JULY 14, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What DIII administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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🎵  Just Another Manic Monday. The Bangles.

📆 What’s Happening This Week. The DIII Membership Committee meets virtually on Thursday, as does the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.

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TOP STORY
1. House Attorneys Slam NCAA and Power Conferences Over Denied NIL Deals, Issue Legal Warning About Settlement

by Ross Dellenger, Yahoo! Sports

“In another twist in college athletics’ new revenue-share era, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the House settlement believe the NCAA and power conferences are violating terms of the legal agreement and are threatening to report the wrongdoing to the court.

In a terse, two-page letter sent to NCAA and power conference officials Friday, Jeffrey Kessler, a co-lead House plaintiff attorney along with Steve Berman, requested that the NCAA and conferences “retract” a statement of guidance released Thursday from the College Sports Commission and, presumably, reinstate name, image and likeness deals that the CSC has denied — many of them from booster-backed NIL collectives.”

» Court Awareness. “In the letter, attorneys write that collectives should not be treated differently as other businesses. “There is nothing in the Settlement Agreement to permit (NCAA and conference) or the CSC, acting on their behalf, to decide that it would not be a valid business purpose for a school’s collective to engage in for-profit promotions of goods or services using paid-for student-athlete NIL.”

» Why It Matters. “Some of the collective deals paid athletes to attend autograph signings or make event appearances for payment — all of which should be deemed legal, according to the letter. This issue is not insignificant. In fact, prohibiting collective pay is at the center of the House settlement.”

» Continue Reading

BUDGET
2. Just Call Me Trent Crimm: What I Learned From a Season Inside a DI Soccer Program on the Chopping Block

by Ryan Swanson, University of New Mexico

“In the hit Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,” Trent Crimm is a journalist who covers coach Ted Lasso’s AFC Richmond. In the show’s third season, Crimm is given complete access to the English football club in order to chronicle Richmond’s promotion back to the Premier League. He ends up writing a book about the season.

In July 2018, the University of New Mexico announced it would discontinue its nationally prominent Division I men’s soccer program at the end of the upcoming season. University administrators, pushed into a corner by the Board of Regents, cited Title IX and budget deficits to explain the decision to cut soccer.

Like Trent Crimm, I went along for the ride, reporting my new book, “A Beautiful Shame,” in the process. Granted complete access, I attended every practice and meeting during the 2018 season, traveled with the team and interviewed everyone willing to talk about the matter. The experience was at various times awkward, joyous, tense, inspiring and heart-breaking.”

» Situational Awareness. “So for those administrators facing such choices, let me share a few predictions about how the process of cutting a successful team will play out:

1. Your numbers will be fodder for argument. Opponents of the decision attacked the numbers from the start. Accountants and lawyers picked apart the details, exposing cracks in the university’s case. What about lost tuition revenue, for example?

2. You’ll feel the FOMO. The decision to cut a college team is typically framed in terms of internal metrics. It’s about self-auditing. Countering these internal questions is often an outward-gazing, fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) mindset. Comparisons to rival schools and peer institutions and discussions about conference realignment pop up everywhere.

3. You’ll be reminded that a college sports team is a strange and powerful thing. Like Trent Crimm, I couldn’t help but be won over by the players and coaches I observed. I admit it. But I’d defend such sentiments by pointing out that they are, perhaps, examples of what the research tells us: College sports are powerful vehicles of identity and purpose.

» The Final Word. “None of this is to say that difficult decisions don’t sometimes need to be made. They do. But to be clear, cutting a college sports team is a people decision. It’s about telling a group of athletes and coaches to take their dreams elsewhere. That’s an exceedingly costly thing to do.”

» Read More

ENDOWMENTS
3. The Nation’s Wealthiest Small Colleges Just Won a Big Tax Exemption

by Sarah Huddleston, Chronicle of Higher Education

“Tucked into the sprawling Republican reconciliation bill that has mostly garnered attention for its Medicaid cuts is a major tax break for the nation’s wealthiest liberal-arts colleges.

Fourteen such colleges were originally facing tax rates as high as 21 percent on their annual endowment returns. Now they’re getting off scot-free, because the bill that narrowly passed through Congress and was signed into law on July 4 exempts institutions enrolling under 3,000 tuition-paying students. In fact, most such colleges will get millions of dollars back.”

» Why It Matters. “The tax break is a huge win for Grinnell and the 20 or so small liberal-arts colleges that banded together in a joint lobbying effort — making the case to lawmakers that their endowment returns are critical to fund their financial-aid programs, cover operational costs, and contribute to their communities.”

» Of Note. “The affected colleges are often their town’s largest employers and put endowment money toward student programs that encourage spending at local businesses. Swarthmore, for example, subsidizes public-transportation passes for its students and offers programs allowing them to eat at local restaurants as part of their meal plans. At Grinnell, endowment returns helped fund a maternity ward at the local hospital.”

» Keep Reading

COMMITTEES
4. Membership Committee Recap

The DIII Membership Committee recommended the approval of funding to live stream the DIII NCAA Regional Rules Seminar education sessions to reduce the institution’s administrative burden at its June 25-26 meeting.

The committee believes that establishing funding for a virtual option provides an invaluable educational tool to those in the Division III membership unable to travel to seminars. The committee also noted that live streaming will not satisfy the membership requirement to attend the seminar in-person once every three years.”

» Active Members. Approval was given to Lyon College and the University of Hartford for active DIII membership. Penn State Brandywine was advanced from Year One to Year Two, while Carlow University was deferred in its quest to advance to Year Three. Trinity Washington University met sports sponsorship requirements in 2024-25 and will return to active status.

» Worth Noting. NCAA staff reported that not all institutions required to attend the 2025 Regional Rules Seminar met the attendance requirement.

» See The Minutes

NEWS YOU CAN USE
5. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Ice Hockey. The inaugural Lobster Pot men’s ice hockey tournament will take place on January 2-3 in Falmouth, Maine, featuring the state’s four DIII programs - Southern Maine, Bowdoin, Colby, and University of New England.

» Alumni. ESPN surveyed NFL league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from quarterback to cornerback and all positions in between. Coming in at No. 8 among offensive linemen is the Broncos’ Quinn Meinerz, the pride of UW-Whitewater. "He's gone from D-III to a top-two-to-three OG," an NFL personnel director said. "He has learned that he doesn't have to destroy people every play. He's athletic and strong enough that if he plays controlled, the losses will be few and far between."

» Legal Fees. “The class counsel in House v. NCAA - led by Hagens Berman’s Steve Berman and Winston & Strawn’s Jeffrey Kessler - have had their compensation approved through more traditional means. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken issued an order approving class counsel’s petition for $515.2 million in fees, plus $9.4 million in litigation expense and court costs.”

TRANSACTIONS
6. Comings and Goings 

ALMA - Brandon Ralston named head tennis coach
ALVERNIA - Michael Zadroga named head men’s lacrosse coach
AZUSA PACIFIC - BJ Porter named head men’s basketball coach
BARUCH - Brady Amaro named head men’s volleyball coach
BRANDEIS - Christo Schultz stepped down as head men’s tennis coach
BREVARD - Meghan Martinez named assistant athletic trainer
COLBY - Sean Rutigliano named head men’s basketball coach
CONCORDIA (Wis.) - Stephanie Fuller named head dance coach
CORNELL COLLEGE - Robert Pousak named head men’s lacrosse coach
COVENANT - Cordero Cummings named assistant athletic director
DREW - David Bodden named associate athletic director
HOWARD PAYNE - Aaron Siekmann named head strength and conditioning coach
MAINE MARITIME - Levi Evans named head women’s soccer coach
MARIAN - Kim Sorensen named assistant athletic director
MILLIKIN - Katie Tenboer named associate athletic director. Whitney Sowers resigned as co-head softball coach
MOUNT UNION - David Jenkerson named director of sport performance
PENN STATE ALTOONA - Joey Zins named head cross country coach
PRINCIPIA - Damian Jones named head men’s tennis coach
RAMAPO - Rachel McHale named head field hockey coach
SAINT FRANCIS - Bill Vasko named head softball coach
SPRINGFIELD - Kursten Shade named head women’s soccer coach
UTICA - Andrea Cofrin named head women’s lacrosse coach
WESTMINSTER (Pa.) - Shaun Toomey announced his retirement as head athletic trainer. Misty Motter named head athletic trainer

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