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Thanks for reading.

Steve

Welcome to d3Playbook - your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III. We hope you enjoy this Monday-Friday update on all that's happening around DIII.

Quick Read >> 1,360 words

1. How The SEC Geared Up to Sell Beer

It will become one of the great debates amongst Division III institutions. Do you sell beer and wine at sporting events?

In the spring of 2018, the NCAA Division I Council removed rules restricting the sale of alcohol at the division's championships. Division II decided not to pursue alcohol sales last fall and Division III engaged in substantive discussions on the topic through the first half of the year. In the end, DIII decided that the potential drawbacks outweighed any benefits.

But when you look around major college football stadiums this fall, beer and wine is now being sold by many of the country's Power Five programs. For example, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are all taking advantage of an SEC rule change that allows schools to decide at the campus level whether they want to sell beer and wine at their athletic events.

>> Read More from The Athletic (subscription)

>> Resort Status. State of Mississippi law bans the sale of alcohol on college campuses. But Ole Miss' stadium was approved for what the state calls "resort status, so the University can now make its decision.

>> DYK?: LSU plans on bringing in 80 tons of ice to keep the beer cold. Once poured into a cup, the cans will need to be recycled - an estimated 45,000 cans.

Preseason polls have been released for cross country, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball. Today we continue with cross country. 

2. Preseason Polls: Cross Country (W)

1. Washington-St. Louis
2. Johns Hopkins
3. UW-Eau Claire
4. Williams
5. MIT
6. Carleton (tie)
7. Geneseo (tie)
8. Pomona-Pitzer
9. Rensselaer
10. Chicago

T11. Tufts, T11. Wartburg, 13. Dickinson, 14. Claremont M-S, 15. Rochester, 16. Baldwin Wallace, 17 Middlebury, 18. Oberlin, 19. St. Thomas, 20. UW-La Crosse, T21. Hope, T21. Wesleyan, 23. Carnegie Mellon, 24. Emory, 25. St. Lawrence, 26. St. Olaf, 27. TCNJ, 28. Centre, 29, Wheaton, Ill., 30. Haverford, 31. Otterbein, T32. Coast Guard, T32. UC Santa Cruz, 34. UW-Stevens Point, 35. Brandeis.

Also receiving votes: Washington and Lee, Gustavus Adolphus, Ithaca.

>> Conference Call: The UAA led all conferences with six teams in the preseason poll. The NESCAC was second with four, while the Centennial, Minnesota and Wisconsin conferences each placed three teams in the top 35.

>> Looking Back: Washington-St. Louis won its first championship since 2011 with a thrilling one-point victory over two-time champ Johns Hopkins. It was just the second one-point decision in the meet's history. Middlebury edged Amherst, 144-145, at Wilmington College in 2006.

>> Who to Watch: There are eight returnees among the top 20 finishers at the NCAA championship last fall, headlined by defending champion Paige Lawler.

• Paige Lawler, Sr., Washington-St. Louis
• Kaitlyn Mooney, Jr., Coast Guard
• Caelyn Reilly, Sr., Johns Hopkins
• Sophia Gorman, Jr., Colby
• Sophie Watterson, Sr., Washington-St. Louis
• Hannah Roeske, Jr., Wheaton, Ill.
• Carina Collet, Jr., Wartburg
• Genny Corcoran, Sr., Geneseo

>> Poll courtesy of USTFCCCA

3. Preseason Polls: Cross Country (M)

1. North Central
2. Washington-St. Louis (tie)
3. Williams (tie)
4. Wartburg
5. Pomona-Pitzer
6. UW-La Crosse
7. Carnegie Mellon
8. MIT
9. Carleton
10. Johns Hopkins

T11. Calvin, T11 Geneseo, 13. Chicago, 14. Rensselaer, 15. Otterbein, 16. Haverford, 17. Amherst, 18. Claremont M-S, 19. Case Western Reserve, 20. Bates, 21. UW-Stevens Point, 22. Middlebury, 23. Berea, 24.UW-Stout, 25. DePauw, 26. Elizabethtown, 27. UC Santa Cruz, 28. St. Olaf, 29. Emory, 30. Brockport, 31. St. Thomas, 32. UW-Oshkosh, 33. Dickinson, 34. UW-Eau Claire, 35. WPI.

Also receiving votes: Washington and Lee, Loras, Occidental.

>> Conference Call: The UAA and Wisconsin Conference led the way with five representatives apiece in the top-35. The NESCAC was next with four, followed by the Centennial and Minnesota Conferences with three.

>> Looking Back: North Central made it three championships in a row with a convincing 43-110 victory over runner-up Washington-St. Louis. It was the Cardinals' sixth title since 2010.

>> Who to Watch: Nine runners who finished in the national top 20 a year ago return in 2019.

• Josh Schraeder, Sr., UW-La Crosse
• Ryan Cox, Sr., Williams
• Nick Matteucci, Sr., Washington-St. Louis
• Matt Osmulski, Sr., North Central
• Jared Pangallozzi, Jr., Johns Hopkins
• Patrick Watson, Sr., Stevenson
• Lucas Mueller, Jr., Carleton
• Andy Vasquez, Sr., Nebraska Wesleyan
• Ryan Cutter, Jr., Chicago

>> Poll courtesy of USTFCCCA

4. Weekend Preview

The biggest games as the 2019 fall season gets underway.

Field Hockey

Friday, August 30
(3) Rowan at (19) Ursinus
(16) Christopher Newport at (4) Messiah
Sunday, September 1

(9) Rochester vs. (16) Christopher Newport (at Spooky Nook)

Soccer (M)

Friday, August 30

(4) Rochester at (11) Cortland

Sunday, September 1

(3) Chicago at (12) St. Thomas

Soccer (W)

Friday, August 30

(5) William Smith at (10) Hardin-Simmons

(8) TCNJ at (14) Swarthmore

Saturday, August 31

(3) Washington-St. Louis at (15) Hope

(24) Stevens at (7) Messiah

(11) Lynchburg at (16) Johns Hopkins

Volleyball

Friday, August 30
(8) Johnson & Wales at (1) Emory
(2) Calvin at (23) Ohio Northern
(3) Juniata at (22) Christopher Newport
(4) UW-Eau Claire at (22) Christopher Newport
(19) Berry at (11) Ithaca
(13) Illinois Wesleyan at (23) Ohio Northern
(15) Mary Hardin-Baylor at (17) Trinity, Texas
Saturday, August 31
(2) Calvin vs. (13) Illinois Wesleyan
(3) Juniata vs. (4) UW-Eau Claire
(6) Wittenberg vs. (13) Illinois Wesleyan
(6) Wittenberg at (23) Ohio Northern
(10) Aurora vs. (18) Gustavus Adolphus
(15) Mary Hardin-Baylor vs. (25) Saint Benedict
(25) Saint Benedict at (17) Trinity, Texas

5. Comings ... 

• Sage will join the NECC in men's volleyball as an associate member next season.

• Arcadia will join the UCHC in men's and women's hockey in 2021-22.

• Scott Gavin-Wisniewski named head women's rowing coach at Cabrini.

• Marie Wozniak named associate athletic director for communications at Rowan.

• John Paquette named interim assistant commissioner for sports information at the NEAC.

• Mason Hoehn named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Centre.

• Alex Fioritto named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Trinity (Conn.).

• Arianna Kreush named assistant women's lacrosse coach at Whitman.

• Matt Deignan named assistant sports information director at Rhode Island College.

• Kyle Marsh named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Mitchell.

6.  and Goings ... 

• Dawood Farahi announces he will step down as president of Kean.

7. Today's Tweet

Math Teacher "Your child should only specialize in math to do well in H.S. & get a college scholarship."
Parent: "Are you crazy?"
Youth Sport Coach: "Your child should only specialize in one sport to do well in H.S. & get a college scholarship."
Parent: "Ok, where do I sign up."

— Dr. Robert Zayas (@RobertZayasNY) August 28, 2019

8. 1 Holiday Thing

Enjoy the last fling of summer and the start of the 2019-20 Division III sports season.

this is ringo, he likes to swim a bit, some say he's still swimming
(ringo.swims.alot IG) pic.twitter.com/BskKoWn44f

— Humor And Animals (@humorandanimals) August 28, 2019

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Redrawing the Regions?

image courtesy of NCAA Champion Magazine

1. Redrawing the Regions?

"After a pair of unsuccessful attempts over the past decade to recalibrate Division III's sport regions, a Division III Commissioners Association subcommittee convened in 2016 to try to succeed where other efforts had fallen short. Its goal? Account for the rapid - and often geographically disproportionate - growth of many Division III sports, balance the number of schools in those regions and try to ensure conference members were placed in the same regions. Unbalanced regions can cause difficulties in the championships selection process and in crafting regional rankings, among other issues."

>> Quotable: "We thought from a regional perspective, it had to be geographical, first and foremost, which is even more paramount now than it may have been 10 or 15 years ago. Finances are a concern, and you're being evaluated by people that are in your region, and you want those regional opponents to be as close as possible" - Brad Bankston, commissioner, Old Dominion Athletic Conference

>> Huh? The sport of field hockey has 166 sponsors and six regions, while football has 250 sponsors and four regions. The South Region in football stretches from Pennsylvania to Texas.

>> Read More from NCAA Champion Magazine

2. Three on Three

image courtesy of Washington & Jefferson

It will be D3 on ESPN3 next Saturday as Washington & Jefferson will play host to Wittenberg. The game will be broadcast locally in the Pittsburgh-area on WPNT 22 and will also be carried live on the ESPN3 platform. ESPN3 reaches 86 million households through smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and can also be streamed through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

>> Winning. Wittenberg, ranked 18th in the preseason, and W&J, ranked 21st, have combined for 1,517 all-time victories. The Tigers have won 773 games, while the Presidents have 744 victories.


3. Preseason Polls: Volleyball | Eagles Fly High

1. Emory
2. Calvin
3. Juniata
4. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
5. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
6. Wittenberg
7. Colorado College
8. Johnson & Wales, R.I.
9. Chicago
10. Aurora

11. Ithaca, 12. Wesleyan, 13. Illinois Wesleyan, 14. Washington-St. Louis, 15. Mary Hardin-Baylor, 16. Wisconsin-Whitewater, 17. Trinity, Texas, 18. Gustavus Adolphus, 19. Berry, 20. Babson, 21. Hope, 22. Christopher Newport, T23. Bowdoin, T23. Ohio Northern, 25. Saint Benedict.

Conference Call: The UAA placed the most teams in the top 25 with three representatives, while the Michigan, Minnesota, NESCAC, Southern Collegiate and Wisconsin conferences each had two teams on the list.

Looking Back: Emory won its first NCAA title in 10 years with a three-set sweep of Calvin. The eagles had finished second in 2010 and 2014. It was the fourth trip to the national final in seven years for the Knights who won championships in 2010, 2013 and 2016.

Who to Watch: There are five returning first-team All-Americans to the fold this season.

• Maria Coniglio, Sr., OH, Johnson & Wales
• Sarah DeVries, Sr., MB/S, Calvin
• Kate Isaksen, Sr., L, Clarkson
• Phoebe Madsen, Sr., S/RS, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
• Carson VanCampen, Sr., MB, Berry

>> Poll courtesy AVCA

4. Preseason Polls: Field Hockey | Panthers on the Prowl

1. Middlebury
2. Tufts
3. Rowan
4. Messiah
5. Johns Hopkins
6. College of New Jersey
7. Salisbury
8. Vassar
9. Rochester
10. Franklin & Marshall

11. Williams, 12. Trinity, Conn., 13. Montclair State, 14. Babson, 15. Bowdoin, 16. Christopher Newport, 17. Washington & Jefferson, 18. Hamilton, 19. Ursinus, 20. Amherst.

Also receiving votes: Lynchburg, Denison, Skidmore, Cortland, Smith

>> Poll courtesy: NFHCA

Conference Call: The NESCAC has seven representatives in the preseason top 20, while the Centennial and NJAC have three teams apiece on the list. The Capital and the Liberty League placed two teams on the preseason chart.

Looking Back: Middlebury won its second straight title and third in four seasons with a 2-0 shutout of NESCAC rival Tufts. The Panthers have won at three different sites - 2015 (W&L), 2017 (Bellarmine) and 2018 (Spooky Nook, Pa.). The Jumbos placed second for the second time in three years (2016-18).

Who to Watch: There are four returning first-team All-Americans to the field this season.

• Erin Coverdale, Sr., F, Franklin & Marshall
• Jillian Hughes, Sr., D, Salisbury
• Kristen McCarthy, Sr., F, Endicott
• Erin Nicholas, Jr., D, Middlebury

5. Comings ... 

• Joel Barta named head baseball coach at Northland.
• Gabrielle Rivers named head softball coach at Oswego State.
• Sean McNulty named head triathlon coach at Transylvania.
• Alexis Pettway named head athletic trainer at Whittier.
• Alex Diggory named head strength and conditioning coach at Rosemont.

6.  and Goings ... 

• John McCardell will step down as vice-chancellor at Sewanee in July 2020.
• Don Feinberg steps down as head swimming coach at Hood.

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Welcome to d3Playbook

Welcome to d3Playbook - your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III. We hope you enjoy this Monday-Friday update on all that's happening around DIII.

Quick Read >> 823 words

Preseason polls have been released for cross country, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball. Today we start with soccer. 

1. Soccer (M) | Jumbos On Top

1. Tufts
2. Calvin
3. Chicago
4. Rochester
5. Messiah
6. Montclair State
7. Case Western Reserve
8. Luther
9. Trinity, Texas
10. Kenyon

11. Cortland 12. St. Thomas 13. Amherst 14. Ramapo 15. Eastern, 16. Penn State-Behrend 17. Franklin & Marshall 18. Carnegie Mellon 19. Saint Joseph's (Maine) 20. Wisconsin-Platteville, 21. North Park 22. Johns Hopkins 23. Connecticut College 24. Stevens 25. St. Norbert 

Also receiving votes: Carleton, NYU, John Carroll, Texas-Tyler, Brockport, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Capital, Haverford. 

Conference call: The UAA leads all conferences with four picks in the preseason top 25, while the NESCAC put three in the top 25. The Centennial, MAC Freedom, and NJAC each had two representatives in the preseason listing.

Note: The United Soccer Coaches preseason poll always reflects the final 2018 ranking.

Looking Back: Tufts, led by head coach Josh Shapiro, won its third championship in five years with a 2-1 victory against Calvin. It was the third time since 2011 that Calvin has finished second.

Who to Watch: Four first-team All-Americans are back on the pitch in 2019.

• AJ Marcucci, Jr., Connecticut College, GK
• Brady Johnston, Sr., Trinity, Texas, D
• Joe Braun, Sr., Tufts, F
• Ben Prange, Sr., St. Norbert, F

>> Poll courtesy United Soccer Coaches

2. Soccer (W) | An Eph Three-Peat?

1. Williams
2. Middlebury
3. Washington-St. Louis
4. Christopher Newport
5. William Smith
6. Misericordia
7. Messiah
8. College of New Jersey
9. Wheaton, Ill.
10. Hardin-Simmons

11. Lynchburg, 12. Centre, 13. Amherst, 14. Swarthmore, 15. Hope, 16. Johns Hopkins, 17. Wisconsin-La Crosse, 18. Trinity, Texas, 19. St. Thomas, 20. MIT, 21. Farmingdale State, 22. Tufts, 23. Otterbein, 24. Stevens, 25. Scranton

Also receiving votes: Ithaca, Loras, Chicago, Emory, Geneseo, Grove City, RIT, Mount St. Joseph, Brandeis.

Conference call: The NESCAC leads all conferences with four picks in the preseason top 25, while the Centennial, and MAC Freedom put two in the top 25. 

Note: The United Soccer Coaches preseason poll always reflects the final 2018 ranking.

Looking Back: Williams made it back-to-back titles and three in four seasons by turning back NESCAC rival Middlebury in PKs (3-2) after battling to a 1-1 draw. It was the Panthers' first trip to the national final.

Who to Watch: Four first-team All-Americans are back on the pitch in 2019.

• Kristen Canepa, Sr., Trinity, Texas, D
• Sarah Tomich, Jr., Wheaton, Ill., D
• Julia Panko, Sr., Stevens, M
• Riley Cook, Jr., Christopher Newport, F

>> Poll courtesy United Soccer Coaches

3. Around the NCAA

The NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules Committee has recommended adding an arc within the goal-crease area to clearly define the "goal mouth."

The new arc will extend 6 feet from the center of the goal line to the goal lines extended. Members of the committee, which met last week in Indianapolis, think this adjustment will address concerns raised by head coaches and officials in this year's men's lacrosse rules survey.

If approved, offensive players would be prohibited from jumping or diving then subsequently landing in the newly defined goal mouth. In addition, the committee recommends the penalty for initiating contact with the goalkeeper within the goal mouth will result in a no goal and a one-minute penalty. Landing in the goal mouth without contacting the goalkeeper will result in a no goal and a loss of possession.

Go Deeper >> http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/goal-mouth-arc-recommended-men-s-lacrosse

4. Comings and Goings

• Nick Schneigert named head cross country and track and field coach at University of Dallas.
• Lance Moore named head wrestling coach at Keystone.
• Jeff Kutac named head men's and women's tennis coach at Austin.
• Bryan Orlenko named head women's golf coach at UW-River Falls.
• Jim McCurdy named Sports Information Director at LeTourneau.
• Rob Chambers named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Widener.
• McKamie Place named assistant women's basketball coach at Berry.

• Erik Wince resigns as head wrestling coach at Greensboro.
• Gerad Good resigns as head men's basketball coach at Manchester.

5. News You Can Use

"PrestoSports and the @SCAC_Sports (SCAC) announced a partnership to deliver immersive fan experiences through a conference-wide digital network." #fans4life #SCACpridehttps://t.co/bFFzy45vDW pic.twitter.com/FfVn5eNq8l

— PrestoSports (@PrestoSports) August 27, 2019

6. Calendar

• Sept. 2 - Labor Day
• Sept. 9-10 - Championships Committee, Indianapolis
• Sept. 10 - Nominating Committee
• Sept. 11-12 - Committee on Women's Athletics, Indianapolis
• Sept. 11-12 - Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee, Indianapolis
• Sept. 16 - Honors Committee, Indianapolis
• Sept. 16 - Nominations close for NCAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion
• Sept. 18-19 - DIII Commissioners Association, Las Vegas
• Sept. 24-25 - Interpretations and Legislative Committee, Indianapolis
• Oct. 13-15 - Women Leaders in College Sports National Convention, Phoenix
• Oct. 18-20 - FAR Fellows Institute, Indianapolis