(JTA) – The Yeshiva University men’s basketball team has earned its first berth in the NCAA Division III basketball tournament. Yeshiva is the flagship university of Modern Orthodox Judaism.

On Sunday, the Maccabees defeated Purchase College, 87-81, in Purchase, New York, to win the Skyline Conference championship and earn an automatic berth into the national tournament. “These kids worked hard, stayed the course through everything all season, and now we are champs forever. What a moment!” head coach Elliot Steinmetz said in an interview posted on the Maccabees’ website. Athletic director Joe Bednarsh said, “People have been reaching out to me about this team from Thailand, South Africa, Argentina, Israel, England and more,” Bednarsh said. “The Maccabees are truly the pride of the Jewish people.”

At Ledger press time, the bracket for the NCAA tournament had not yet been announced. Y.U., which has a record of 18-10, will be competing in the opening round next weekend.