Proposal Caps Brackets

 

PRESENTED BY CHI ALPHA SIGMA "recognizing college student-athletes who excel both on and off the field of competition." D3Playbook SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 | 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.  Proposal Caps Brackets   by Greg Johnson, NCAA "The Division III Championships Committee on Tuesday recommended that winter and spring 2021 national championship brackets and field sizes not exceed 75% of their standard capacity. A caveat to the proposal is if a sport’s maximum number of allocated automatic qualifiers surpasses the 75% threshold, the championship could expand the field to accommodate each automatic berth. This is consistent with the Division III philosophy of emphasizing conference competition. The committee’s main goal was to preserve access to NCAA championships through automatic qualification. Field sizes for individual sports also would be reduced to 75% of their typical size. The recommendation will make its way through the Division III governance structure, including getting feedback from winter and spring sport committees, before the Management and Presidents Councils make a final decision in October." >> Background: "Following the recommendation of the recently expanded NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, all tournament sites would be predetermined in an effort to safely host winter championships participants. Testing and other sanitation protocol requirements will increase total expenses for winter and spring championships. These two recommendations add approximately $9 million in additional costs and ultimately were the reason the committee made its recommendation." >> What They're Saying: "This decision was not made lightly,” said Kiki Jacobs, committee chair and the director of athletics at Roger Williams. “We concluded this was the best way to provide high-quality championship experiences for student-athletes. Given the obligations to prepare sites and follow the required health protocols, the committee had to make the tough decision to recommend fewer opportunities this year.” >> What This Means: A revised field size could look like this. Field Hockey: 18 teams from 24 Football: 24 from 32 Soccer / Volleyball (W) / Basketball:  48 from 64 Ice Hockey (M): 9 from 12 Ice Hockey (W): 7 from 10 Baseball: 44 from 58 Golf (M): 32 from 43 Golf (W): 22 from 26 Lacrosse (M): 27 from 36 Lacrosse (W): 33 from 44 Softball: 46 from 62 Tennis (M): 34 from 44 Tennis (W): 37 from 49 Volleyball (M): 12 from 16 # determined from most recent online NCAA Pre-championships Manual >> Be Smart: Never a more important time to win your conference championship and AQ. >> Keep Reading

2.  Colleges Strain Under COVID Pressures   by Sam Brigar, NPR "As the fall semester kicks into gear, college campuses have become the pandemic's newest hot spots. The New York Times reports there are more than 88,000 coronavirus cases at the nation's colleges and universities. Scott Carlson, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, isn't surprised by those numbers. "A lot of people thought that there would be an explosion of cases on campus," Carlson says. "Most of the students that I talked to — for example, at USC — they all knew that the colleges couldn't keep this under control. They just wanted to turn up for a few weeks to see if they could have something of a fall semester experience." Carlson estimates that about 20% of American colleges or universities are offering primarily in-person classes, while 16% are offering a mix of in-person and online experiences. Many others are completely virtual. Carlson notes that in many cases, the decision to offer in-person classes was driven largely by financial concerns." >> Background: "There are a number of schools that have prominent athletic programs. Very few schools actually make money off of the athletics, but even when they don't make money off the athletics, the athletics ends up being something that attracts students both to go to school there — to play athletics, but also to watch the athletics. So if sports is not going on, that ends up being a hit. I think of a place like Monmouth College, for example, in Illinois. They told me that 50% of the students there are athletes, [Division 3] athletes. So going there and playing their sport is a huge incentive for the students to enroll in Monmouth." >> Quotable: "We make money on the dorms. We break even on dining, and we lose money on everything else, including the education and tuition." - A small private college president in Ohio  >> Yes, But: "Many people who live in these small towns realize that the college is a vital driver of businesses and activity there. And at the same time, traditionally students have been troublemakers. There's tension between the college and the administration of the college and the power of that college. And then there tends to be tension between the college and the local community in terms of the decision-making there, mainly because the university or college tends to wield a lot of power and tends to push the city around." >> Continue Reading

3.  Homegrown   photo by Kasey Samuel Adams "Before Alex Dellas became the Hiram women's basketball head coach, she was once a member of the same women's basketball team. Dellas, a second-generation Terrier whose father also attended Hiram, appeared in 101 career games from 2006-10. A four-year letterwinner, she played in at least 24 games every season, totaling over 500 points throughout her career. "My student-athlete experience was challenging and rewarding. I loved my team, my coaches, and was super appreciative for the opportunity to play at Hiram," said Dellas. After her playing career at Hiram, Dellas earned her Master's Degree at Kent State University, followed by assistant coaching stops at Williams College for three seasons and two years at former NCAC conference member, Case Western Reserve. The 2020-21 season marks Dellas's fourth season as head coach of the Terriers after returning to her alma mater in 2017. "Not only do I get to continue my life in the NCAC, but I'm able to continue at the school I attended," said Dellas. "I am so honored to be at a conference that embraces men's and women's sports equally and at a school where our mission reflects my personal beliefs." >> Continue Reading courtesy of the NCAC

4.  Guarding Royalty  The University of Wisconsin-Superior has welcomed many international students throughout the years with fascinating backgrounds and accomplishments, but Phillip Eriksen is the only one who can say he has served in His Majesty The King’s Guard. Phillip, who hails from Skjetten, Norway, served in the Norwegian military and was assigned to the King’s Guard to defend the royal family’s residence – a role much like the more commonly known Queens Guard in London. “It was a huge honor and you really represent all of Norway when you put on that uniform,” said Eriksen. “I had to take a series of physical and mental aptitude tests when I entered the military and when I found out I was chosen for The King’s Guard, I called my grandmother and mother and they both cried because they were so proud.” Eriksen said the experience taught him discipline and perseverance, traits he relied heavily upon to pursue his dream of playing soccer and studying in the U.S. He and two other Norwegian soccer players, Nicolai Svensrud and Nicolai Stokker, chose UW-Superior over hundreds of other schools amidst many hurdles due to the pandemic and traveled thousands of miles to pursue their college and athletic dreams. The three join two other Norwegian soccer players already at UW-Superior. >> Situational Awareness: "Eriksen explained that universities in Norway do not offer athletics. The only way to continue playing after high school is through a club, which can be very time consuming, so typically people have to choose either academics or athletics, prompting many to study abroad in the United States where they can do both." >> What They're Saying: "One of our greatest strengths as a program is the diversity within our team. We have players who look different than one another, have different socio-economic backgrounds, believe in different religions, have different political views, have grown up in places all over the world, and speak different first languages. It means that we challenge each other based on our own perspective and we embrace others’ perspectives, especially when they differ from our own." - Joe Mooney, head soccer coach >> The Final Word: “This has been my dream since I was young and if I learned one thing in the military, it’s how to work hard, never give up and press on to my goals."  >> Read More

SPONSORED MESSAGE   Chi Alpha Sigma is the first national scholar-athlete society to honor those collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Chi Alpha Sigma recognizes college student-athletes who receive a varsity letter in their sport, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fifth full-time semester, and earn a 3.4 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes who compete for a collegiate club team are also eligible if the club team is overseen by the athletics department at the local chapter. Find out more at ChiAlphaSigma.com

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5.  Conference Call Today we continue our look at Division III conferences with those formed in the big 80s.   Conference: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner: Jay Jones Headquarters: Carmel, Ind. Website: HeartlandConf.org Founded: June 23, 1987 Established as Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Charter Members (4): Anderson, Franklin, Hanover, Manchester Other Core Members (6): Rose-Hulman (1988), Bluffton (1998), Mount St. Joseph (1998), Defiance (2000), Transylvania (2001), Earlham (2010)   Oldest: Transylvania (1780) Largest: Rose-Hulman (2,052) Smallest: Defiance (474) Longest Trip: 290 miles (Manchester to Transylvania) Championship Sports: 21   >> Tomorrow: University Athletic Association >> Previously: AEC |  SAA | NECC | NACC | Landmark | NEAC  NEWMAC | AMCC | NAC | ASC | GNAC | Liberty | CSAC | Skyline  Capital | SLIAC | CUNYAC | HCAC  sources: Google Maps, EADA

6.  Comings and Goings   CHATHAM - Naomi Schwaiger named assistant women's lacrosse coach MARYMOUNT - Steven Kline named assistant director of athletic communications NADIIIAA - Lori Runksmeier named president NEW ENGLAND COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE - Announced that Boise State has joined conference as affiliate member in esports  ST. LAWRENCE - Lucy Stillman '19 named assistant field hockey coach U. of DALLAS - Christian Novak named head softball coach

7.  1 Helpful Hand Thing