a 20-win campaign for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Kristen Gillespie with their quarterfinal win over Drake in the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. It marks the first time since 2007-08 to 2010-11 that the program has put together four straight seasons with 20 or more wins.
REDBIRDS IN THE WNIT
The Redbirds are set to make their 17th appearance all-time in the WNIT and their fifth trip to the WNIT in Gillespie's tenure. The Redbirds, who earned a WNIT bid for the fourth consecutive season. Illinois State is 19-11 overall in the WNIT since 2000, which includes a 3-1 record and a berth in the WNIT Fab 4 last postseason.
ABOUT THE WNIT
The 2026 field features a 48-team field that includes nine automatic qualifiers and 39 at-large selections chosen after consideration of a mix of criteria by WNIT officials. There are 21 teams that won 20 or more games this season, which includes the 20-win Redbirds. All games are set to be hosted on campus sites, with Round 1 tipping off March 19-21 and the 2026 WNIT Championship set for Saturday, April 4.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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