—Photo by Doug Wells St. Edmond graduate Jaci Stumpf and former Iowa Central player Blair Silliman celebrate for Grand View.

DES MOINES — The careers of Jaci Stumpf and Blair Silliman first intertwined inside Hodges Fieldhouse on the campus of Iowa Central.

Now, they have helped the Grand View women make history, qualifying for the first-time ever for the NAIA Div. I National Championship.

The Vikings were selected as an at-large, securing the No. 8 seed in the Naismith Bracket. They will face No. 1 and top-ranked Shawnee State on Thursday in Billings, Montana from the Rimrock Auto Arena.

“It was very exciting to find out we made it,” Stumpf said. “We were confident with how we finished the season were hoping we would get a chance to keep playing and make a run for a championship.

“There was still a lot of questions to whether we would make it, so it was definitely exciting and a big relief when we found out.”

Grand View went 23-10 this year, including a 15-3 record at home. They scored back-to-back upsets of ranked Benedictine and Baker during a 12-game win streak that stretched from the end of January to March and the Heart of America Conference semifinals.

“It has been a ride this year for sure,” Silliman said. “My first reaction was complete excitement (upon qualifying for nationals). Having to wait in anticipation for days not knowing if we made it or not was a lot to try to wrap our heads around.”

Back in 2015, Stumpf and Silliman signed with Iowa Central, helping the Tritons to a 16-8 overall record. They lost to North Iowa Area in the regional tournament.

Both went their separate ways, as Stumpf headed to Grand View and Silliman to the University of North Carolina-Pembroke following seasons that saw them land on the all-region squad.

After a year away from home, though, Silliman returned to Iowa and found open arms and a familiar face.

“It has been a privilege to play for Coach Gary Smith and Coach Kelli Greenway,” Silliman said. “The fact that they allowed me to spend my last season with this team was amazing, especially being so close to home (she graduated from Ankeny Centennial) and having all my family and friends coming and supporting our team.

“I truly am glad I made the right decision to come to Grand View for my senior year.”

Silliman leads Grand View in scoring, averaging 11 per game. She’s also third on the team at 3.3 rebounds a night, adding 67 assists, 56 steals and a team-high 72 made three-pointers.

Three times this season Silliman has scored 20 points, hitting double figures a total of 17 times. She also dished out a season-high five assists vs. Benedictine and made six triples vs. Missouri Valley.

“It has been a dream come true (playing with Stumpf),” Silliman said. “Coming from Iowa Central and being an All-American, all I could think about was, ‘Why not go to nationals my senior year, especially with Jaci right by my side.

“I never imagined making it this far, but we came together as a team and did all the right things in order to get us here. We are very excited to see what we can do at nationals.”

Stumpf averages 6.4 points per game with two rebounds, 76 assists and 28 steals. She is shooting 46 percent from the field

“We have a lot of confidence with how we’ve been playing lately,” Stumpf said. “This group of girls has been a lot of fun to play with, especially getting to play another season with Blair. We’ve made a lot of good memories and had some good times; hopefully we can keep that going in Montana and continue to make memories.

“I’m glad I get to finish my career with this group.”

Stumpf scored a season-high 20 vs. Central Methodist, a game in which she made 10 free throws. She has 428 points, 175 rebounds, 165 assists and 50 steals in her two seasons with the Vikings.

Grand View, which competes in the Heart of America Conference, was one of two leagues to secure five teams in the national tournament. The other was the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Oklahoma City, the defending champions, return along with semifinalists Campbellsville and Vanguard. Grand View, Arizona Christian and Menlo are all making debuts in the tourney.

“It’s really a big honor being able to keep playing and having a chance to compete with some of the best teams in the country,” Stumpf said. “Coming into the season, we weren’t seen as one of the top teams in our conference. The last couple of months, we’ve proved to ourselves and the other teams that we have what it takes to win games and play with some of the best teams in the country.

“Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going and keep proving people wrong.”

The NAIA Network will stream the game on ESPN3. Tip in the Grand View-Shawnee State contest is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.