GETTYSBURG, Pa. – While the majority of varsity teams experienced some measure of success during the most recent academic year, no team enjoyed the ride more than the women's basketball team, which stakes its claim on the No. 3 position in our countdown.

Picked to finish fifth in the Centennial Conference's preseason poll, the Bullets surprised everybody by winning the first 13 games of the season and tying for first place in the regular-season standings. Despite a school-record tying 22 victories in the regular season, the team's postseason fate was a huge question mark following a loss to McDaniel College in the conference tournament semis.

Gettysburg's impressive resume, however, was found worthy by the NCAA Selection Committee and the Bullets were sent to Moravian College for the opening round. It marked the program's first national playoff appearance in 15 years.

The last time the Orange and Blue embarked on a national adventure, the majority of the current roster had yet to learn to tie their shoes. That fact didn't matter in the slightest as the Bullets came out roaring.

Matched against the champions of the Skyline Conference, Farmingdale State College, and the nation's leading scorer, Gettysburg and junior Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) put on a show. Moser turned in the single-greatest postseason display in school history, putting up 34 points and 14 rebounds as the Bullets secured a double-digit lead by the half and went on to a 68-57 victory.

Round two looked to be challenging against Utica College, which knocked off eighth-ranked Moravian 64-61 the previous night. But once again, Gettysburg lit the scoreboard early and often. The squad shot over 52 percent from the field, including 9-of-13 from three-point land with senior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) and sophomores Julie McGrory (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) and Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) combining for 62 points in a 71-55 victory.

The Bullets' magical ride continued to Amherst, Mass., where the team put up a stiff fight in the round of 16 before succumbing in overtime to Babson College 71-68. The setback stung the team, but they left the Bay State knowing they proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they belonged on the national stage.