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APRIL 14, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

What administrators, coaches, parents and fans are reading. #whyD3
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🍀  Top o’ the Morning to Ya, DIII. Thanks for supporting D3Playbook.

🗓️ What’s Happening This Week. The DIII Championships Committee meets Tuesday, while the Management Council meets Wednesday and Thursday. The DIII Membership Committee convenes on Thursday, while the Board of Governors takes center stage on Friday.

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TOP STORY
1. With NCAA Sports on Brink of Massive Change, Here's How It All Fits Together

by Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports

“A pillared goliath along Constitution Avenue, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium stands as one of the capital city’s most iconic buildings, roughly a half-mile from the Washington Monument and with a bird’s-eye view of the U.S. Capitol.

The 90-year-old auditorium has hosted some of the nation’s most defining and historic events. This is where dignitaries established NATO in 1949, where President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement and where the 9/11 Commission released its findings.

On Wednesday evening, the Mellon Auditorium hosted something else: a gathering of university presidents, college athletic directors, coaches and congressional staff members as part of the latest lobbying effort from the power conferences for a federal college sports bill.”

» Driving The News. “Over the next few weeks, the industry’s future rests on decisions from a 75-year-old retiring federal judge to approve the landmark House settlement; a divided congressional membership to produce federal legislation; and its own schools to, for lack of a better phrase, behave themselves during the opening of the upcoming football transfer portal. What could go wrong?”

» Why It Matters. “While the NCAA and power conferences agreed to expand upon scholarships as part of the settlement — schools are now permitted, not required, to scholarship every player on a roster — they also imposed sport roster limits that did not previously exist. The roster limits are expected to lead to the elimination of thousands of Division I roster spots, most notably impacting walk-ons and partial scholarship earners in swimming, football, track and cross country.”

» Between The Lines. “Five U.S senators have met several times over the past six weeks in serious negotiations over drafting a federal bill to regulate college sports compensation, including Republicans Ted Cruz (Texas) and Jerry Moran (Kansas), and Democrats Cory Booker (New Jersey), Chris Coons (Delaware) and Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut). Essential to any advancement of a bill is Cruz, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, the body that mostly controls college sports legislation; and Booker, a former Stanford football player and a leading voice among Democrats in the Senate.”

» Yes, But. “He wants to help,” says one who spoke directly to President Donald Trump. “He wants to help save college sports.”

» Continue Reading

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NEWS
2. Former NCAA Woman of Year From MIT Killed in Plane Crash

from ESPN News Services

“Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year, died Saturday along with six other people - including members of her family - in a plane crash in upstate New York.

The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down shortly after noon in a muddy field in Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts line, killing everyone on board, according to authorities and a family member who spoke to The Associated Press.”

» Between The Lines. “The most prestigious honor awarded annually by the NCAA to a female student-athlete, Groff was the second MIT student-athlete to win the award and the sixth Division III student-athlete ever to receive this honor. She was one of nine finalists for the award, spanning Divisions I, II, and III.”

» Read More

» MIT WOTY News Release 

LACROSSE (W)
3. Middlebury Women Win 64th Straight, Turns Back Tufts 16-15

The Middlebury women won their 64th consecutive match, edging second-ranked Tufts, 16-15. The Panthers improved to 13-0 overall and 8-0 in the NESCAC, while the Jumbos dropped to 12-1, 7-1.

Tied at 4 after one period, Middlebury outscored Tufts, 9-5, over the middle two frames to forge a 13-9 lead after three quarters. Trailing 15-10 with under 12 minutes to play, the visitors scored five of the last six goals to pull within one but came up short.

Hope Shue led the Panthers with four goals and four assists, while Skylar Lach added a hat trick. Margie Carden led Tufts with five tallies.

» Full Story

VOLLEYBALL (M)
4. Conference Championship Weekend

Fourteen conferences determined their champion and automatic qualifier to the 19-team NCAA DIII men’s volleyball tournament last weekend. Five other teams earned a slot in the field through their NPI ranking. The bracket will be revealed on Monday at 10 a.m.

Conference Tournaments

AMCC: Buffalo State (20-11) d. Penn State Behrend, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22
CUNYAC: Baruch (17-11) d. Hunter (18-10), 25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 13-25, 15-13
CCIW: #7 Carthage (22-3) d. #11 Loras, 25-22, 25-22, 26-24
CVC: #2 Southern Virginia (31-1) d. #5 Juniata, 25-17, 25-19, 26-24
GNAC: #13 Wentworth (26-6) d. #22 Lasell, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23
MAC: #3 Stevens (25-4) d. #6 Messiah, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20
MCVL: #20 Mount Union (20-8) d. #21 Baldwin Wallace, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 15-12
NEVC: Nichols (19-14) d. Endicott, 25-12, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20
NACC: #10 Aurora (26-4) d. MSOE, 21-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 16-14
ODAC: Randolph-Macon (22-9) d. Roanoke, 25-16, 25-23, 25-17
PAC: Thiel (23-6) d. Grove City, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17
SKY: St. Joseph’s L.I. (22-8) d. NJCU (22-8), 25-23, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19
UEC: #25 Lancaster Bible (23-7) d. Wilson, 25-14, 25-14, 25-15
UVC: #1 NYU (25-0) d. #16 Nazareth, 25-21, 26-24, 25-16

At-Large Selections (5). Springfield (22-2), Juniata (28-4), Messiah (25-3), Cal Lutheran (20-2), Vassar (22-6).

Last Two Out. Loras, St. John Fisher.

NEWS YOU CAN USE
5. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» Finances. “Middlebury announced a series of cost-saving measures that aim to cut over $10 million from the annual budget through reducing staff and faculty benefits and permanently raising the student enrollment projection to 2,600–2,650. The college attributed the changes to 15 years of consistent deficits, culminating in the unexpectedly high $14.1 million shortfall this fiscal year.”

» Fundraising. Case Western Reserve’s Day of Giving attracted 1,483 donors who contributed $118,136.

» Baseball. Amherst’s Nick Fassert and Jack Sampedro combined for a no-hitter as the Mammoths defeated arch-rival Williams, 2-1, on Friday. Fassert went eight strong, walking two, striking out five and allowing an unearned run. Sampedro faced the minimum in the ninth, then delivered a walk-off in the bottom of the frame. It was the fourth 9-inning no-no in DIII this season.

» Thank You. Due to your support of #D3Week on social media channels Twitter and Instagram, Division III will donate a minimum of $10,000 to Special Olympics of America.

TRANSACTIONS
6. Comings and Goings

AVERETT - David Joyce stepped down as president. Venita Mitchell named acting president
BRIDGEWATER - John Rogers stepped down as head golf coach
DELAWARE VALLEY - Mike Lammer named director of wrestling operations
EARLHAM - Isaiah Cavaco named head men’s basketball coach
EASTERN MENNONITE - Shannon W. Dycus named interim president
JOHN JAY - Catherine Alves stepped down as athletic director. Brandon Fieland named interim athletic director
JUNIATA - Brittany DeHaven and Jarrett Kratzer named interim co-athletic directors. Danny Young-Uhrich named assistant athletic director
LUTHER - Ryan Timmerman named head women’s wrestling coach
OLD WESTBURY - Announced addition of women’s flag football as a varsity sport in 2026
SWEET BRIAR - Jason Vittone will depart as athletic director
WILLIAMS - Alice Lee will step down as head women’s lacrosse coach at the end of the season

1 THING
6. Monday, Monday

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