After a grueling weekend in Princeton, N.J. ,the Michigan water polo team showed itself - and everyone else - what it is made of.

The team endured a combined six overtime periods in its two games - first against No. 17 Indiana and later against No. 14 Hartwick.

The wins gave the Wolverines the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship and earned them an automatic bid into the four-team NCAA Tournament on May 11-12. Since being named a varsity sport last year, this is the first time that Michigan has reached the NCAA Tournament.

In Sunday's Eastern Championship against Hartwick, the game was close heading into halftime with the Wolverines leading 3-2. Michigan was able to open up a 4-2 lead early in the third quarter and held that lead into the fourth.

While Michigan could have put away Hartwick in the fourth quarter, it was unable to do so and instead gave up two goals. This evened the score to send it into the required two-period overtime.

The Wolverines left the first overtime holding a 6-5 advantage and again just needed to hold on for the victory. But Hartwick's resiliency gave them the final score of regulation, evening the score again at six following the second overtime period.

Senior Jen Crisman found the back of the net for the Wolverines with 31 seconds remaining in the first sudden-death period, and Michigan was victorious by a score of 7-6.

Michigan coach Amber Drury-Pinto credits her team's success to its intense training.

"In the end, I really think our conditioning paid off, and we were able to outlast them," she said. "It was a tough battle all the way through. That's what we expected to happen, and that is exactly what it was. We couldn't ask for a better game."

Michigan would not have been playing that game if not for another overtime victory on Saturday, this time over arch-rival Indiana.

Against the Hoosiers, the Wolverines trailed 2-1 after the first period, but were able to even the score at 4-4 heading into halftime.

The teams traded goals through the third and fourth quarters, and they were knotted at seven goals entering overtime.

The first two mandatory overtime periods passed by with zeroes on the board, as did the first sudden-death period.

Finally, in the second sudden-death period, sophomore Julie Nisbet scored to give Michigan an 8-7 victory.

Despite being exhausted, Michigan coach Amber Drury-Pinto believed her team was well prepared to play in the overtime and sudden-death situations it faced.

"It was definitely emotionally and physically draining for all of us," Drury-Pinto said. "At the same time, it was familiar for us, and we weren't nervous. We were confident. We had our players, and we came through in the end."

The NCAA Tournament begins on May 11 in Los Angeles. Joining Michigan will be defending national champion UCLA, Loyola-Marymount and Stanford.