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“Manchester University has accepted an invitation to join the Crossroads League, pending acceptance into the NAIA, with membership beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year.

Located in North Manchester, Ind., Manchester University will become the 11th member of the Crossroads League and the first institution added to the league since Mount Vernon Nazarene University joined in 2010.

Manchester University will begin the transition process in preparation for Crossroads League competition during the 2027-2028 academic year.”

» Of Note. “The Crossroads League has established itself as one of the NAIA's premier conferences, combining national-level athletic success with academic excellence and a distinctive commitment to Christ-centered intercollegiate athletics.”

» What They’re Saying. "We are honored to join the Crossroads League, one of the NAIA's premier conferences," said Manchester president Stacy Young. "Throughout this process, we were seeking more than athletic competition. We were looking for partners who share our values and our belief that athletics should be an extension of an institution's educational mission. The Crossroads League's commitment to faith, character development, academic excellence and student success made it an exceptional fit for Manchester.”

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“Despite the Trump administration’s claims that some of the nation’s most selective colleges have admitted legions of students with low test scores to advance racial diversity, new research shows that’s largely not happening.

Instead, a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research this week used decades of federal data to lay out the reality: The most accomplished high school graduates—who tend to come from higher-income families—make up the vast majority of students enrolled at the nation’s best resourced, selective public and private institutions. Meanwhile, their peers with lower standardized test scores, who are more likely to come from lower-income families, more often end up at higher education institutions that spend far less on each student’s education—if they go to college at all.”

» By The Numbers. “For example, in 2019, spending on per-student instruction increased 29 percent for every 100 average SAT points of enrolled students, according to the report. At the same time, roughly two-thirds of students at Ivy League and other top-50 private universities—and more than half of students at state flagships—came from families in the top income quintile. Income distributions of students at less selective public and two-year colleges were broader and more reflective of national income distributions.”

» What They’re Saying. ““It’s taken for granted that the objective of college admissions is picking out the smartest students, and that somehow it will all be better for everybody if they go to the most selective schools, and the students who aren’t as well prepared go to less selective schools,” Jesse Rothstein, director of the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley said. “There’s just not much evidence for that assumption.”

With the return of All-Americans Sami Perlberg, Lauren Grier and Grace Juergens, defending national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh is the preseason favorite as the AVCA released its preseason Division III poll.

The Titans, who broke Juniata’s three-year stranglehold on the title, were the unanimous pick for the top spot, followed by Trinity (Texas), Berry, East Texas Baptist, and Colby.

» Preseason AVCA Rankings. 1-UW-Oshkosh, 2-Trinity TX, 3-Berry, 4-East Texas Baptist, 5-Colby, 6-La Verne, 7-UW-Eau Claire, 8-Illinois Wesleyan, 9-Calvin, 10-MIT

» Players to Watch. Emerson Baum (MB, Jr., Otterbein); Ava Brovet (S, So., Berry); Naomi Clauhs (OH, Sr., Ohio Northern); Lauren Grier (MB, Sr., UW-Oshkosh); Maiwenn Kamdje (RS, Jr., Tufts); Kayleigh May (S, Sr., MIT); Molly Mishinkash (MB, Jr., Juniata); Cayley Elena Morrison (MB, Sr., Kean); Brady Moseley (OH, Sr., Colby); Sami Perlberg (OH, Sr., UW-Oshkosh); Wesley Slavin (S, Sr., Ithaca); Maddie Whitehead (RS, Sr., Berry); Delainey Winkel (OH, Sr., Dubuque).

» Returning Kills per Set Leaders. Jadyn Orava (Jr., John Jay), 5.06; Brielle Worley (Sr., Gallaudet), 4.85; Logan Hickey (So., Franciscan), 4.82; Maura McAusland (Sr., Vassar), 4.54; Sami Perlberg (Sr., UW-Oshkosh), 4.52.

» Returning Assist per Set Leaders. Kayleigh May (Sr., MIT), 11.12; Delainy Williams (Jr., William Smith), 10.91; Niya Nash (Sr., Batten), 10.56; Wesley Slavin (Sr,m Ithaca), 10.54; Addeson Jenniges (Jr., Northwestern), 10.50.

» Returning Hitting Percentage Leaders. Molly Mishinkash (Jr., Juniata) 41.5; Victora Pariseault (Sr., Lasell), 41.4; Keira McCaffrey (Jr., Misericordia), 40.8; Cayley Elena Morrison (Sr., Kean), 39.6; Maren Miller (Sr., St. Olaf), 38.7.

» Career Coaching Victories. Julie Jenkins (Trinity TX), 1132-448; Mark Birtwistle (Eastern), 871-283; Paul Dill (MIT), 792-221; Mark Massey (Puget Sound), 752-453-8; Bryan Snyder (W&L), 714-240; Ed Garza (Austin), 709-369.

“Gonzalo Corrales has been in the business of placing international athletes at American colleges long enough not to panic when the inevitable late-summer snags arise. But by early July, when the United States Embassy in Madrid was still not scheduling appointments for his Spanish clients to obtain U.S. student visas, Corrales was starting to get nervous.

Still, he preached patience to the hundreds of aspiring college athletes who had hired his firm, Keystone Sports, to help them run the increasingly complicated gauntlet to an American campus: securing a scholarship or roster spot, obtaining the necessary visa and arriving in time for preseason practice.”

» Situational Awareness. “Keystone Sports, a subsidiary of Oslo-based Keystone Education Group, employs a common fee model, charging between $3,900 and $10,000 to help international athletes find their foothold in intercollegiate athletics, from the NCAA Division I to NAIA levels.”

» Why It Matters. “The company touts its connections to college programs, guidance on finding the right fit and logistical assistance, particularly when it comes to visa paperwork. That process—and the business built around it—has become increasingly fraught over the past two years.”

» Worth Noting. “The funnel of foreign athletes to American colleges, which had experienced steady growth for years, is beginning to show its limits.”

» Basketball. “The Landmark Conference will return to Philadelphia’s historic Palestra for its fifth annual Landmark Conference Gameday, bringing together four men’s and women’s basketball matchups at one of the most iconic venues in college basketball during its 100th anniversary season.”

» Ice Hockey. The Hockey News concluded its “Top Five Most Viable DIII Schools For DI” series by selecting Hobart at No. 1.

» Field Hockey. The NFHCA posted its preseason Watchlist, recognizing the 204 athletes who have demonstrated a high level of achievement and are considered among those with strong potential for NFHCA All-Region and All-American consideration this season.

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