JULY 21, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What DIII administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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🤷‍♀️  Monday, Monday. Can’t help that day.

🗞️ In Today’s Edition. Challenges Facing NCAA Settlement. Academic All-Americans for XC, Track and Field. Video Review and Swimming.

📆 What’s Happening This Week. The DIII Management Council meets with the DIII SAAC to begin three days of sessions in Indianapolis.

TOP STORY
1. NCAA Settlement For College Sports Already Facing Challenges. Was This The Plan All Along?

by Dan Wolken, USA Today

“There are only two possible explanations for what’s happened during the first couple weeks of college sports’ new pay-for-play rules: Either the power conferences got duped by signing off on the House vs. NCAA settlement or they built it to fail intentionally.

You can make pretty good arguments for both.”

» Background. “Here’s the basic recap: Last week, the new College Sports Commission (CSC) sent a memo to schools explaining that some name, image and likeness deals were being denied because they come from booster collectives rather than regular businesses. The plaintiff’s attorneys in the House case, led by Jeffrey Kessler and Steve Berman, responded by demanding a retraction of that memo and suggesting that the CSC must treat collectives like other businesses – or else it’s off to court again. Folks, we’re 17 days in – and it’s already a (expletive) show.”

» Why It Matters. “Are we really supposed to believe that after years of negotiating this settlement to build the so-called guardrails schools wanted around NIL – a settlement, by the way, that will cost $2.8 billion in damages over the next 10 years – that they didn’t have clarity on the key element in whether it has a chance of working?”

» Worth Noting. “Nobody who thinks they have a chance to win a national title over the next five years is planning to spend as little as $20.5 million for their football team, let alone their entire athletic department. I spoke with a number of people in both leagues who thought it was a mistake to settle for this very reason: There was simply no ironclad way to contain the money and no long-term legal protection without an antitrust exemption from Congress.”

» Keep Reading

ACADEMICS
2. Alramahi Headlines Academic All-America Men’s XC/T&F Team

John Carroll’s Basheer Alramahi was named the Academic All-America® Team Members of the Year for men’s cross country and track and field by College Sports Communicators.

Alramahi, who holds a 4.0 GPA in biology, broke the DIII indoor record in the 500 meters (1:02.64) and finished second in the 400 (47.42) at the national meet. During the outdoor season, he won the bronze medal in the 400 (46.80).

Eleven honorees on the Academic All-America® Division III men’s track & field/cross country teams boast a perfect 4.0 GPA in their undergraduate work or graduate school. The 16-man first team has an average undergraduate GPA of 3.92, with the entire 46-man team combining for a collective 3.84 undergraduate GPA.

First Team

• Basheer Alramahi, John Carroll, Jr., 4.00, Biology

• Pablo Arroyo, MIT, Sr., 4.00, Aeronautics & Astronautics

• Rabbit Barnes, Colorado College, Jr., 3.97, Neuroscience

• Jackson Bliey, MIT, Jr., 3.68, Computer Science & Engineering

• Isaiah Brunache, Cortland, Jr., 3.97, Exercise Science

• Cameron Hatler, Pomona-Pitzer, Sr., 3.98, Computer Science/Mathematics

• Josh Jeffes, Cortland, Grad, 3.85/3.61, Sport Management

• Emmanuel Leblond, Johns Hopkins, Jr., 3.50, Mechanical Engineering

• Grant Matthei, UW-La Crosse, Jr., 4.00, Statistics

• Otis Patterson, Dubuque, Grad, 4.00/3.92, Sport Management

• Christian Pfeiffer, Baldwin Wallace, Sr., 4.00, Management

• Lucas Rackers, Johns Hopkins, Grad, 3.96/3.66, Ceramic Engineering/Mechanical Engineering

• Gunner Schlender, UW-Whitewater, Sr., 4.00, Physical Education

• Adam Strouf, UW-Eau Claire, Sr., 3.86, Math, Statistics & Applied Mathematics

• Trey Theobald, Ohio Wesleyan, Sr., 3.96, Biochemistry

• Luke Witvliet, Calvin, Sr., 4.00, Biochemistry

» Complete Team

SWIMMING
3. Swimming Rules Committee Recap

“The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved allowing the use of real-time video with underwater cameras, when available, for officials to make violation calls in men's and women's swimming.

The rules change is effective beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

Previously, when underwater cameras were available, video review was used to confirm violations called by an official.”

» False Starts. “Panel members also approved the use of video review to determine whether the starter's call for a false start in individual events is accurate.”

» Sprints. “The NCAA Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Committee also confirmed that 50-yard stroke events are allowed in all championship meets.”

» Read More

NEWS YOU CAN USE
4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Finances. “Operating margins at private nonprofit colleges have plummeted to their lowest levels in over a decade due to growing financial challenges, especially for tuition-dependent institutions, according to a new Fitch Ratings analysis.”

» Rev-Sharing. “Could a D-II or D-III school now be in a decent spot to someday win a D-I national championship? At Colorado College, which sponsors D-I men's hockey and women's soccer while fielding all other programs at the D-III level, director of athletics Lesley Irvine said she sees opportunity — but not without limits.”

» Executive Order? “A draft of the long-discussed presidential executive order intends to “preserve” college athletics from “unprecedented threat” and destruction, it says, by implementing new policies related to athlete compensation, antitrust protection, athlete employment, state law uniformity and Olympic sport participation.”

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings 

ALLEGHENY - Troy Lubanski named head swimming and diving coach
ALVERNO - Sendi Jimenez-Garcia named head soccer coach. Natalie Stanula named head tennis coach
BRIDGEWATER - Noah Hughes named head tennis coach
BRYN MAWR - Haley Markos named head cross country/track and field coach
CALVIN - Tiffani Lincoln named head acrobatics & tumbling coach
CARLOW - Announced addition of men’s tennis as a varsity sport beginning in 2025-26
CATHOLIC - Chris Paynter named head swimming and diving coach. Matejka Abeita named assistant athletic trainer
CENTRE - Samantha Alongi named head cheerleading coach
CHAPMAN - Casey Shine named interim head football coach
GORDON - Zachary Scarano named head men’s lacrosse coach
HOWARD PAYNE - Josh Lopez named head tennis coach
JOHNSON & WALES (Providence) - Joseph Greene named president
MARIAN - Brandon Bodart named assistant athletic director
McDANIEL - Hannah Rekito named assistant athletic trainer. Kelsey Powers named assistant athletic trainer
MORRISVILLE - Kieran Scanlan named assistant athletic trainer
NEUMANN - Jason Petrin named head tennis coach
NEW PALTZ - Randy Vite stepped down as head women’s lacrosse coach
OTTERBEIN - Marissa Smego named director of athletic communications
OZARKS - Wyatt McCaghren named co-head coach of clay target program
RANDOLPH - Tracey Lynch named head softball coach
REGENT - Jared Welsh named head men’s soccer coach
ROCKFORD - Jess Stanek named director of athletics
TRANSYLVANIA - Trip Rogers named head women’s soccer coach
TUFTS - Stephen Doyle named head men’s golf coach
UNION - Chris Collier named head cross country/track and field coach
WESTMINSTER (Mo.) - Announced addition of women’s flag football as a varsity sport beginning in 2026-27
WILKES - Kasey Kruczek named head women’s wrestling coach
WILLAMETTE - Leslie Shevlin named athletic director. Rob Passage moves to new role in human relations
WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE - Jarrad Vroman named head women’s ice hockey coach

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