An Isolated Conference in an Age of Expansion

D3Playbook OCTOBER 28, 2019 | written by Steve Ulrich your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III Our goal is to keep you - the influencers in DIII athletics - apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers.

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1.  An Isolated Conference in an Age of Expansion "NESCAC football is cloaked in a shroud of bucolic secrecy: the 11 members of the conference have made a commitment to only play each other, each team engaging in a nine-game schedule against every other institution in the conference. The teams fastidiously avoid outside competition, and eschew the Division III playoffs in lieu of competing solely for the conference championship. With that comes a seemingly self-contained joy that few other conferences, and few other institutions, can enjoy. Perhaps the only football league that comes close to replicating what the NESCAC does is the Ivy League, but even these schools consistently play teams outside of their conference, despite not competing in post-season play or for a national championship. Perhaps, as a result, time moves slower in NESCAC football than in other conferences. There’s no concern in how you’re perceived or the level of competition that you might face outside of the small community these 10 schools have created, no pressure to adapt to the changing times, no need to expand your facilities to rival anyone but your closest competitors. It is, some have said, athletics and sports in their purest forms." >> Situational Awareness: "(The games) matter a great deal to the alumni of these institutions who number in the thousands, not the hundreds of thousands. This community of enthusiasm, a collective acknowledgment of our own smallness and of its insular importance, is a beautiful thing. It has bred intense yet civil rivalries between institutions born out of proximity but enhanced by more than a century of play." >> Between the Lines: Before 1993, NESCAC teams were not permitted to participate in post-season NCAA tournaments. The school presidents changed that restriction, with the exception of football, and since then, the NESCAC has won over 150 national championships. >> The Bottom Line: "But, in order to retain this special difference and separation, we must remain ever vigilant that we truly compete for the reasons we say that we do: to learn more about ourselves in support of our academic endeavors, to play for the love of the game and to keep college athletics truly amateur." >> Keep Reading courtesy of Henry Newton '21 and The Amherst Student

2. Net Generation Congrats to these champions who earned their conference's AQ berth to the NCAA championship. Presidents Athletic Conference (W) Washington & Jefferson d. Grove City, 5-3 City University of New York Athletic Conference (W) Hunter d. Baruch, 5-2 Commonwealth Coast Conference (W) Nichols d. Endicott, 5-3 Skyline Conference (W) Farmingdale State d. St. Joseph's (L.I.), 5-1

SPONSORED MESSAGE Searching for talent for your athletic department? Need assistance with a departmental review or a strategic plan? Time to refresh your conference's policies and procedures? ASC is dedicated to small colleges and is committed to providing solutions for your concerns. Contact steveulrich.asc@gmail.com to see how ASC can help your organization.

3.  Creating an Inclusive Culture . How can athletics diversify its job candidate pools and place more women and ethnic minorities in leadership position? According to the schools and conferences now seeing success, it all starts with a culture check. The college sports community strives to champion student-athletes, helping them finish college and pursue their career goals. But athletics has long acknowledged a disparity between department leaders and the diverse college athlete population they work to serve: Student-athletes who hope to pursue a career in college sports often don’t see people who look like them in leadership roles. >> Why It Matters: “Committing to inclusion starts with examining your institution’s culture and thinking about whether you have an environment where anyone would feel welcomed and valued,” says Katrice Albert, NCAA executive vice president of inclusion and human resources. “Putting the culture piece front and center makes the most lasting impact.” >> Read More from the NCAA

4. Weekend Review Football - D3Football.com Mary Hardin-Baylor (d. #15 Hardin-Simmons, 15-14) Mount Union (d. Heidelberg, 27-0) UW-Whitewater (d. UW-River Falls, 49-28) Saint John's (d. St.Olaf, 54-17) Wheaton, Ill. (d. Augustana, 40-0) Muhlenberg (d. McDaniel, 49-7) North Central (d. Carthage, 49-6) Ithaca (d. Rochester, 59-0) Bethel (d. Concordia Moorhead, 31-0) Salisbury (d. Kean, 65-16) Soccer (M) - United Soccer Coaches Amherst (11-0-2; d. Bates, 2-1) Calvin (15-1; d. Kalamazoo, 1-0) Chicago (8-1-4; idle) Rensselaer (13-1-1; tied at Clarkson, 0-0) Johns Hopkins (10-2-1; d. Ursinus, 2-0) Franklin & Marshall (12-2; d. Washington College, 4-1) Tufts (9-2-2; d. Middlebury, 2-1 OT) John Carroll (11-2-2; d. Marietta, 2-0) Luther (11-3-1; d. Buena Vista, 6-0) Oneonta (13-2; d. Potsdam, 9-1; d. Plattsburgh, 3-0) Soccer (W) - United Soccer Coaches Messiah (13-1-1; d. Albright, 2-1) William Smith (11-1-1; d. Bard, 6-0; d. Mount St. Mary, 6-0) Washington-St. Louis (13-1-1; idle) College of New Jersey (12-1; d. Montclair State, 3-0) Johns Hopkins (10-1-4; d. Ursinus, 1-0) MIT (13-1-2; d. Springfield, 5-0) Wheaton, Ill. (13-1-1; idle) Christopher Newport (13-1-2; d. York, 3-0) Pomona-Pitzer (12-1-1; idle) Tufts (10-1-2; lost to #12 Middlebury, 1-0) Field Hockey - NFHCA Middlebury (13-0; lost at #6 Tufts, 1-0) College of New Jersey (13-0; d. #10 Kean, 3-2) Salisbury (13-1; d. Southern Virginia, 6-0) Bowdoin (11-1; d. #7 Williams, 1-0) Franklin & Marshall (13-1; d. Bryn Mawr, 3-0) Tufts (11-2; d. #1 Middlebury, 1-0) Williams (11-1; lost at #4 Bowdoin, 1-0) Rowan (11-2; d. Montclair State, 4-3) Johns Hopkins (12-2; d. #11 Ursinus, 4-3 OT) Kean (16-1; lost at #2 TCNJ, 3-2) Volleyball - AVCA Chicago (21-1; d. #20 Hope, 3-1; d. Alma, 3-0) Calvin (19-1; lost to #20 Hope, 3-1) Emory (19-2; d. St. Mary's, Ind., 3-0; d. Roanoke, 3-0; d. #7 UW-Whitewater, 3-1; d. #24 Susquehanna, 3-2) Carthage (22-3; idle) Claremont-M-S (19-3; d. Pomona-Pitzer, 3-0; d. Occidental, 3-0) Colorado College (25-2; lost to #9 Trinity, Texas, 3-0; d. St. Thomas, Texas, 3-0; d. Texas Lutheran, 3-1; d. Austin, 3-0) UW-Whitewater (20-3; lost to St. Mary's, Ind., 3-1; lost to #24 Susquehanna, 3-0; lost at #3 Emory, 3-1) Johns Hopkins (23-0; d. Ursinus, 3-0) Trinity, Texas (24-4; d. #6 Colorado College, 3-0; d. Centenary, 3-0; d. Dallas, 3-0; d. Southwestern, 3-1) Berry (19-4; d. Sewanee, 3-2; d. Centre, 3-1)

5.  Comings and Goings Raymond W. Cross announced his plans to retire as president of the University of Wisconsin system. Erin Wagner named head women's lacrosse coach at RIT. Lake Forest College adds men's and women's lacrosse beginning in 2022.

6.  Play of the Day

FH | #9 @JHUFieldHockey defeated #11 Ursinus 4-3 in 2OT in crucial #CCfh showdown.

Michaela Corvi scored the game-winner with just 7 seconds remaining #CentConf #d3fh pic.twitter.com/3VWun2A6dT

— CentennialConference (@CentennialConf) October 26, 2019

7.  1 Meaningful Thing

This is why sports = so important. Little man reads his football coach a note to him. Try not to cry. You can't. pic.twitter.com/TUB7JC80J0

— Kelsey Trainor (@ktrain_11) October 27, 2019

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