Keeping the Secret

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III   >> Welcome to Thursday. It's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! Enjoy responsibly. >> Today's Word Count: 1,346 >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Is your staff reading D3Playbook? Share the love and the info.   Send me D3Playbook! TOP STORY 1. Keeping the Secret   by Seth Emerson, The Athletic  "Their working relationship dated back nearly two decades to a sports management program at Stanford — John Swofford, mentor, and Kevin Anderson, mentee. There was history. Camaraderie. And strong mutual respect. So when the ACC decided to expand in 2011, Swofford, the ACC commissioner, designated Anderson, Maryland’s athletic director, as one of his point people. The result was a stunning moment for college athletics: the addition of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the league. Anderson had completed his mission. But he soon turned to his own secret plan: engineering Maryland’s departure from the ACC, of which it was a charter member, to the Big Ten. It was a move that — by design — caught almost everyone by surprise, including Swofford. A few months later, Swofford approached Anderson at a conference. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Swofford asked. Anderson looked at his former mentor matter-of-factly. “John, I learned a lot of this from you,” he answered. “I saw what happened and how you did it.” >> Situational Awareness: "And that’s the way conference realignment is still being done — in closed-door meetings with only a chosen few in the loop. On June 30, USC and UCLA submitted formal applications to join the Big Ten, and school presidents unanimously approved their applications that same day. A source involved in the Big Ten’s discussions with USC estimated only about 10 people at the school were aware of the talks until a week before, when preparations for the announcement began." >> Continue Reading A MESSAGE FROM BLUEFRAME TECHNOLOGY   Did you know BlueFrame Technology has advanced integrations with top automated cameras like the Hudl Focus? Showcase your teams and student-athletes with BlueFrame’s full streaming service priced perfectly for D3 budgets….or use their Production Truck software to stream with your current provider. Step up your game this year and STREAM LIKE A PRO with BlueFrame. Learn more today! CONFERENCES 2.  Keeping The Secret in DIII If you've been around Division III long enough ... you have probably seen your Conference do the expansion dance. What's that, you say? Kicking the tires and checking under the hood at an institution that you think would be a fit in your conference. You might be adding an associate member for a sport or two (i.e. think ice hockey, lacrosse or women's golf). You might be thinking it's time to bolster our lineup (think NEWMAC football replacing Catholic with Salve Regina). You might just want additional dues (think ...) Fortunately, I worked at what I always referred to as a "destination" conference, or, one that others aspired to join. So I never had to deal with members being poached by another conference and the hurt feelings that come along with that. But I have friends still in the business that bear the scars of their expansion dance. With just 44 conference commissioners in DIII, the group can seem like family ... until membership comes up. >> Court Awareness: When the chair of the Conference's Presidents Council says to keep discussions under wraps, as a commissioner, you're not talking to anybody. For obvious reasons. Even to your good friend at the neighboring conference. See the conundrum? >> Background. Our friend Pat Coleman and his team at D3sports.com have been covering the "Conference Shuffle" for over two decades. We share the article below for a history lesson. >> Read On ACADEMICS 3.  Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients Eleven NCAA Division III students were recipients of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for the spring 2021-22 season. The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually.  The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The one-time non-renewable scholarships of $10,000 are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring).  Each sports season there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program. All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.  Women Melinda Cornwall, Carnegie Mellon, tennis Gina Dello Russo, Stevens, track and field Makenzie Fisher, Wheaton, Ill., track and field Ekaolise Jose, Washington, Mo., track and field Payton Rahn, Ripon, track and field Brooke Swain, Wooster, softball >> Complete List Men Kyle Callahan, DePauw, baseball Andrew Cochran, Ohio Northern, tennis Max Goodhue, Wartburg, baseball Davis Graham, Ohio Wesleyan, baseball Sullivan McCreery, Sewanee, baseball >> Complete List   A MESSAGE FROM BRIGHT CELLARS   Bright Cellars is a monthly wine club that matches you with wines you'll love. Founded by two MIT grads (#whyD3) who were intimidated by the vast and complex world of wine, Bright Cellars was created to help wine drinkers discover and learn about wine in a fun, interactive way. Bright Cellars creates a wine experience tailored just for you. Based on an algorithm, wine selections are calculated to match your taste preferences. As you try the wines, you're encouraged to rate them on the website to fine-tune your taste profile even further. Your matches improve as the algorithm gets to know you better, making each shipment better than the last. D3Playbook readers are invited to get 50% off your first 6-bottle box from Bright Cellars. That's a $45 value. Each box will include a wine education card for each bottle that details servings temps, food pairings, background on the region and more. Take our 30-second quiz to start your weekend right. PODCAST 4. Mitrano Talks DIII Transformation   Chuck Mitrano, Empire 8 Commissioner and chair of the Division III Championships Committee, sat down to talk with Karen Weaver recently about the changes taking place in college athletics and DIII. >> Show Notes: "We cover a wide range of topics on the future of Division III, and discuss the Empire 8's substantive proposal on mental health safety nets for athletes on campus. We also discuss what happened in January, 2022. The NCAA reverted back to the “one school, one vote” rules that were eliminated in the late 1990s, a huge opportunity to influence the direction of NCAA policy. Chuck walks us through why that happened, and in particular, the discussions surrounding increasing the amount of money DIII receives from the CBS/Turner contract (currently at 3.18%). This impacts how Division III championships are funded and managed. >> Listen NEWS 5.  Lightning Round      News Matt White was named assistant commissioner of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. He joins the UMAC after serving as sports information and operations director at Crown.   Happy Birthday Cake and candles to: Friday: Cate Clark, Executive Director, NFHCA; Allison Kwan, assistant AD, John Carroll; Kurt Dread   Saturday: Kayla Tidrick, assistant AD, Heidelberg   Sunday: Ana Pistilli, alum, North Park A MESSAGE FROM PLUM DELUXE   Plum Deluxe is well known for its tea of the month club, the leading tea subscription and one of the most well-liked “surprise and delight” subscriptions.  You get a surprise 1-2 oz of tea every month, plus a story/inspirational message and sample from the shop.  Number one is our community. It is truly where we shine.  People come for the interesting flavors and the free shipping and stay because they make real friends. Subscribe today and you’ll get 20% off additional teas, sweets, and accessories plus free shipping.   TRANSACTIONS 6.  Comings and Goings   ADRIAN - Mike Bowen named head women's rugby coach ALBRIGHT - Catherine Wiese named head field hockey coach ALMA - Nick Nemeth named director of athletic communications and marketing BATES - Noah Riskind named interim head men's soccer coach BRANDEIS - Noah Rouleau named assistant athletic trainer CAIRN - David Babb named director of athletics CASE WESTERN RESERVE - Shawn Cronin named equipment manager CASTLETON - Jessica Trudeau named head volleyball coach CATHOLIC - Nate Farlow named head tennis coach CHATHAM - Eden Bloom named head cross country/track and field coach COLBY-SAWYER - Alex Artus named director of rugby and head women's coach CONCORDIA-CHICAGO - Malachi Allgood named head cross country coach EMORY - Amy Bryant announced her retirement as head women's tennis coach FDU-FLORHAM - Kristin Giotta and Pat Scarpello named co-interim athletic directors FONTBONNE - Ryan LeGrand stepped down as head women's volleyball coach. Jimmy Stika named head coach FRANKLIN & MARSHALL - Kaitlyn Cooper named head softball coach FREDONIA STATE - Tori Poffenberger named head women's lacrosse coach GETTYSBURG - Olivia Moyer named assistant director of athletic communications HOBART - Katy Ruderman named associate rowing coach. Steven England named head volleyball coach HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH - Izzy Callen named assistant strength coach. Sara Moore named assistant athletic trainer KALAMAZOO - Logan LaBerge named head swimming and diving coach LANCASTER BIBLE - Yancy Butler named head tennis coach. Jackie Hoover named head women's lacrosse coach LYCOMING - Jamie Spencer named head golf coach. Joel Reid named interim head tennis coach MARIETTA - Ben Suchomma named head men's lacrosse coach MARYWOOD - Justin Patterson named head men's lacrosse coach METHODIST - Brianne Coleman named assistant to the deputy director of athletics MONMOUTH - Brian Dahlstrom named head tennis coach MORAVIAN - Paul Schiffert named head equipment manager MOUNT SAINT MARY - Ian Farley named head men's lacrosse coach NORTH CENTRAL (Ill.) - Alyssa Guss named head golf coach. Vasiliki Berkman named head women's lacrosse coach PENN STATE ALTOONA - Andrew Beverly named head men's soccer coach PIEDMONT - Hannah Satterfield named head women's golf coach POTSDAM - Chris Carlini named head swimming and diving coach ROANOKE - Thomas Wehner named director of athletic communications ROCKFORD - Sam Korn named head softball coach ROSE-HULMAN - Nick Sales named head men's basketball coach SAINT BENEDICT - Jerron Granberry named strength and conditioning coach TRANSYLVANIA - Kayla Hanson named assistant athletic trainer WASHINGTON COLLEGE - Tom Fiala named head baseball coach WASHINGTON (Mo.) - Michelle Venturella stepped down as head softball coach WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON - Maggie Fees named interim head field hockey coach WAYNESBURG - Steph London named head women's lacrosse coach WELLESLEY - Niki Rybko stepped down as director of sports medicine WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT - Thomas Bambach named head cross country coach WISCONSIN-STOUT - Erin Konsela named athletics development officer WOOSTER - Jomara Coghlan named head field hockey coach YESHIVA - Matthew Kaldon named head softball coach  Thanks for starting your day with us. 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