Is Early Decision Next To Go?

Plus: Van Voorhis Makes History On Gridiron; Hop, Endicott Move Up; Rankings Shakeup Coming This Week

Author

Steve Ulrich
September 25, 2023

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 | written by STEVE ULRICH

430 schools, 42 conferences, 195,000 students participating in athletics. #whyD3
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TOP STORY
1. Is Early Decision Next To Go?

by J. Brian Charles, Chronicle of Higher Education

“When the Supreme Court overturned race-conscious admissions earlier this year, it forced colleges to reconsider many of the practices used to screen applicants. Almost immediately after the ruling became public, preferences for legacy applicants and the children of donors came under fire, including by President Biden.

Now colleges and critics are turning their attention to early decision, which has also been maligned for favoring affluent, well-connected students.

Students apply for early decision in the fall of their senior year. They agree to delay submitting other applications and usually receive a decision before Christmas. Students apply without knowing whether the college will be able to offer them a sufficient aid package to attend.”

» Be In The Know. “Fifty-six percent of selective colleges offer early decision, according to a 2019 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.”

» Why It Matters. “Early decision allows colleges to not only properly gauge class sizes, which can dictate faculty and staff sizes, it also allows colleges to create class schedules and informs college housing plans. It is used to recruit top students, many of whom demand the practice.”

» The Bottom Line. “While some selective colleges have enough endowment money to defray the cost of attending for a large swath of applicants, many colleges are not so fortunate. Wesleyan University, according to its president, Michael S. Roth, relies on student tuition for the bulk of its annual operating budget.”

» What They’re Saying. “There are kids who apply early to Yale and don’t get in and come here, and that’s great,” said Roth, of Wesleyan. The university’s early-decision process is binding. “But there is something about someone who decides our college is their top choice. I like having students who feel a connection and fondness for the school.”

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FOOTBALL
2. Van Voorhis Becomes First Woman Non-Kicker To Play in NCAA Game

Haley Van Voorhis, Shenandoah

by Alex Scarborough, ESPN.com

“Haley Van Voorhis, a safety at Division-III Shenandoah University, became the first woman non-kicker to appear in an NCAA football game on Saturday against Juniata.

She came on in the first quarter with Shenandoah already up 26 points and registered a quarterback hurry on third down.”

» Field Awareness. “A 5-foot-6, 145-pound junior, Van Voorhis spent the past two seasons playing on junior varsity. The Plains, Virginia, native went to high school at Christchurch and was a 2019 all-state honorable mention. Her senior season was canceled because of COVID-19.”

» Quotable. “"It's an amazing thing," Van Voorhis said after the game, according to The Washington Post. "I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It's a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I'm excited about that."

» What They’re Saying. ""What has really helped me has been when you peel everything back it's about a young person who wants an opportunity, who works for it and has earned an opportunity," he said. "For 21 years I've been fortunate to be on the coaching side of that. And at the core of this, it's no different." - Scott Yoder, Shenandoah head football coach

FOOTBALL
3. Moving On Up

Johns Hopkins took advantage of Hardin-Simmons’ loss in New England to vault into the top-10 in the latest D3football.com rankings. The Cowboys fell at Endicott and dropped 13 slots to No. 18, as the Gulls entered the poll at No. 21.

  1. North Central IL (24), 3-0

  2. Mount Union, 3-0

  3. Wartburg, 4-0

  4. UW-Whitewater (1), 3-0

  5. Trinity TX, 3-1

  6. UW-River Falls, 3-0

  7. Saint John’s, 2-1

  8. Linfield, 2-0

  9. Johns Hopkins, 3-0

  10. Wheaton, Ill., 3-0

Conference Call

WIAC (4), ASC (2), CCIW (2), Centennial (2), OAC (2), American Rivers (1), CCC (1), Empire 8 (1), Landmark (1), Liberty (1), MAC (1), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), NACC (1), Northwest (1), ODAC (1), Presidents (1), SCAC (1).

Best Non-Conference Records

Liberty 19-6 (76.0), ODAC 17-6 (73.9), Centennial 15-6 (71.4) CCIW 7-3 (70.0), MIAC (14-6 (70.0)

» Notable. Morrisville QB Steven Frerichs tossed a 99-yard TD pass to Jarrell Chaney in the Mustangs’ 20-19 win at Moravian. F&M PK Laurence ‘Cito’ Miller booted a 50-yard field goal in the Diplomats’ 34-9 win over TCNJ - the sixth 50+ yard kick of the season. Anna Maria QB Ryan Russell threw for 539 yards and six TDs in a 50-49 loss at Husson. Gustavus WR Jake Breitbach tied the DIII single-game high for 2023 with 15 catches for 180 yards vs. Augsburg. It was his second 15-catch game this season.

» Next Week. #1 North Central (Ill.) at #10 Wheaton. #4 UW-Whitewater at #22 UW-Oshkosh; #8 Saint John’s vs. Augsburg; #21 Ithaca vs. Hobart; #24 Muhlenberg at Ursinus.

THE WEEKEND
4. DIII Rankings Shakeup Upcoming

Matt McDonald, Messiah

There were upsets galore around the Division III landscape over the weekend. The top-ranked team in men’s soccer fell, while the women’s top team battled to a draw. The fifth-ranked football team in the land received a rude welcome in New England, while volleyball will see a shakeup in the top-20 this week.

Football

Endicott d. #5 Hardin-Simmons, 37-10

#8 Saint John’s d. #19 Bethel, 27-7

Grove City d. #14 Carnegie Mellon, 21-14

Soccer (M)

#3 Messiah d. #1 Mary Washington, 1-0

#2 Williams tied Colby, 0-0

#13 Calvin d. #4 John Carroll, 5-3

#7 Rochester tied Stevens, 0-0

#9 Franklin & Marshall tied Swarthmore 1-1

Soccer (W)

#1 William Smith tied Skidmore, 1-1

#2 C. Newport d. #12 UW-La Crosse, 1-0

Field Hockey

#1 Middlebury d. #16 Bowdoin, 4-0

#5 Tufts d. #15 Hamilton, 5-1

#9 Chris. Newport d. #17 Bryn Mawr, 3-0

#11 Amherst d. #13 Bates, 4-1

#25 Lynchburg d. #7 York (Pa.), 2-0

Volleyball (W)

Mount Union d. #8 Johns Hopkins, 3-1

Case Western Reserve d. #10 NYU, 3-0

Carthage d. #14 Cornell, 3-2

UW-River Falls d. #14 Cornell, 3-2

Springfield d. #16 MIT, 3-2

#17 Transylvania d. #24 Ohio Northern, 3-1

STREAMING
5. What We’re Watching Today

  • ⚽️ M: #22 North Central, Ill. (8-1) vs. Aurora (5-1-2), 8p | Sidearm

  • ⚽️ M: Wartburg (5-0-3) vs. UW-Whitewater (8-0-2), 8p | WIAC

NEWS
6. Lightning Round

🏀 Basketball. Donnie Souders has been named the NCAA Division III women's basketball national coordinator of officials, bringing 33 seasons of officiating experience to the position.

TRANSACTIONS
7. Comings and Goings

HIGHLIGHTS
8. #D3Plays

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