SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

🗓️ Let’s Have a Great Thursday

🗞️ In Today’s Playbook. 33 Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalists. Committed to Coast Guard Football. Cross Country Polls. Crash Course on DIII Soccer.

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TOP STORY

1. 33 Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalists

“The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) proudly announced a remarkable list of 33 semifinalists from Division III for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy®, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. The impressive list of candidates, from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, boasts an impressive 3.60 average GPA, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor's degrees.

Celebrating its 36th year, the Campbell Trophy® recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

» Semifinalists. Fletcher Hammond (Allegheny), Christian Lewis (Berry), Justin Caputo (Carnegie Mellon), Osi Chukwuocha (Case Western Reserve), Gavin Smith (Central), Robby Ballentine (DePauw), Carter Johnson (Gallaudet), Robert Clarke (Hampden-Sydney), Harrison Foster (Hardin-Simmons), Nick Semptimphelter (John Carroll), Isaac Urquidi (Johns Hopkins), Thomas DeChesaro (Lake Forest), Braedon Hart (Lycoming), William Litton (Lyon), Ethan Rayfield (Mary Hardin-Baylor), Mike Ahonen (Middlebury), Luke Bridges (Millsaps), Jared Jenkins (Moravian), Jon Terry (New England College), Evan Reeder (Rhodes), Zach Frank (Saint John’s), Matt Conroy (Shenandoah), Tyler Pohlman (Springfield), Noah Barrett (St. Olaf), Weston Guzman (Texas Lutheran), Caleb Bayer (Trinity TX), Joey Lacey (Washington & Jefferson), Tommy Burke (Waynesburg), Dylan Connors (Wesleyan CT), Dylan Sleva (Westminster PA), Clayton Schwalbe (Wisconsin-Oshkosh), Adam Moen (Wisconsin-Stout), Tate Journell (Wooster).

» What They’re Saying. "This year's 177 semifinalists represent the very best of what it means to play college football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They have excelled in the classroom, distinguished themselves on the field, and proven to be leaders in their communities.” (NFF)

2. ‘This Is Kind of Ridiculous’

“At halftime of the Coast Guard’s video game-like 92-60 win over Nichols last Saturday, quarterback Sean Burns took a moment to think about the crazy game that was unfolding in front of him.

“In the first half, when we had 64 points, I was thinking, ‘this is kind of ridiculous. I’ve never seen this before,’” Burns said. “It’s pretty surreal we scored what we did. Everything worked.”

You’d think a 90-plus point game in football would be once in a lifetime. But wide receiver Matt LaBouliere was a freshman when the Bears dropped 93 on Anna Maria in 2023 in a 69-point victory.”

» Behind the Curtain. “For players at Coast Guard, however, it’s about more than just football. They are committed to serving their country and deal with a lot of extras that their peers in the game don’t. The academy annually admits around 300 cadets out of a pool of thousands. And there is no special treatment for admission even if you are an athlete.”

» Why It Matters. “Once they get in, life isn’t easy, especially as a student-athlete. “It’s tough,” head coach C.C. Grant said. “You have to have great time management skills. If you don’t, you better develop them fast. “Every bit of their day is spoken for. Even in their free time, they are usually using that to get ahead on schoolwork.”

» Quotable. “It’s fun coaching them. Football is the best part of their day,” Grant said. “Whetever they have left, they are going to give it to you. I will always get 100% of whatever they have left. If they only have 6% left because they were up late studying for a test, they are going to pour that 6% onto the field.” (D3football)

3. Polls

» USTFCCCA Cross Country (M). 1-UW-La Crosse, 2-Wartburg, 3-Geneseo, 4-Pomona-Pitzer, 5-Johns Hopkins, 6-North Central IL, 7-Tufts, 8-Williams, 9-Claremont-M-S, 10-RPI | Complete Poll

» USTFCCCA Cross Country (W). 1-MIT, 2-Williams, 3-Claremont-M-S, 4-Chicago, 5-New York U., 6-Johns Hopkins, 7-Carnegie Mellon, 8-Washington U., 9-Amherst, 10-Washington and Lee | Complete Poll

4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Faculty Reps. The 2025 Faculty Athletics Representatives Association Annual Meeting will be Nov. 20-22 in Indianapolis. Registration is now open.

» Fundraising. “Ithaca College announced a gift of $100,000 to the endowment that supports the men's soccer program.”

» Facilities. “Knox College announced the installation of lights at Prats Field, the college’s soccer pitch. “While the new lighting will make occasional evening games possible, the project’s primary purpose is to support student-athlete development and ensure practices can occur without impacting class time or overlapping with each other,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Justin Newell.”

5. Comings and Goings 

• ALFRED - Erin Schurr named interim head women’s lacrosse coach

• JOHNSON and WALES CHARLOTTE - Steve Hucke named head baseball coach

• KING’S - JP Andrejko stepped down as head men’s basketball coach 

• MISERICORDIA - Nicole Hinkle resigned as head women’s lacrosse coach

• URSINUS - Corey Shaffer will step down as head men’s lacrosse coach in October

• WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH - Vanessa Thiel named athletics program operations manager

6. Crash Course on DIII Soccer

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