Glory's Last Shot

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III

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TOP STORY 1. Glory's Last Shot The PGA golf tournament had always been known as "Glory's Last Shot" as it was always the final major championship on the men's calendar. Today could be called the same as Division III will crown its men's and women's champions on the final day of the national tournament. Carnegie Mellon has a four-shot lead over Methodist entering the final 18 holes of the women's championship event in Michigan. The Tartans added three shots to their margin by carding a 305 while the Monarchs carded a 308. George Fox is still in the hunt at 10 shots back. The Bruins' Makensie Toole recorded three birdies on her final eight holes for a 74 and an eight-shot lead over the Tartans' Alexis Sudjianto. >> Complete Results Illinois Wesleyan fashioned a four-man score of three-over 287 to extend its lead to 15 shots over Methodist on the men's side in West Virginia. Denison, Guilford and Emory round out the top five. Four players share the individual lead at two-over-par - Denison's Marc Mitchell, IWU's Jimmy Morton, Webster's Will Hocker and Methodist's Andre Chi, while the Titans' Rob Wuethrich is just a shot back. >> Complete Results

KNIGHT COMMISSION 2. Tackling Racial Inequalities by Greta Anderson, Inside Higher Ed   "The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics issued a set of recommendations Wednesday in a new report, which urges college athletics directors to address the lack of diversity in the upper ranks of their departments, as well as barriers to academic success among athletes of color and racially hostile team environments. These issues have long plagued college sports but gained renewed attention from athletes, scholars and advocates for athletics reform, such as the Knight Commission, as the country and higher education institutions confront systemic racial barriers brought to light after the murder of George Floyd. The report is authored by members of the commission’s racial equity task force, which was created in the wake of Floyd’s death. It echoes demands made recently to leaders of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including calls to examine and decrease the wide gaps in graduation rates between white and Black athletes at Division I institutions. The report suggests that NCAA leaders and administrators allocate more resources for college preparation programs for Black athletes and work to close academic gaps among students who attended underfunded high schools." >> Between The Lines: "Jacques McClendon, a Knight Commission member and co-author of the report, said the intention is not to “water down” academic requirements to make it easier for athletes, but to urge athletics leaders and coaches to dedicate more resources and energy toward helping Black athletes improve their academic abilities and outcomes rather than focusing on rigid requirements that can box students in." >> Worth Noting: "The equity task force also addressed another pervasive and long-standing racial issue in college sports: the dearth of Black and nonwhite head coaches, athletic directors and other administrators who work in athletics departments. McClendon said this lack of racial diversity can directly influence how athletes of color are treated on college teams. Administrators and coaches of color are seen by athletes of color as being much more “bondable and approachable” and better able to make team environments more inclusive or to identify and rectify racial problems that crop up, he said." >> Continue Reading

NCAA 3.  Selection Monday     The championship field for softball will be announced on Monday. Here is what to you need to know. Softball Field Size (48 teams) - 42 AQ, 1 Pool B, 5 Pool C Who's In: #7 East Texas Baptist (ASC), Gettysburg (Centennial), #9 Salisbury (C2C), Endicott (CCC), Cedar Crest (CSAC), Emmanuel (GNAC), Eastern Nazarene (NECC), Tufts (NESCAC), #8 Linfield (NWC), #2 Virginia Wesleyan (ODAC), Geneva (Presidents), #5 Birmingham-Southern (SAA), #1 Texas Lutheran (SCAC), Webster (SLIAC), Piedmont (USA South) Championship Series AMCC: PSU Behrend vs. Mt. Aloyisus A-R-C: TBA CCIW: TBA Empire 8: #12 St. John Fisher vs. Alfred HCAC: TBA Landmark: #4 Moravian vs. Scranton Liberty: #20 Rochester vs. Ithaca Little East: #6 Eastern Connecticut vs. Southern Maine MASCAC: Bridgewater State vs. Framingham State Michigan: Alma vs. Calvin MAC Commonwealth: York vs. Messiah MAC Freedom: Misericordia vs. Stevens Midwest: Lake Forest vs. Illinois College Minnesota: TBA NEWMAC: Babson vs. Springfield NJAC: #14 TCNJ vs. Kean NAC: Cazenovia vs. Husson NCAC: #2 DePauw vs. Hiram NEAC: PSU Harrisburg vs. Penn College NACC: MSOE vs. Benedictine Ohio: Muskingum vs. Ohio Northern Skyline: TBA SCIAC: TBA SUNYAC: Cortland vs. Geneseo UMAC: TBA WIAC: Whitewater vs. Oshkosh >> Scoreboard

MEN'S LACROSSE 4.  COVID Claims Tourney Game The NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Committee has declared the Christopher Newport-Endicott first-round NCAA tournament game scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Stevenson a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. Endicott withdrew due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. As a result, Christopher Newport will advance to the second round of the Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship on Sunday, where it will play the winner of the Stevenson-Kean first-round matchup. The committee regrets that Endicott’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to compete in a national tournament in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues, no further details will be provided.

COVID 5.  Vaccine Update As colleges look toward the fall-2021 semester, they’re grappling with whether to require — or just strongly encourage — students to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Here’s a list of institutions - including 130 Division III institutions - that have decided to issue blanket vaccination requirements of all students, students living on campus, and/or employees. California (6): Caltech, Chapman, Claremont-M-S, Occidental, Pomona-Pitzer, UC Santa Cruz Colorado: Colorado College Connecticut: Wesleyan DC: Trinity Washington Georgia: Emory Indiana (2): DePauw, Saint Mary's Iowa: Grinnell Kentucky: Berea Massachusetts (29): Amherst, Anna Maria, Brandeis, Bridgewater State, Curry, Emerson, Emmanuel, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Lasell, Lesley, MCLA, MIT, Massachusetts Maritime, Mount Holyoke, Salem State, Simmons, Smith, Springfield, Suffolk, Tufts, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, Wellesley, Westfield State, Wheaton, Williams, WPI, Worcester State Maine (2): Bowdoin, U. of New England Maryland (2): Johns Hopkins, Salisbury Michigan: Kalamazoo Minnesota (2): Carleton, Macalester Missouri: Washington U. New Jersey (11): Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson, Kean, Montclair State, New Jersey City, Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers-Newark, Saint Elizabeth, Stevens, Stockton, TCNJ New York (43): Alfred, Alfred State, Baruch, Brockport, Brooklyn, Buffalo State, Canton, Cazenovia, CCNY, Clarkson, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, Farmingdale State, Fredonia, Geneseo, Hamilton, Hunter, Ithaca, John Jay, Lehman, Manhattanville, Medgar Evers, Morrisville, New Paltz, NYU, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Pratt Institute, Purchase, Rensselaer, Rochester, RIT, Sarah Lawrence, Skidmore, SUNY Maritime, SUNY Poly, Union, Vassar, Yeshiva, York North Carolina: Brevard Ohio (2): Kenyon, Mount St. Joseph Oregon (2): Lewis & Clark, Willamette Pennsylvania (6): Bryn Mawr, Carnegie Mellon, Dickinson, Haverford, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore Rhode Island (2): Johnson and Wales, Roger Williams Tennessee: Maryville Vermont: Middlebury Virginia (6): Bridgewater, Hollins, Mary Baldwin, Marymount, Randolph-Macon, Virginia Wesleyan Washington (3): Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitman Wisconsin: Lawrence >> Complete List

TRANSACTIONS 6. Comings and Goings   CARTHAGE - Kevin Palmer named director of esports FRANKLIN & MARSHALL - Kirsten Richter will step down as head women's basketball coach MONMOUTH - Jake Dacus named head swimming and diving coach SAGE - Lauren Marois announced her resignation as head women's lacrosse coach WESLEYAN, Conn. - Leo Mayo named head cross country coach