D3Playbook: King Named Campbell Finalist

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. King Named Campbell Finalist

Joshua King Campbell Trophy Finalist

"The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the finalists for the 2021 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The 13 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2021 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.

Selected from an impressive list of 176 semifinalists nationwide from among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 13 finalists includes:

Joshua King, LB - U.S. Merchant Marine Academy [NY] (3.73 GPA - Marine Engineering)

Submitted by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the Campbell Trophy® must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

Maintaining an outstanding 3.73 GPA, King will graduate in June 2022 with a degree in marine engineering and shipyard management. He has earned high honors on the Dean's List every trimester of college.

This season, King is second on the Mariners with 44 tackles and third on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss while also adding 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The team captain has guided USMMA to a 7-0 start and the top spot in the NEWMAC standings.

>> Read More

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FOOTBALL

2. History-Making Matchup

by Jeff Day, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"It's just a two-mile journey down Snelling Ave. from Hamline to Macalester, but on Saturday night in St. Paul that short distance will bridge a historic gap for collegiate athletics in Minnesota.

When Hamline head football coach Chip Taylor takes the sideline across from Macalester interim head coach KiJuan Ware, it will mark the first time in the over 100-year history of the MIAC that two Black head coaches have faced each other, in any sport.

It draws attention to two career coaches who never want the focus on themselves.

"It will be something that I won't think about it on Saturday night," Taylor said. "But maybe 10, 15 years, you go, 'Wow that was a big deal.' "

>> Situational Awareness: "Taylor took over as head coach of Hamline in 2016 and said diverse representation in the university's leadership could not be ignored when it came to getting hired. For Ware, who became interim head coach at Macalester in June, his journey to this position was born of an endless determination to achieve a dream."

>> Worth Noting: "One of the challenges for conferences and member institutions is finding a way to celebrate these monumental moments — like Taylor and Ware facing off — while also acknowledging the shortcomings that created the moment."

>> Quotable: "You have to be qualified. And to take it a step further, you have to have people in position to hire you," Taylor said. "Representation, I think, matters. We have a Black female president [Fayneese Miller] and I have a Hispanic AD [Jason Verdugo]. Those are unique people in positions that when guys like myself or coach Ware are qualified for a job, then we can get those opportunities."

>> Of Note: The (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic) conference is looking at success it had in increasing female coaching hires as a model. When it came to balancing gender hires, the conference rose from 38.1% female head coaches in 2013-2014 to 47.2% in 2020-2021, according to the University of Minnesota's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport."

>> Continue Reading

HIGHLIGHTS

3. About Last Night

Volleyball: Denison (19-5) ended Wittenberg's 14-year run as regular-season NCAC champions with a five-set triumph against the Tigers (17-7). Lucy Anderson had 18 kills and 10 blocks for the Big Red.

Top-ranked Johns Hopkins made history by winning its 61st consecutive match with a three-set triumph against Washington College. The old Division III record for longest unbeaten streak was 60 set by Central (1998-2000).
Soccer (W): No. 3 Christopher Newport (13-0-1) took its first blemish of the season as Mary Washington (4-7-2) battled the Captains to a 1-1 draw. CNU outshot UMW, 36-12, but Allison Nork made 14 saves for the Eagles.
Soccer (M): Jonah Dias scored his second goal of the match in the 109' to give Rutgers-Newark (12-4-3) a 3-2 overtime win at No. 5 Montclair State (16-2-1).
Field Hockey: Bailey Prete scored the game-winning goal late in the second period as No. 8 Bowdoin (12-3) downed No. 3 Tufts (12-3), 3-1.

HONORS

4. Players of the Week

Cross Country

Men: Bram Mansbach, Hamilton
Women: Zoe Tomko, King's

Field Hockey

Offense: Lauren Curley, Babson
Defense: Hannah Roth, Haverford

Soccer

Women: Sara Bane, Randolph
Men: Chase Rider, Pitt-Bradford

Volleyball

Heidi Westra, Calvin

RANKINGS

5. Regional Rankings (in order)

The second weekly regional rankings were released Wednesday. Here are the top two teams in each sport for each region.

Field Hockey

I. Babson, U. of New England
II. Middlebury, Tufts
III. New Paltz, Cortland
IV. Rowan, Kean
V. Johns Hopkins, Susquehanna
VI. Washington and Lee, Christopher Newport

>> Complete List

Soccer (W)

I. Wesleyan, Hamilton
II. MIT, Brandeis
III. William Smith, RIT
IV. Misericordia, TCNJ
V. Scranton, Johns Hopkins
VI. Christopher Newport, Centre
VII.Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon
VIII. Washington (Mo.), Chicago
IX. Loras, St. Catherine
X. Trinity (Texas), Southwestern

>> Complete List

Soccer (M)

I. Amherst, Tufts
II. MIT, Coast Guard
III. Cortland, Rochester
IV. Montclair State, NYU
V. Messiah, Johns Hopkins
VI. Washington and Lee, Emory
VII. Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein
VIII. Chicago, Washington (Mo.)
IX. St.Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus
X. Trinity (Texas), Mary Hardin-Baylor

>> Complete List

Volleyball (W)

I. Wesleyan, Tufts
II. MIT, Springfield
III. RIT, Cortland
IV. NYU, Stevens
V. Johns Hopkins, Juniata
VI. Emory, Berry
VII. Calvin, Hope
VIII. UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater
IX. Wartburg, Northwestern
X. Claremont-M-S, Trinity (Texas)

>> Complete List

TRANSACTIONS

6. Comings and Goings

DELAWARE VALLEY - Benjamin E. Rusiloski named president
NORTH CENTRAL (Ill.) - Brittany James named assistant director of athletics for health care; director of sports medicine. Tracy Stephen named associate athletic trainer. Zach Cook named associate head men's and women's wrestling coach
PLATTSBURGH STATE - Adam Jaquish named assistant men's basketball coach
SUSQUEHANNA - Jim Findlay named associate director of athletics for facilities