Your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III.
Monday, February 7, 2022
Three for Three
written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III
>> Good Monday morning. What a terrific weekend!
>> Today's Word Count: 1,230 or just five minutes
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It was a record-breaking weekend on the track as three different women took down three NCAA Division III indoor track and field marks.
Johns Hopkins junior Ella Baranshattered the record in the mile that stood for 17 years, covering the distance in 4:40.53 at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge. That bettered the old standard set by Wartburg's Missy Buttry by over three seconds. Baran placed seventh in a predominately professional athlete field of the Women’s Invitational Mile at the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory.
Messiah junior Esther Seelandestablished a new mark in the 800, crossing the line in 2:05.90 at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge. That bested the old record set by Ohio Northern's Emily Richards in 2018 by a half-second.
Finally, Loras senior Kassie Parkerbested the divisional mark in the 3000 meters with an all-time, all-conditions NCAA DIII best 9:13.10, edging Buttry's old standard by .03. However, Parker's performance came on an oversized-track (USTFCCCA record books only count those marks on regulation, 200-meter tracks).
FEATURE
2. Playing for a School and a People
by David Waldstein, New York Times (photo by Ariele Goldman Hecht)
"They lined up for blocks along Amsterdam Avenue in December, standing in the cold for two hours, hoping to squeeze into the modest Max Stern Athletic Center for a glimpse at the hottest college basketball team in New York City.
Inside, the Yeshiva men’s basketball team, led by Ryan Turell, the top scorer in the country with his bouncing blond curls and smooth, feathery touch, was preparing to tip off.
About 500 people were turned away that night, unable to fit inside the 1,000-seat gym that has rocked and rolled over a three-year span in which the Maccabees compiled a 54-2 record, including 18-1 this year (11-0 in conference play). Turnout was similar for their next home game, against the Merchant Marine Academy on Feb. 1, when Turell dropped 31 points to become Yeshiva’s career leading scorer — with Leon Rose, the president of the Knicks, in the seats watching.
Others could not get in, and some of them peered from a window as fans inside, many of them wearing yarmulkes, the traditional Jewish head covering, stood and chanted “M.V.P.” for their hero."
>> Court Awareness: "The Maccabees are ranked sixth in the country, led by a Division III superstar who turned down offers from Division I schools so that he could be a “Jewish hero” at little Yeshiva, where the head coach works full time as a lawyer, the weight room is smaller than at many high schools and the training table pales compared to what student-athletes are served at Duke and Michigan."
>> Reality Check: "A lithe, 6-foot-6 senior with lofty professional and spiritual aspirations, Turell is averaging 28.1 points per game, the most by any player in all three divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, male or female. Turrell says he’s fine to lead the country in scoring, as long as it helps the team. But if the Maccabees don’t win a championship, it would be “pointless,” he said."
>> What's Next: "For Turell, the highest level could also mean a professional career. He hopes to play in the N.B.A. and eventually in Israel. N.B.A. teams have sent scouts to Yeshiva’s games, and Turell assiduously practices from the N.B.A. 3-point line to increase his chances — he shoots until he makes at least 300 shots per day."
>> The Final Word: “Just to show that Jews can hang,” he said with a smile, “that we can still play basketball.”
Concordia Wisconsin's Jordan Johnson surpassed the 2,000-point mark in his career in the Falcons' 81-77 win vs. Benedictine. It was also the 100th time that Johnson had scored double figures in 114 games.
The Yeshiva men had their 27-game Skyline Conference win streak snapped by Farmingdale State, 79-75.
No. 1 Adrian extended its win streak to 22 games by winning a weekend series against No. 12 Aurora over the weekend, 4-2 and 7-2. The Bulldogs face No. 5 St. Norbert (20-3) next weekend with home ice throughout the NCHA playoffs on the line. The Green Knights have won 20 straight matches.
Top-ranked Middlebury (18-0) remained the lone unbeaten in NCAA men's or women's ice hockey with a pair of shutout wins against Trinity. The Panthers tied the program record for best start, tying the 2005-06 team who started their season with 18 consecutive victories.
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Here's a list of the games/matches/events that we are keeping an eye on tonight ... we hope.
WHKY: St. Norbert at Aurora, 2 p.m. CT
The Green Knights (16-6, 10-3) and the Spartans (18-3, 10-3) tangle with first place in the NCHA on the line. Aurora captured the year's first meeting by a 2-1 count last week.
MBB: Wesleyan at Williams, 7:30 p.m. ET
A Little Three showdown with NESCAC playoff positioning makes for great Monday night viewing. The No. 13 Ephs (14-1) and the Cardinals (18-3) meet for the 245th time with Williams holding a 155-89 series advantage.
WBB: Illinois Wesleyan at Millikin, 7 p.m. CT
The top spot in the CCIW is at stake when the Titans (13-7, 10-1) and the Big Blue (16-4, 10-1) meet for the 100th time. Fourth-year Millikin head coach Olivia Lett squares off against her alma mater where she was one of the program's history.
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