Shockers take on Wildcats in Round 1 of WNIT

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - For the first time since 2015, Wichita State will appear in the postseason. The Shockers received an at-large bid to the 2023 WNIT and will make the short trip to Manhattan to face Kansas State in the first round on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT.

Wichita State (18-14) is making its fifth appearance in the WNIT and first since 2012. Wichita State hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2015 when the Shockers made their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Kansas State finished the regular season 17-16 and 5-13 in the Big 12. The Wildcats defeated No. 4 Iowa back in November and No. 12 Iowa State during conference play. This will be the first meeting with the Wildcats since 2014, a matchup Wichita State won in Wichita. Kansas State leads the all-time series, 33-8.

The Kansas women are also making an appearance at automatic qualifiers playing Western Kentucky University at 5 p.m. on Friday.

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The 2023 field features 32 automatic qualifiers, which are teams that are the next-highest finishers in their conference’s regular season that were not tabbed for the NCAA Tournament. The other 32 teams are at-large selections, chosen after consideration of a mix of criteria by WNIT officials. The postseason WNIT is produced by Triple Crown Sports.