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DIII Says No To Football Rule Changes

"This comes down to D-III not wanting to be defined by the desires of major-college football.”

Author

Steve Ulrich
May 10, 2023

MAY 10, 2023 | written by STEVE ULRICH

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TOP STORY

1. DIII Says No To Football Rule Changes

by Dennis Dodds, CBS Sports

A simple spat over a football rules change has turned into a referendum on the primacy of major-college football itself.

A rule change allowing the clock to run following first downs -- outside of the last 2 minutes of each half -- was approved for Division I and Division II last month. That ended the practice of first-down clock stoppages that dated back to 1968 and served as one of the most notable rules that made the college game distinctive from that in the NFL.

For what is believed to be the first time, a division was allowed to dissent over such on-field rules. The day before the April 21 rule change was formally announced, the Division III Management Council voted against the proposal, sending it back to the NCAA Football Rules Committee for reconsideration.

» Field Awareness: “Division III doesn't have the same excesses as the FBS. D-III teams typically play 10 regular-season games, two fewer than their FBS counterparts. In 2022, the average D-III game length was 2:52, 34 minutes shorter than the average FBS game.”

» What’s Next: “If the clock stoppage rule change was instituted across all divisions, a D-III player would lose the equivalent of 4.3 regular-season games (out of 40) across a four-year career. FBS players would lose the equivalent of 5.3 regular-season games (out of 48, based on a 12-game schedule) over four years. As such, the rule change affects the FBS slightly more than it does D-III.”

» Really? “Not going along with the change seemingly opens up Division III - and by extension, the NCAA - to legal liability. If its players are subject to more plays than those in the higher divisions, one could argue a greater likelihood of injury for D-III players.”

» Be Smart: “At its foundation, this comes down to D-III not wanting to be defined by the desires of major-college football.”

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GOLF (W)

2. Eagles Take Charge

Nina McMurtrey, Centre

Defending national champion Emory surged to the lead after day one of the NCAA Division III women’s golf championship at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The Eagles posted a four-person total of 315 to take a three-shot lead over George Fox and a four-shot advantage over Washington U. and Carnegie Mellon.

Centre’s Nina McMurtrey’s 74 gives her the individual lead after 18 holes over three other players.

BASEBALL

3. Little Movement In Top 10

Dillon Souvignier, Johns Hopkins

Johns Hopkins remained atop the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA top 25 poll this week. Shenandoah moved into the No. 2 position.

  1. Johns Hopkins (22), 39-4

  2. Shenandoah (2), 36-5

  3. Salisbury (1), 29-5

  4. Endicott, 35-5

  5. Lynchburg, 34-6

  6. Aurora, 35-3

  7. Birmingham-Southern, 37-9

  8. Wheaton, Mass., 35-6

  9. Baldwin Wallace, 31-8

  10. Christopher Newport, 31-8

» Conference Tournaments We’re Watching: ODAC (2-Shenandoah, 5-Lynchburg, 16-Randolph-Macon); C2C (2-Salisbury, 10-Christopher Newport); OAC (9-Baldwin Wallace, 12-Marietta); CCC (4-Endicott, 18-Salve Regina); WIAC (13-Stevens Point, 15-La Crosse).

SOFTBALL

4. Salisbury, Berry 1-2

Lauren Meyers, Salisbury (photo by PHOTOJOE Photography)

The No. 1 and No. 2 team in DIII softball remain the same this week as Salisbury and Berry hold onto the top two positions in this week’s NFCA poll.

  1. Salisbury (10), 36-2

  2. Berry, 36-4

  3. Case Western Reserve, 35-3

  4. Linfield, 41-4

  5. Trine, 32-4

  6. Tufts, 35-3

  7. Christopher Newport, 24-8

  8. Texas Lutheran, 38-6

  9. East Texas Baptist, 35-5

  10. Randolph-Macon, 36-8

» Conference Tournaments We’re Watching: C2C (2-Salisbury, 7-CNU); ODAC (10-Randolph-Macon, 12-Va. Wesleyan); ASC (9-E. Texas Baptist, 15-UMHB)

» Players of the Week: Belhaven 1B Ellie Jones and Luther RHP Kendra Cooper named NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Week.

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NEWS

5. Lightning Round ⚡️

🥍 Lacrosse. Middlebury is the top-ranked team heading into the DIII championship tournament, according to the IWLCA. Plymouth State’s Elle Moshier was named the IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week, while Capital’s Grace Osborn was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the week.

🥍 Lacrosse. Salisbury senior attackman Cross Ferrara was selected by the Chrome Lacrosse Club with the 28th pick of the PLL draft on Tuesday.

🏃🏻‍♀️ Track and Field. Pomona-Pitzer’s Colin Kirkpatrick and Johns Hopkins’ Victoria Kadiri named USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Week.

🗞 News. Because of one student’s dream, Bethel helped pave way for students with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA sports.

🗞 News. Montclair State University and Bloomfield College plan to maintain separate athletic programs for at least the first year following their impending merger, according to officials at both schools.

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Greg Greenwell, director of marketing and communications, Lake Forest; Walker Litke and David Palmer.

Do you know of someone celebrating an upcoming birthday? Drop us a line at [email protected]

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