Kirkwood women’s basketball gunning for 8th national title

CEDAR RAPIDS — The top-ranked and top-seeded Kirkwood women's basketball team begins its quest Tuesday for an eighth national title.

The Eagles (32-1) face the champions of the Northwest Plains district, 16th-seeded Dakota College at Bottineau (21-12), at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II national tournament at SC4 Fieldhouse in Port Huron, Mich.

“Depth and good chemistry,” head coach Kim Muhl said when asked about his team's personality. “They went through a COVID year together and that makes a big difference. They are really together kids.

“This is a good group.”

Muhl would know. He is approaching 1,000 career victories making his 21st national tournament appearance as a 33-year head coach at Kirkwood.

“I don't feel the pressure. It's just another game we need to play and I think that's where our program is right now,” Muhl said. “Maybe if you haven't been there. But we've been there before so the kids embrace that I think and that's big.”

With third- (Tati Hodges-Johnson and Kortney Drake) and fourth-year (Ashley Tull) players on the roster, Muhl has enjoyed the unusual situation where he gets team leaders for more than two years.

“It's day and night when you have a third-year kid,” Muhl said. “They've already bought in, you don't have to convince them.”

Having not lost since Dec. 30 at Illinois Central (24-9), Kirkwood is riding a 19-game winning streak into the tournament with a chance to avenge its only loss of the season if both the Eagles and Cougars reach the semifinals.

“I think we need to decompress a little bit,” Muhl said after the Eagles secured their automatic berth with a 65-44 victory over Iowa Western in the Region XI championship earlier this month. “Then, just take one step at a time.”

If Kirkwood is able to advance against Dakota College, it will face the winner between No. 8 North Central Missouri and No. 9 Niagara County on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

With a victory in the semifinals over recent rival Illinois Central, who defeated the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the tournament last season, Kirkwood would likely face No. 2 Johnson County (31-1) in the championship game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

“You never have time to sit back and enjoy it, it's always next game,” Muhl said. “It's important to enjoy what you have while you have it, because you may not have it tomorrow and that's a big thing.”

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