CARSON, CA -- The 2018 NWBA National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NWWBT) will be hosted by the top seeded team, PossAbilities Shield Maidens, and kicks off Friday, March 23 in Carson, CA. The tournament will be hosted at two venues, Carson Park (21411 Orrick Avenue, Carson, CA 90745) and the Veterans Sports Complex (22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson, CA 90745). Competition will start at 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Friday, March 23 and conclude with an awards ceremony at 1:00 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, March 25. The tournament features nine teams from the Women's Division and 21 total games.

The NWBA Women's Division celebrating the 40th anniversary of its creation and this will mark the largest women's tournament to date. Click here to view the bracket for the 2018 National Women's Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

All games during the 2018 NWWBT hosted at Carson Park will be live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/shieldmaidensbball/

All games during the 2018 NWWBT hosted at Veterans SportsComplex will be live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/NWBAWomenDivision/

Here is a brief summary on each team in the order of their rankings for the NWWBT:
 

1) PossAbilities Shield Maidens

The PossAbilities Shield Maidens are hosting the tournament this year and come in as the top seed in the tournament. The team's athlete-coaches are Patty Cisneros Prevo, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and former coach of the University of Illinois Women, and Alma Rodriguez, a Paralympian on both the Mexican and U.S. teams, as well as a member of the NWBA Hall of Fame (Class of 2017).

The co-founder and captain of the team, Courtney Ryan, leads the team in points, averaging a sensational 30 points per game. The team’s second leading scorer, Ana Vargas, will be counted on during the tournament when defenses focus on Ryan. Other team members include Betty Cruz from Guatemala and Alicia Ibarra, from Mexico. Both women were immigrants and met each other at a disabled high school in Los Angeles, where they were introduced to wheelchair basketball over 30 years ago.
 

2) WASA Bucks Women

The WASA Bucks come into the tournament at the two seed with a roster of eight women. They are headlined by two U.S. Paralympians and a three-time Intercollegiate Division National Champion.

The two U.S. Paralympians look to use their international experience to their advantage at the NWWBT this year. Becca Murray is a three-time U.S. Paralympian and took home the gold twice in 2008 and 2016. Natalie Schneider also took home the gold in the 2008 and 2016 Paralympic Games. Schneider also won the gold in the IWBF World Championships in 2010 and 2011. Rounding out the team’s leaders is Lydia Sprain. Sprain won three national titles as a player on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Women’s team and has been a coach with the team since 2015.
 

3) Arizona Storm Women

The Arizona Storm have had a great start in their first season as an NWBA Women’s Division team. The Storm boast a total of three former U.S. Paralympians: Jennifer Ruddell, Jennifer Poist and Kaitlyn Verfeuth.

Jennifer Ruddell, who won gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Games, leads her team in points and rebounds from the center position. At point guard, the Storm have two-time U.S. Paralympian (2012 and 2016) Jennifer Poist filling the role as floor general. Poist leads the Storm in assists and is the second leading scorer on the team. Kaitlyn Verfeuth is a three-time U.S. Paralympian, including a run at wheelchair tennis in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

The Arizona Storm have a 6-4 overall record (cross-division) going into the NWWBT. They are coached by former University of Arizona Wildcat, Deanna Free. The Team Manager, Mia Hansen, is the President of Southern Arizona Adaptive Sports, the nonprofit that offers wheelchair basketball, tennis and other adaptive sports programs in Tucson.
 

4) LWSRA Lady Hawks

The LWSRA Lady Hawks are a young team that boasts one of the deepest rosters in the Women’s Division.

They will be led by 2016 Paralympic gold medalist Gail Gaeng's leadership and dead eye shot. She is the perfect person to lead a team full of next generation athletes, like Ixhelt Gonzalez, who at thirteen, has shaken up the U.S. wheelchair basketball world with her selection to this year's U.S. Women's World Championships roster. Zoe Voris is the ultimate compliment to a threesome that will play an up tempo aggressive game. Sisters Jackie and Jodi Morales will serve as the foundation for leadership as no one knows head coach Keith Wallace's system better than them as they both have taken on coaching roles within the LWSRA program.
 

5) Utah Rush Women

The Utah Rush Women’s team has been together for two years. This year they have a roster that includes four women from Utah and two women from Colorado. Four out of their six players also play on Junior Varsity teams, making them one of the youngest teams in the tournament.

One of their leaders will be 17-year-old Riley Ljundahl, who won a silver medal in the 2017 IWBF Americas Cup and was named to the 2018 U.S. Women’s World Championships roster.
 

6) Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm, named after Seattle’s WNBA team, is one of the longest tenured teams featured in the tournament, having played their first official season in 2010. The team features a roster of nine players from the greater Seattle and Portland areas.

They will be led by team veteran, Jami Tribby, who has been with the Storm since their first season. Jami Tribby and Eve Hampton will play in the U.S. and Canada Women’s National Tournaments this year and look to become national champions in two countries.
 

7) Charlotte Rollin' Hornets Women

The Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets Women’s Team consists of nine players from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

The roster includes Candice Law and Tracey Backus, two players who previously competed at the collegiate level in able-bodied basketball, as well as Lindsey Metz and Caitlin McDermott, who previously competed in the NWBA’s Intercollegiate Division. Three other members of the team have recently gained recognition through participation in the selection camp for the U.S. Women’s National Team: Elizabeth Becker, Jordan Kozloski, and Bailey Moody. The team also has the unique combination of a mother/daughter duo in Tracey and Caroline Backus in addition to another wheelchair basketball player/parent in Rochelle Benton, whose son plays for the Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets Prep team.

This is the first season of competition for the Charlotte Rollin’ Hornets-Women. In this season all of their games have been played against teams at the Adult Division II or III. Although their record stands at 0-4 against these teams, each game was a close fight. At least three players have scored in double digits each game with one player achieving a score of 23 points for a team high in a single game. The team is coached by wheelchair basketball great: Dave Kiley.
 

8) ParaSport Spokane

ParaSport Spokane has a young developmental team heading to the NWWBT this year with 10 women on their roster.

One of the team’s leaders in the tournament will be 15-year-old Elizabeth Flock, who shoots 34% from the field, averages five rebounds per game and leads the team in steals, averaging a whopping 3 per game. Krystle Horton is the team’s most efficient shooter, with an impressive field goal percentage of 58%. Another 15-year-old on the roster, Sophie Munter, leads the team in rebounds, averaging eight per game, while also adding in an average of two assists per game.
 

9) San Diego Black Widows

This is the San Diego Black Widow’s first season as a team in the NWBA Women’s Division. They boast the most unique age range in this year’s tournament, with their youngest player being 13-years old and their oldest player being 73-years-old.

Although their most experienced players are the younger ones on the rosters, their two 73-year-old athletes have picked up the sport quickly in their first year playing.

For more information on the tournament and volunteering opportunities, please contact Molly Bloom, Tournament Director at molly.jo.bloom@gmail.com. You can also visit the tournament website and Facebook page for more information.

You can also follow daily recaps and updates on the NWBA website and social media accounts.