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NOVEMBER 24, 2025
composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

🏆️ Trophy Time. Congratulations to UW-La Crosse, NYU and Tufts for capturing NCAA Division III championships last weekend.

🗞️ In Today’s Playbook. NCAA Votes to Rescind Rule Change Allowing Bets on Pro Sports. Eagles, Violets Run to Glory. Jumbo Package. Soccer Final Four Set. The Elite Volleyball Eight. Good Day For Visiting Football Teams.

📖 Subscribe Today. Impress your vice president with your knowledge of what is really going on in Division III. Subscribe to D3Playbook for less per week than your daily cup of coffee. There’s another good reason to subscribe to DIII’s best trade publication.

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1. NCAA Votes to Rescind Rule Change Allowing Bets on Pro Sports

“NCAA athletes and athletic department staff will not be allowed to bet on professional sports after the organization's membership voted as of Friday to rescind a rule change that would have permitted those bets.

The that have raised questions about the integrity of competition in college and pro sports. The NCAA announced two weeks ago that it was revoking the eligibility of six men's basketball players over allegations of sports betting.

The rule change to allow gambling on pro sports would have taken effect Nov. 1, but under a rarely used rule, each Division I school was given 30 days to vote to rescind the proposal, since it was adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet.”

» Why It Matters. “The vote by Division I members also applies to Divisions II and III, which had also been poised to allow gambling on pro sports. Such bets will continue to be banned at all three levels.”

» Worth Noting. “NCAA enforcement caseloads involving sports betting violations have increased in recent years. There are at least another dozen cases being investigated.”

2. Eagles, Violets Run to Glory

It was the Wisconsin-La Crosse men and the NYU women who walked away with the championship trophies at the 2025 NCAA Division III cross country championships in Spartanburg, S.C.

The top-ranked Eagles earned their fifth national title, placing three runners in the top 10 to easily down runner-up Geneseo, 82-132. Wartburg (133), NYU (175) and RPI (182) rounded out the top five.

The No. 2 Violets topped top-ranked Williams, 79-106, for their first NCAA crown. NYU placed four runners in the top 15 with their entire scoring lineup earning All-America honors. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (133), Johns Hopkins (140) and MIT (232) finished 3-4-5 in the standings.

Johns Hopkins’ Emmanuel Leblond and Middlebury’s Audrey Maclean were the individual champions. | Watch the full replay

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3. Jumbo Package

Senior Hannah Biccard scored the biggest goal of her career just 1:06 into overtime as Tufts won the NCAA Division III field championship with a 2-1 decision over Johns Hopkins.

It is the second national title for the Jumbos and first since 2012.

Tufts struck first on a tally from Eleanor Helm 10 minutes into the match. Hop wasted no time finding the equalizer, as Eliza Vander found the back of the cage just 1:47 later.

Biccard provided the championship goal, deflecting a shot from Camille Clarke past the Blue Jay keeper. | Watch the replay

4. Soccer Final Four Set

Top-ranked Washington U. will have the opportunity to defend its NCAA Division III women’s soccer championship after the Bears blanked Messiah, 1-0, to advance to the national semifinals.

WashU will meet UAA rival Chicago on December 4, after the Maroons dispatched Carleton, 2-1, in a quarterfinal. The other semifinal will pit Emory and Tufts. The Eagles blanked Pomona-Pitzer, 1-0, while the Jumbos needed overtime to oust Mary Washington by the same 1-0 score.

On the men’s side, 2023 champ St. Olaf advanced with a 2-0 win against Wheaton (Mass.) and will take on Tufts in the semifinals. The Jumbos edged NESCAC rival Bowdoin, 2-1. Trinity (Texas) routed Augsburg, 5-0, to reach the Final Four opposite Emory, who needed penalties to knock out Dickinson after a scoreless draw.

5. The Elite Volleyball Eight

There will be a new champion crowned in NCAA Division III women’s volleyball as eight teams captured regional crowns to advance to the Elite Eight in Bloomington, Ind. on December 3.

Christopher Newport ousted three-time defending champion Juniata in the second round to guarantee a new national champion.

Top-ranked East Texas Baptist will face Berry, who knocked out CNU, in one quarterfinal, while La Verne will meet UW-Eau Claire in the other matchup on the left side of the bracket. No. 2 UW-Oshkosh and No. 7 Calvin will square off in another quarterfinal with the winner to take on the victor in the No. 3 Colby vs. No. 6 Trinity (Texas) matchup.

6. Good Day For Visiting Football Teams

Visiting teams came away with three wins in eight first-round games as the 2025 NCAA Division III football championship kicked off on Saturday.

LaGrange got two rushing TDs from Tacaris Bozeman to defeat Framingham State, 24-21. Chapman’s Jacob Gaudi denied a two-point conversion try with time expired as the Panthers downed Whitworth, 18-16. Coe went on the road and blasted Concordia (Wis.), 44-7, as Brady Kelly threw a pair of TD passes.

Luke Spang threw three TD passes as Muhlenberg downed Union, 34-26. Hanover’s Eian Roudebush accounted for three scores as the Panthers downed Grove City, 23-15. Josh Ehrlich had three scoring tosses to lift Susquehanna past Washington & Jefferson, 38-32. Springfield scored twice in the final 8:52 to down Cortland, 21-7. And Wheaton (Ill.) wiped out Crown, 76-14.

7. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Facilities. “Washington College celebrated a major milestone in the history of its athletics program this Thursday with the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lim Family Tennis Center. In addition to six state-of-the-art indoor tennis courts, the project will also include six dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, supporting one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.”

» Finances. “Moody’s Ratings anticipates another tough year ahead financially for U.S. colleges as the sector navigates enrollment pressures, rising expenses and political headwinds under the Trump administration.”

» Elite Scholar-Athletes. Congrats to UC Santa Cruz’s Helena Janku (Women’s Cross Country) and Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Grant Matthai (Men’s Cross Country).

7. Comings and Goings 

HAVERFORD - Announced that Wendy Raymond has announced her retirement as president in June 2027

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