Blugolds Win First Title

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III >> Good Monday morning. Congrats to UW-Eau Claire, Johns Hopkins, Pomona-Pitzer and Middlebury on their fall championships. >> Today's Word Count: 678. >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Make the extra pass and share us with a friend today. Let them know what they're missing.   Send D3Playbook to my inbox, please. TOP STORY 1. Blugolds Win First Title   Wisconsin-Eau Claire's volleyball wrote its name into the history books on Saturday night, winning the 2021 DIII women's volleyball championship to earn the school's first national title. The No. 4-seeded Blugolds swept No. 6 Calvin 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 at Francis Fieldhouse in St. Louis, Mo. Arianna Barrett registered 13 kills and was named the tournament MVP. >> Read More CROSS COUNTRY 2. For the Birds The Johns Hopkins women and Pomona-Pitzer men captured the 2021 Division III cross country championships in Louisville, Ky. The top-ranked Blue Jay women won their seventh NCAA title by holding off No. 2 Claremont-M-S, 130-132. The Athenas led 66-84 through four runners but JHU's Dianna Vizza's 46th scoring position finish proved to be the difference. Kassie Parker of Loras won the individual title in 20:11.1, 17.5 seconds ahead of runner-up Ari Marks of Wellesley in 20:28.6.  The Sagehen men ran as a pack, using a meager 15.2-second spread between their No. 1 and No. 5 runners to put up 80 points and easily outdistance MIT, 80-112. Colin Kirkpatrick led P-P in 10th place. Alex Phillip of John Carroll won the individual title in 23:27.6, 2.7 seconds faster than Elias Lindgren of Williams (23:30.3). >> Continue Reading A MESSAGE FROM D3PLAYBOOK Won't you please consider making a gift to D3Playbook. Your gift will help us offset the costs of operating the newsletter and enable us to continue to provide the quality you have come to expect. My heartfelt thanks to those who have already generously contributed. Join them today.   Donate to D3Playbook FIELD HOCKEY 3.  Perfection The Middlebury field hockey team captured its fourth-straight NCAA Championship with a 4-1 victory over second-ranked Johns Hopkins. The top-ranked Panthers became the first team to win four consecutive titles, taking home the program's sixth overall title. Middlebury finishes the season with a perfect 22-0 mark, improving its unbeaten streak to 30 straight games and 16 straight in NCAA tournament play. The Blue Jays conclude the season with an impressive 21-1 mark, with their only loss coming in their first NCAA Championship appearance. Erin Nicholas and Katie George each scored a pair of goals for the Panthers. The last time a team went unbeaten in Division III was back in 2007 when Bowdoin went 20-0. The victory marked just the ninth time a team finished with a perfect record.  >> Continue Reading SOCCER (W) 4. The Final Four   It will be TCNJ, Christopher Newport, Wesleyan and Loras to compete for the DIII women's soccer championship in Greensboro in two weeks. TCNJ 1, William Smith 0 Nikki Butler scored the game-winner in the 59' Christopher Newport 2, Chicago 1 Riley Cook scored both goals in the first half Wesleyan (Conn.) 2, MIT 1 Grace Devanney tallied twice, including the golden goal just 35 seconds into extra time Loras 2, UW-La Crosse 2, OT (Duhawks advance in PKs, 4-3) Savannah Johnson's PK was the difference Semifinals Loras (21-0-2) vs. Christopher Newport (20-0-1) TCNJ (20-0-2) vs. Wesleyan (18-1-2) >> Complete Bracket SOCCER (M) 5. Down to Four It will be Amherst, Chicago, Connecticut College and Washington and Lee to compete for the DIII men's soccer championship in Greensboro in two weeks. Amherst 1, Middlebury 0 German Giammattei scored the winning goal in the 44' while Kofi Hope-Gund made nine saves Chicago 2, North Park 0 Robbie Pino and Kameron Bloye tallied first-half goals Connecticut College 5, Tufts 4 MT Tshuma scored once in each half Washington and Lee 3, Messiah 1 Adrian Zimmerman scored twice for the Generals Semifinals Connecticut College (17-4-1) vs. Washington and Lee (18-1-2) Amherst (16-2-2) vs. Chicago (16-5-1) >> Complete Bracket FOOTBALL 6. 1st Round Chalk   Home teams were victorious in 12 of the 15 first-round DIII football championship contests. Johns Hopkins pulled perhaps the biggest surprise, as one of the last teams selected to the field trounced Salisbury, 45-20. Second Round Matchups Linfield at Saint John's Birmingham-Southern at Mary Hardin-Baylor DePauw at Wisconsin-Whitewater Wheaton (Ill.) at Central Wisconsin-La Crosse at North Central (Ill.) Rensselaer at Cortland Johns Hopkins at Mount Union Muhlenberg at Delaware Valley >> Recaps TRANSACTIONS 7.  Comings and Goings   ALVERNIA - Ralph Clark stepped down as head football coach BEREA - Frank Pufall named head baseball coach GOUCHER - Clay Allen named head men's tennis coach MACALESTER - Tashina Steggall named associate head track and field coach   Thanks for starting your day with us. What did you think of today's newsletter?  Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook   Sign Up for Free: D3Playbook

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