Championship Weekend

MARCH 5, 2021 | 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 NCAA Division III.   >> Good Friday Morning! It's National Employee Appreciation Day.  >> Today's Word Count: 890. An easy read. >> Interested in advertising in D3Playbook?  >> Thanks for reading. Remember to follow us on Twitter @D3Playbook for the latest news and transactions   Sign Up for Free: D3Playbook TOP STORY 1. Championship Weekend   Photo: Kyle Franko, Trentonian It's been a long, long time since we've been able to say this - it's Championship Weekend. Basketball. Swimming. Track and Field.  Here's what's happening. Basketball CCIW Landmark Little East Michigan New Jersey Northern Athletics Ohio  Old Dominion Upper Midwest USA South Wisconsin Swimming and Diving Heartland Michigan Presidents Old Dominion Track and Field American Rivers Michigan Ohio Upper Midwest   NIL 2.  States Race to Pass Laws   by Ross Dellinger, Sports Illustrated "Within the marble halls of the Mississippi State Capitol, the topic of college football is never far away. Home to two of the SEC’s plucky underdogs, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, legislators here are always striving to make up ground on neighboring states that have more historic football powerhouses. In fact, last summer, lawmakers replaced their state flag after the NCAA and SEC banned the Rebels and Bulldogs from hosting athletic championship events in a state whose flag brandished the Confederate battle symbol. Nine months later, another piece of college sports-themed legislation is working its way through this building. This time, a bill that would grant Mississippi college athletes rights to earn income from their name, image and likeness (NIL). Some legislators here are even pushing through the bill despite their own opposition to it. Why? Crootin’. >> Background: "While a national NIL bill seems many months away and the NCAA’s own legislation is delayed, the states are taking matters into their own hands. Dozens of state legislatures are close to adopting laws governing athlete compensation within their borders. Bipartisan bills are swiftly marching toward the end of what is normally a slow-moving legislative journey, sometimes even passing with unanimous consent. States are jockeying to create more advantageous NIL laws than their rivals, one-upping each other in what’s turned into a bit of a chaotic race."   >> Who Has Laws: California, Florida, Colorado, Nebraska, New Jersey and Michigan. >> Who's Next: Mississippi, Iowa, New York, Maryland, Alabama and New Mexico. >> Quotable: “This is a drumbeat you’re hearing from state capitals,” says Brooke Lierman, a Democrat and member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where she’s a co-sponsor of NIL legislation. “We are tangentially working with one another because we are fed up with the NCAA’s archaic and unjust rules. We’re going to act in the absence of federal leadership. If enough of us act, I think Congress will do something.” >> Be Smart: "All of it sets up what could be a historic summertime court battle between the NCAA and the states. There are varying opinions on the issue, but many believe that by early June, the NCAA will file injunctive action to prevent the effective dates of state laws, arguing with the interstate commerce clause, which purports that a state cannot enact a law that prohibits other states to interact in interstate commerce." >> Continue Reading    NCAA 3. Rule of the Month Participation in Tournaments/Events With the cancellation of NCAA championships for winter sports, some schools are considering participating in a tournament/event that occurs after their conference tournament. As a school determines whether to participate in the tournament/event it should be aware of the implications relative to the team’s playing and practice season: Per Bylaw 17.1.3 (g) each day the team participates in athletically related activity leading up to and during the tournament/event count against the 114 days under the alternative model. For example, if the team practices for 10 days before the tournament/event and then participation in the tournament/event takes another three days, the team will use 13 of its 114 days.   Participation in the tournament/event may be exempted from counting against the maximum number of contests/dates of competition if the tournament/event is considered a “Season-Ending Tournament” as defined in Bylaw 17.1.4.5.1 (b).  Whether participation in the tournament is exempt is only necessary to determine if the team and/or student-athlete have participated in their NCAA maximum number of contests/dates of competition. SCOREBOARD 4.  Hoop, There It Is Men's Basketball MBB: UMass Dartmouth 108, Keene State 68 Marcus Azor was named tournament MVP after leading the Corsairs to the 12th Little East title and first since 2009. MBB: #2 Trine 83, Calvin 69 The Thunder (16-0) advanced to the MIAA final behind 29 points from Nick Bowman. WBB: #13 Messiah 65, Widener 49 The Falcons (7-0) handed the Pride (6-1) its first loss as Eleana Eckley led the way with 18 points. All of last night's scores and upcoming contests | MBB | WBB | MIH | WIH   TRANSACTIONS 5. Comings and Goings   FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON FLORHAM - Iavana Parker named assistant athletic trainer FINLANDIA - Mike DuFrane named head football coach KEENE STATE - Ken Howe announced his retirement as head baseball coach at conclusion of season LAWRENCE - Laurie Carter named president RHODES - Marjorie Hass will depart her position as president this summer to lead Council of Independent Colleges WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON - Hali Vandermuelen named intern assistant women's lacrosse coach   1 THING 6.  The Tik-Tok Effect   Photo: Leigh Jarvey   Oops: TikTok's feta pasta created so much demand that some cheese suppliers are running dry. Feta was the top search term on Instacart in mid-February, the N.Y. Times reports. Harris Teeter and Kroger were among the grocers hit by shortages. What's next: "[B]aked oat cake and do-it-yourself vegan chicken." - courtesy of Axios   Thanks for starting your Friday with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook and have a great weekend. Sign Up for Free: D3Playbook

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On The Brink

 

MARCH 4, 2021 | 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. >> It's Thursday Morning!  Today's Word Count: 1,365 >> Today's Subscriber Count: 1,607 (newsletter), 2,014 (twitter) >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Remember to follow us on Twitter @D3Playbook for the latest news and transactions   Please send D3Playbook to my inbox TOP STORY 1. On The Brink by Grant Welker, Worcester Business Journal "Becker College said Tuesday it is considering options for its future, including closing, amid financial uncertainty and other challenges, and after affiliation talks with another institution fell apart. The Worcester school is unlikely to continue operations through the next academic year, the New England Commission of Higher Education, an accreditation agency, said in a joint statement with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education on Tuesday. The college said it is halting recruiting activities. The school's board of trustees has been working with the college administration to evaluate the effect on Becker of a range of challenges, including increased costs, the coronavirus pandemic, and the beginning of a downward trend in high school-age students regionally, Board Chair Christine Cassidy said in a statement Tuesday." >> Background: "Becker has spent the last few years taking a hard look at its operations and continuing any necessary changes to put it in a better financial position. The school's leadership said in 2019 it was working with a consultant to find ways that it could stay ahead of changes in higher education and wouldn't shy away from big-scale changes if needed." >> Date Download: "Becker's enrollment before the coronavirus pandemic hit was 1,698 undergraduate and graduate students, and its endowment is $5.1 million. By enrollment, Becker is the 10th largest school in Central Massachusetts." >> What They're Saying: "To those of you within our campus community, this should not be entirely new information," Becker President Nancy Crimmin said of the school's financial situation. "The situation has been dynamic." >> Continue Reading   LAW 2. Alston Brief Refines Arguments by Michael McCann, Sportico "Attorneys for a class, led by former West Virginia running back Shawne Alston, filed a 62-page brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. The lengthy brief covers well-travelled ground, though it adds new descriptions designed to persuade the nine justices. The case centers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling that the NCAA and its roughly 1,200 member schools illegally conspired under federal antitrust law. They did so by capping grants-in-aid to tuition, fees, room, board, books and other expenses up to the value of the full cost of attendance. While a profound holding—NCAA amateurism rules, historically immune from scrutinizing antitrust analysis, were deemed unlawful—the Ninth Circuit’s remedy proved more restrained. The court held that while colleges can’t collectively decide to not reimburse expenses “related to education” (such as for computers, study abroad, musical instruments or academic achievement incentive awards no greater than what the NCAA already permits for athletic achievement), they could continue to jointly limit compensation related to athletics. Still, if upheld, the ruling could open the door for other player lawsuits that rely on Alston as precedent—potentially subjecting the NCAA to years of antitrust litigation and unraveling decades of university and conference practices. In Wednesday’s brief, attorneys for Alston underscore a key theme: Because NCAA rules prevent colleges from directly paying the recruits they seek to enroll, colleges spend that money on other people, services and facilities they believe attract recruits. Recipients include the prominent coach, the extravagant stadium, the state-of-the-art training center and so on. Noting that eight states submitted an amicus brief in support of the NCAA, Alston pointedly observes that the highest-paid public employee in six of those states is a college football or basketball coach." >> Be Smart: "Much remains in NCAA v. Alston, which has attracted amicus briefs (including a pro-NCAA brief on behalf of 18 former college athletes, some of whom appeared confused by what they signed). The NCAA’s reply brief is due on March 19 and the Court will hold oral argument on March 31. Sometime this summer the Court will issue a ruling, which might contain concurring and dissenting opinions." >> Read More   A MESSAGE FROM BLUEFRAME TECHNOLOGY   The best and most reliable end-to-end live video streaming provider in college athletics is BlueFrame Technology. Join #BlueFrameNation and Stream Like a Pro with special pricing for D3Playbook subscribers! Learn more today!  COVID 3. Wyoming Proves Hospitable to Fords by Nate Perez, Casper Star-Tribune   "Nico Tripeny, Matt Katz and several members of the Haverford cross-country team — a liberal arts university less than 15 miles from Philadelphia — found themselves feeling confused running through downtown Casper last summer. They stumbled into a traffic jam — in a town too small for traffic congestion — caused by a flock of turkeys standing in the middle of the street. The crew had just arrived in Casper — after the pandemic had forced the NCAA Division III to cancel its 2020 fall sports championships, and classes at Haverford had gone virtual due to the pandemic — with the intent to train in a less restrictive environment and live rent-free at Tripeny’s family home, where his grandparents and father once resided. While they expected to train and explore the Mountain West together, they didn’t expect to become community members and form tight bonds through family dinners, employment and enrolling at Casper College." >> Ch-Ch-Changes: "The team was familiar with Haverford’s hills, but Wyoming presented new challenges — wind and high altitude. “Everyone told us before we came,” Tripeny said, “but I don’t think anyone actually (anticipated) running in 30 mph wind or know what that was like, and that it could actually be (that windy) every day for, like, a week straight.” They took advantage of Casper Mountain, the river trails and Morad Park, where the loop measured close to a mile, and the dogs were plentiful." >> Quotable: "Haverford head coach Tom Donnelly wasn’t surprised when he heard that some of his athletes were going to Wyoming to train and be in a new environment. “The group that went out there, they wanted to get together, train and stay intellectually involved,” Donnelly said. >> Head West   VOLLEYBALL 4.  Tigers, Pride Top Rankings The AVCA released its weekly women's and men's rankings and Trinity (Texas) and Springfield hold down the top spots. Women Trinity, Texas (7), 4-0, 527 Carthage (8), 1-0, 522 Transylvania (6), 15-1, 515 Colorado College (1), 4-0, 491 Millikin, 2-0, 450 Whitworth, 5-0, 405 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 4-0, 395 Mount St. Joseph, 12-3, 370 Texas-Dallas, 4-0, 345 Westminster, Mo., 7-0, 329 11-15: Cornell, Coe, East Texas Baptist, Bluffton, Greenville >> Moving Up: Cornell (+11), Coe (+11), Greenville (+10) >> Welcome: Loras, Elmhurst, Birmingham Southern, Hendrix, Webster, Wartburg, Stockton, Hanover >> Complete Poll Men Springfield (19), 0-0, 298 SUNY New Paltz (1), 0-0, 278 Vassar, 0-0, 249 Carthage, 6-0, 232 Rutgers-Newark, 1-0, 207 Stevens, 0-0, 204 Benedictine, 3-0, 171 St. John Fisher, 0-0, 163 Endicott, 0-0, 137 Dominican, 4-1, 130 11-15: Juniata, North Central (Ill.), Lancaster Bible, Southern Virginia, MSOE >> On The Move: Benedictine (+5), Juniata (+2) >> Newcomer: Milwaukee School of Engineering >> Complete Poll   SCOREBOARD 5.  About Last Night MBB: Averett 82, N.C. Wesleyan 72 Montre' Moore filled the stat sheet with 24 points, nine boards and five dimes as the fourth-seeded Cougars bounced the top seed in the USA South East Division semifinal. MLX: Ferrum 11, Methodist 10 (OT) Derek Farwell scored eight goals, including the game-tying and game-winning tallies, for the Panthers. SFB: #4 Virginia Wesleyan 5-2, #5 Salisbury 2-1 Madison Glaubke's two-run double in the third lifted the Marlins to a game one win. Emily Seale (4-0) went the distance in the nightcap, scattering five hits. WBB: UW-Whitewater 74, #15 UW-Eau Claire 62 Emily Schmacher scored 21 points for the Warhawks (8-2) in their WIAC semifinal win. WIH: UW-Eau Claire 3, UW-River Falls 1 Third-period goals from Emma Peterson and Hattie Verstegen broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Blugolds (6-0-1) past the Falcons (5-1). MIH: Bethel 5, St. Thomas 4 (OT) Dylan Giorgio scored with :50 left in OT, capping a hat trick, as the Royals handed the Tommies (3-1-1) their first defeat. Ridge Gerads made 44 saves. All of Wednesday's scores: MBB | WBB | WIH | MIH | MLX | WLX | BSB   TRANSACTIONS 6.  Comings and Goings   CENTRAL - Ashley Allen named assistant softball coach LASELL - Kelley Sundberg named head women's basketball coach MONMOUTH - Nathan Baliva named sports information director NICHOLS - Quintin Himko named assistant men's lacrosse coach SALEM - Trish Hughes resigned as athletic director SALEM STATE - Sydney Helmbrecht named assistant director for athletic communications and event management VASSAR - Gabe Galindo named strength and conditioning coach   1 THING 7.  March Madness   photo courtesy of NCAA If you work in Division III athletics, chances are you're familiar with this building.   Thanks for starting your day with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook.

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A Virtual Reality

 

MARCH 3, 2021 | 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 .   >> Welcome to Wednesday. 90 years ago, the Star Spangled Banner became the U.S. national anthem   >> Today's Word Count: 928. Concise. Smart. >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Remember to follow us on Twitter @D3Playbook for the latest news and transactions   TOP STORY 1. A Virtual Reality The North Coast Athletic Conference - one of Division III's strongest swimming and diving conferences - has an invitation for you. The NCAC will "host" a virtual challenge for its own members and offers the opportunity for everyone in DIII to join in the competition. In cooperation with SwimCloud, teams will be able to enter any meet against Division III competition - including intra-squad meets - held between March 1 and April 18 into their SwimCloud accounts. After the cut-off date, coaches will have two days to enter their top performances according to entry limits. Once complete, SwimCloud will generate a "psych sheet" that will serve as a virtual season culminating experience for the year. >> What They're Saying: "We know this swimming & diving season, like just about everything this year, isn't at all what anyone would have hoped for of a competitive season," said Keri Alexander Luchowski, NCAC Executive Director. "Hopefully these events will give swimmers and divers some excitement and something to shoot for. I am excited to bring the DIII community together." >> Reality Check: The "meet" will follow current NCAA Swimming and Diving rules and can only work is everyone is honest. No national records will be set as those must be established at competitions that meet the NCAA's bona fide competition standards.  >> Hashtags: #D3SwimFast; #D3RipFest >> Read More   #whyD3 2.  UMW Grad Heads J&J Vaccine Team by Lisa Chinn Marvashti, U. of Mary Washington "When one of the nation’s top spots in infectious diseases opened up last June, Candice Malone Long ’94 didn’t think twice. For the chance to help when the world was facing a raging pandemic and in need of vaccines and therapeutics? “It was an absolute ‘yes,’ ” said Long, who has spent 25 years with Johnson & Johnson, the world’s broadest and most diversified healthcare company, and its pharmaceutical division, Janssen. Her tenacity – and the work of the “incredible” teams she leads – supported a pivotal moment this past weekend with FDA Emergency Use Authorization of the first single-shot COVID-19 vaccine. Recruited to Mary Washington to play field hockey, Long burned it up in the classroom and on the turf, earning All-American status in both. As captain, she led her senior-year team to the No. 2 spot in the U.S. and joined the UMW Athletic Hall of Fame, all while earning degrees in business and history with the guidance of faculty who showed her the way. >> Situational Awareness: "Just as they had at Mary Washington, teammates and mentors at Johnson & Johnson offered their time and guidance as Long moved through sales, marketing and global positions to her new role as president of the Janssen Infectious Diseases & Vaccines division." >> Quotable: “Coach [Dana] Hall set high expectations and helped us understand how to reach them,” Long said. “She had the opportunity to guide us as athletes, but she did so much more. She guided us as individuals.” >> Continue Reading   FACULTY 3.  Dakich, Doxxing and D3 by Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star   "As a former Division I swimmer, Dr. Johanna Mellis said she's been the target far too many times of sexualization in sports, but what WFNI The Fan host and ESPN college basketball announcer Dan Dakich recently subjected her to was as extreme as it gets, she said. "His behavior here was misogynistic and violent towards me," Mellis, an assistant professor of world history at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, told IndyStar Monday. Mellis, who is also a co-host of The End of Sport Podcast, got into a Twitter debate with Dakich on Feb. 23 that began over compensation for college athletes.  After Dakich questioned whether she and other professors who were debating him understood athletics, Mellis issued a challenge to Dakich that they battle it out in the pool." >> Tweet: "Dan you want to play in the 'arena?'" Mellis tweeted to Dakich. "Let’s level the playing field a bit: I used to swim upwards of 10,000 yards in practice sometimes. I’ve done 10x100s butterfly, 10x400IMs, and one time 10x1000 freestyles for time. It’s brutal, but yeah let’s go at it in the pool" >> Why It Matters: "Mellis said in an email to IndyStar that she was asking that they race in the pool, but Dakich took it another direction. He responded with a tweet that has since been deleted, saying he would have to get divorced from his wife first." Mellis' employer fired back.  >> Defined: "Doxxing is publicly identifying or publishing private information about someone as a form of punishment." >> Quotable: "I have experienced (misogyny) myself in past episodes of sexual harassment on the pool deck," (Mellis) wrote. "Many of my fellow female athletes and female sports journalists have also ... this is not just about me." >> Continue Reading >> Go Deeper with Inside Higher Ed   Try It: D3Playbook NCAA 4.  Calendar March 5 - Administrative Committee 14 - Daylight Saving Time 18 - Membership Committee 23 - Strategic Planning and Finance 27 - Passover begins April 4 - Easter Sunday 10-11 - Student-Athlete Advisory Committee 12-13 - Management Council 15 - Membership Committee 28 - Presidents Council   TRANSACTIONS 5.  Comings and Goings   ALBERTUS MAGNUS - Amanda Nusbaum named head women's lacrosse and field hockey coach EASTERN - Josh Franklin named head esports coach EMMANUEL - Christopher Lawrence named head cross country/track and field coach IOWA WESLEYAN - Jorge Sierra Galeas named head men's soccer coach LESLEY - Kelley Sundberg named head women's basketball coach MINNESOTA MORRIS - Michelle Behr announced her retirement as chancellor at the end of the academic year OZARKS - Michal Hylton named assistant softball coach SAINT ELIZABETH - Natalie Acciani named head women's soccer coach SCRIPPS - Amy Marcus-Newhall named interim president effective April 16     Thanks for starting your day with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook.    It's Free: D3Playbook

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