In partnership with

SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

☀️  Monday. Here we go.

🗞️ In Today’s Edition. The Moment to Save College Sports Is Here. Congress Must Act Now. How Lacrosse Goalie Tori Perez Created a Name and a Home at Oglethorpe. Plays of the Weekend.

📖 Subscribe Today. DYK that you can get full access to D3Playbook for as little as $6.50 per month? And athletic communications professionals can get an even better deal.

A MESSAGE FROM 1440 MEDIA

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!

TOP STORY

1. The Moment to Save College Sports Is Here. Congress Must Act Now | Opinion

“With college football and fall sports back, I am reminded of what a special time of the year it is for student-athletes who have sacrificed so much for this moment, and classmates, alumni and fans who passionately cheer them on. Stadiums spread across every community in the nation are filled with excitement, providing hope for students and creating an economic boom for large and small college towns. Sadly, behind the scenes, the system is broken with these programs facing a historic financial strain that has led to cutting women’s and Olympic sports just for athletics departments to stay in business ... but this is just the beginning of a downward spiral that will lead to the destruction of college sports.

As Congress returns from August recess, it has a historic opportunity to end this strain and put the system back together. Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives is fast-tracking a very narrow bill, via the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. The SCORE Act is a good starting point for some of the key elements of the discussion, and it is encouraging that this issue is finally gaining traction in Washington. However, as the the legislation is currently drafted, it does not achieve President Trump’s clearly-stated objectives of saving women’s sports, protecting Olympic sports, and looking out for the interests of smaller schools.”

» Notable. “We have said it before and we will say it again: we need a new governing body to accomplish this goal. It cannot be the NCAA, which, for years fought tooth and nail against any rule that would benefit student-athletes and protect the most vulnerable schools and sports.”

» Reality Check. “An antitrust exemption is necessary to allow fair rules to be made and enforced, and to stop the disruptive onslaught of litigation. But providing an antitrust exemption is a HUGE legal concession that vests a tremendous amount of power and should not be given without the utmost thought, care and intentionality. We cannot trust the NCAA with this level of power.” (USA Today)

2. How Lacrosse Goalie Tori Perez Created a Name and a Home at Oglethorpe

“Oglethorpe lacrosse goalie Tori Perez has been a first in her family.

First to earn a bachelor's degree. First to compete in collegiate athletics. First to play for a national team, representing her Colombian heritage.

For a long time, her motivation stemmed from making her parents proud. In college, she discovered something else.”

» Field Awareness. “Perez has run toward every door lacrosse has put in her path, throwing it open and charging through. The biology major and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president takes no experience for granted.”

» Why It Matters. “The diversity on Oglethorpe's lacrosse team also appealed to Perez. For the first time in her career, she had the opportunity to play with Hispanic and Black players. "It made me realize how big lacrosse has gotten as far as racial and ethnic backgrounds go," she said. "On the team, we created a closer, tight-knit family, so it was nice to be able to lean on other people and rely on them to understand how I feel as a woman of racial or ethnic background."

» The Bottom Line. “She said playing Division III lacrosse made her feel more confident in her successes. "There's so much great talent in DIII as far as women's lacrosse goes. The fact that I was being seen out of all of these people … it made me feel like, 'OK, this is who I am. People know my name now.'" (NCAA)

3. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Baseball. “Major League Baseball is banning team officials from watching amateur players or collecting data on them for a monthslong period over the winter, warning executives that "the amateur baseball calendar is putting young players at dramatic risk of future injury," according to a memo obtained by ESPN.”

» Golf (M). Marymount captured the MASCAC men’s golf championship by 12 shots over Springfield. Salem State’s Matt Tramonte and Springfield’s David Girouard tied for medalist honors with a 36-hole score of nine-over-par 153.

» Football. Coast Guard defeated Nichols, 92-60, as the two teams combined for the most points in a DIII contest. The 92-60 final score also was a “scorigami” as the first time that tally was ever registered in the annals of college football.

» Football. Benedictine ended Aurora’s 46-game NACC unbeaten streak with a 36-35 triumph. The Eagles scored three times in the fourth quarter to overcome a 35-17 deficit.

» Finances. Kean University is set to receive an additional $10 million to support its acquisition of New Jersey City University, as part of New Jersey’s fiscal 2026 budget.

» Fundraising. The Saint John’s athletic department’s “2025 Go Johnnies Challenge” raised a record $319,286 during rhe 24-hour, online giving campaign. Muskingum also set a record for the department, raising more than $129,000.

4. Comings and Goings 

• BLAKCBURN - Stephanie Aragon named head women’s flag football coach

• DEAN - Kaitlyn Daly named head women’s lacrosse coach

• DENISON - Scott Enneking named associate head athletic trainer. Beau Scott named director of high performance.

• KING’S - Bill Grace, Andrew Schutz, and Steven Newell named assistant wrestling coaches

• La ROCHE - Lexi Griggs named head women’s basketball coach. Jimmy McCann named head men’s lacrosse coach

• MARIAN - Joe Gerarden named head women’s ice hockey coach

• MARIETTA - Nathan Grover named head men’s lacrosse coach

• RIVIER - Rachel Hinkley named assistant women’s ice hockey coach

• STEVENSON - Gary Stewart resigned as head men’s basketball coach

• WHITWORTH - Announced addition of STUNT as a varsity sport beginning in spring 2027

5. Plays of the Weekend

1. Claremont-M-S QB avoids sack in final minute, tosses 96-yard game-winning TD pass

2. Millsaps WR says “Look Ma, one hand”

3. Calvin OT game-winning reception

4. Light is Brite for Westminster’s Cannon

5. Walk-off '“Pick Six” for Huntingdon

6. Trinity CT punt returner hurdles way to 79-yard TD

7. Hopkins lets ‘er rip on long TD pass

8. 88-yard kickoff return is just six of 152 points between Coast Guard and Nichols

📬 Thanks for starting your day with us.
Recommend a friend for D3Playbook

Copyright © 2025, D3Playbook.com All rights reserved