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TOP STORY
1. Helping Athletic Trainers

The NCAA Division III Athletic Trainers Working Group is charged with identifying the factors that impact intercollegiate athletics department’s ability to hire and retain athletics training staff and to create recommendations to help institutions address those identified factors.

A session is being devoted to the Working Group at the NCAA Convention on Friday, Jan. 9, in Phoenix.

The group has met every 4-6 weeks since July and reviewed feedback from the NCAA Sport Science Institute and NATA, as well as a membership survey of DIII ATCs and athletic directors.

» Survey Findings. There is an average of four full-time certified athletic trainers at each DIII institution, most of whom report to the athletics department. On average, staffs are responsible for 489 students, cover practices and competitions at eight locations, and are responsible for 21 sports.

» What We Learned. Half of athletic trainers responded that head athletic trainers are never or rarely consulted about scheduling of practices and competition, while even more indicated that they are never consulted on legislative and/or policy changes.

» Recruitment and Retention. More than three in five athletics directors indicated inadequate compensation as the top challenge in recruiting athletic trainers.

» Keep Reading

WRESTLING
2. Wartburg Men Capture National Duals; North Central Women 2nd

The second-ranked Wartburg College men’s wrestling team captured their 13th NWCA National Duals championship on Saturday with a 21-19 triumph over No. 1 Augsburg.

Massoma Endene wrapped up the match with a 14-2 decision at 197. The Knights defeated Loras, #15 Wabash, and #3 UW-La Crosse along the way to the title.

» Complete Men’s Results 

Second-ranked North Central (Ill.) suffered a heart-breaking 21-20 loss to No. 1 Iowa in the final of the NWCA women’s National Duals.

Trailing 20-17 entering the final match, NCC’s Treah Haynes was hit with a second passivity warning of the match, giving the Hawkeyes a valuable team point. Haynes closed out a 6-1 decision, but the Cardinals fell one point short. North Central also downed #22 Lindenwood and #5 McKendree on its wa

VOLLEYBALL
3. Rules Committee Recap

“The NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee, which met last week in Indianapolis, recommended allowing players to contact the ball more than once with any part of the body in a single attempt on a team's second contact when the ball is played to a teammate.

However, if the ball is played over the net in this type of scenario, it would be ruled a fault, and the team would lose the point.

All rule recommendations must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which is tentatively scheduled to discuss women's volleyball proposals Feb. 20.”

» Court Awareness. “The committee also feels that it will promote the continuation of play, which would make the game more entertaining for the players and fans. Data collected from an experimental rule in the spring of 2022 showed it will change only a small number of calls.”

» More Liberos. “The committee recommended each team be allowed to designate two liberos for each set of the match. Only one libero would be allowed on the court at a time and be allowed to serve in one position.”

» Quotable. “"Our goals with all the proposals were to continue to make volleyball an exciting game to watch and play. Our sport is in such a great place that we only want to continue advancing it and not set us back." - Lyndsey Oates, NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee chair

» Read More

NEWS
4. Lightning Round

🗞 News. Albion College’s historic Kresge Gymnasium—home to men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s wrestling—is slated to receive significant upgrades this summer thanks to a $1 million gift from Joe ’82 and Julie Serra.

🗞 News. Visit the 2024 Convention resource webpage to access this year’s Convention resources. NCAA Staff will post key information (for example: the Official Notice, legislative proposal Q&A guide and education session PowerPoints) on this page as they become available.

STREAMING
5. What 2 Watch Tonight

🏀 MBB: Stevens (10-2) vs. Misericordia (7-5), 300
🏀 MBB: Husson (12-1) vs. Maine-Farmington (8-4), 530

TRANSACTIONS
6. Comings and Goings

• CARTHAGE - Matt Popino named head football coach 

• FRANKLIN - Mackenzi Black named head women’s golf coach

• HANOVER - Michael Sheffler named assistant track and field coach

• LYNCHBURG - Jenni Releford named head field hockey coach

• MONTCLAIR STATE - Dwight Ceballo named academic adviser for athletics

• NORWICH - Mark Anarumo stepped down as president

• OBERLIN - Erica Rau will step down as head women’s volleyball coach

• ONEONTA - Shelby Croft named interim head athletic trainer

• PIEDMONT - Sue Murphy named head women’s lacrosse coach

• SAINT VINCENT - Sam London named assistant football coach

• WILLIAM PEACE - Carly Vadinsky named athletic communications assistant

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