JULY 17, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What DIII administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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📆 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. Northwest, OAC, and ODAC Join FloCollege

“FloSports is expanding the reach of NCAA and Division III sports from coast-to-coast through a new round of media rights agreements, accelerating the growth of its FloCollege platform.

The company announced the additions of the Northwest Conference (NWC), Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), and Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), bringing the total number of NCAA conferences available on FloCollege this Fall to 18 across all NCAA divisions.”

» What It Means. “With the expansion, FloSports deepens its investment and representation of Division-II and Division-III athletics, becoming a leader in streaming for these divisions and the number one provider of women’s sports with more than 9,000 games during the 2025-2026 season.”

» What They’re Saying. ““These partnerships reflect FloSports’ continued emphasis on investing and promoting NCAA sports at all levels. Each conference represents a unique region and history, and we’re committed to supporting them with world-class coverage, original content, and technology that puts their athletes and member institutions in the spotlight.” - Michael Levy, FloSports, SVP of Global Rights & Acquisition

» FloCollege’s DIII Reach. Landmark, Little East, NEWMAC, NWC, OAC, ODAC, SCIAC, SCAC, UAA.

» Quotable. “This agreement reflects a thoughtful next step for the ODAC in how we tell the stories of our outstanding student-athletes,” said ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston. “As technology and fan engagement habits evolve, we have a responsibility to adapt while staying true to our mission. FloSports provides a reliable and forward-looking platform that helps us deliver a consistent, quality experience for our teams and fans.”

» The Big Picture. According to the 2024 Landmark Conference 990 form, the conference received $289,710 for their media rights and distributed $242,860 to its member institutions.

» Keep Reading

LEGAL
2. College Sports Leaders Shouldn't Get Too Excited About Trump NIL Executive Order

by Dan Wolken, USA Today

“It’s not a great sign for President Trump’s potential involvement in college sports when people who work in college sports are caught off-guard after word of a forthcoming executive order leaks out of the White House.

And yet that was the case Wednesday after CBS reported the night before that Trump intended to sign one “establishing national standards for the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness program” in the coming days.”

» Say What? “What does that mean exactly? People who are generally informed on the interplay between college sports and the federal government didn’t seem to know an executive order was imminent or what exactly would be in it – even folks with a direct line to Trump and who have engaged with about potential federal action that would bail college sports out of its current dysfunction.”

» Yes, But. “Regardless of what’s ultimately in it, however, coaches and administrators should resist the temptation to get excited about the possibility of Trump saving the day for a few simple, but important reasons. An executive order isn’t a law. Any so-called “fix” for college sports made with the stroke of one man’s pen can be undone by the next one who occupies that office.”

» Be Smart. “That’s just how stuff works in Washington, and both parties play that game on issues far more serious and important than the NCAA’s ability to regulate the transfer portal. It’s part of why the NCAA’s “let Congress fix our mess” strategy has been a complete failure thus far and may never pay off. At the end of the day, there’s a lot more upside for Congress to use college sports as a political plaything than to make a law that will only impact a relatively small number of people and isn’t an urgent matter of national interest.”

» Read More

NCAA
3. March Madness Expansion Would Be Fueled By Booze

by Rachel Bachman, Wall Street Journal

“In the chaotic world of college sports, where everything is in flux, the only inevitable thing is that March Madness will eventually expand.

The NCAA needs more cash. The power conferences want to expand the men’s basketball tournament to get more of their teams in.

But what looks like a simple formula—add more teams, get more money from broadcasters—has turned into something much more complex. In fact, the question of whether the tournament expands to as many as 76 teams as soon as next spring could now hinge on one single factor that may seem tough to swallow.

Booze.”

» Why It Matters. “To make expansion pencil out, a person familiar with the situation says, the NCAA needs to wring significant amounts of money from selling official NCAA sponsorships in categories it has previously shunned: beer, wine and hard alcohol. The twist is that the NCAA can’t sell those sponsorships itself.”

» The Bottom Line. “The NCAA landed in this bizarre position because the men’s basketball tournament—its crown jewel property—is tied up in a TV contract through 2032. The deal is so great for the broadcasters, CBS and Turner, that they have little reason to touch it.”

» The Big Picture. “It has to persuade tournament broadcasters CBS and Turner to do so—and then increase their own annual payment to the NCAA. As part of its 2010 broadcast-rights contract, the NCAA handed control of its sponsorship program to CBS and Turner. The unusual move means that if a bank or insurance company wants to become an official NCAA sponsor of any championship the NCAA operates, it doesn’t pay the NCAA. It pays the broadcasters of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.”

» Continue Reading

NEWS YOU CAN USE
4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Baseball. Twelve players from the DIII ranks had their names called in the 2025 MLB Draft, including MIT’s Mason Estrada and Kean’s Jason Gilman who were selected by the Dodgers and Red Sox, respectively. Ten others began their careers at DIII before transferring to DI.

» Congress. “A House subcommittee on Tuesday advanced legislation that seeks to address recent seismic changes in how college athletes are compensated. The legislation would create national standards for name, image and likeness deals while preempting a patchwork of existing state laws on the topic. It would bar student-athletes from being considered as university employees and carve out exceptions to antitrust law for conferences and the NCAA.

» Revenue Sharing. Johns Hopkins and Colorado College are the lone DIII institutions that have opted into revenue sharing for their DI programs under the House settlement.

TRANSACTIONS
5. Comings and Goings 

ALLEGHENY - Announced addition of women’s flag football as a varsity sport beginning in 2026-27
ALVERNO - Antonio Rivas named director of athletics
ANDERSON - Tyler Rubasky named head baseball coach
AVERETT - Blake Roulo resigned as head men’s wrestling coach. Sam Braswell named head oach
BARUCH - Ciro Gentile named head softball coach
BELOIT - Dave DeGeorge stepped down as athletic director
CAIRN - Joshua Knight named head baseball coach. Elissa Murray named head women’s volleyball coach
CATHOLIC - Mike Pampuch named associate head athletic trainer
CENTENARY (La.) - J.A. Anglin named head men’s basketball coach
CENTRE - Phil Havira named head men’s lacrosse coach
CLARK - David Bailey named assistant athletic trainer
CROWN - Morgan Pederson named head golf coach
DREW - Ryan Van Zelst named head men’s basketball coach
ELIZABETHTOWN - Craig Bradley named head golf coach
HARTFORD - Jen Fallon named head women’s lacrosse coach
LeTOURNEAU - Brad Bowser named assistant athletic director
MAINE MARITIME - Joseph Swanson named assistant athletic director for communications
MANHATTANVILLE - Chris Alesi stepped down as head men’s basketball coach
MARY WASHINGTON - Sarah Dalsey named head women’s lacrosse coach
METHODIST - Tom Austin announced his retirement as head baseball coach. Spencer Martin named interim head coach
MSOE - Malachi Allgood named head women’s cross country/track and field coach
MISERICORDIA - Scott Miner named assistant director of athletics
MOUNT ALOYSIUS - Kaleigh Roop resigned as head softball coach
NEBRASKA WESLEYAN - Casey Clements named head cheer and dance coach
NEW JERSEY CITY - Britni Jaskot named head women’s volleyball coach
NORTH CENTRAL (Minn.) - Delaney Butler named head cross country/track and field coach
PIEDMONT - Remel Williams named director of track and field/cross country. Jamie Jimison resigned as head cross country/track and field coach
PITT-BRADFORD - Daniel Smay named head men’s basketball coach
RANDOLPH - Steve Lanpher stepped down as head women’s basketball coach
SCHREINER - Kyle McLeroy named head men’s basketball coach
SEWANEE - Will Merrell named head men’s basketball coach. Savannah Mannes named head equestrian coach. Hazma Khan named head men’s tennis coach. Brian Emerson stepped down as head men’s basketball coach
SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE - Danielle Percival named assistant commissioner
STEVENSON - Tori Emhoff stepped down as head women’s ice hockey coach
SWEET BRIAR - Dustin Hale resigned as head tennis coach
UPPER MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE - KatieJo Svenson named assistant commissioner
WESTMINSTER (Mo.) - Chris Puzzo named head strength and conditioning coach
WILKES - Jordan Drumheller named head men’s lacrosse coach
WILLIAMS - Alix Barrale named interim head women’s lacrosse coach

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