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The CNE removes the interim tag from Commissioner Julie Beer, who has been leading the league since September. Suffolk President/CNE Board Chair Marisa Kelly: “The CNE Board of Directors is excited that Julie will be leading our conference as its next commissioner. Her commitment to the student-athlete experience, to the success of our conference and its member institutions, and to DIII athletics in general will help ensure our continued success, especially as we move forward with the implementation of our recently developed strategic plan.” (link)

Earlham AD Adam Hutchinson will retire after four-plus years leading the department and be succeeded by Asst. AD for Student Success and Retention/alum Nick Johnson. VP for Student Life/Dean of Students Bonita Washington-Lacey: “Earlham continues to serve as a model for excellence in Division III athletics, supported by outstanding facilities and a commitment to educating the whole student. He understands the needs of today’s students, has built long-standing relationships with our coaches and players. He is invested in our students’ academic lives and partners with teaching faculty to support their learning.” Hutchinson on his successor: “Nick’s adherence to first principles is uncommon. He believes deeply that all people are created equal, and I’ve seen that in how he serves on hiring and search committees. Nick believes it’s always the right time to do the right thing—a commitment that’s needed in college athletics and higher education today.” (link)

NCAA President Charlie Baker joins Tulane Sports Law Professor Gabe Feldman on the SportsWise podcast to discuss a number of legal topics. Here are Baker’s most notable comments…

➤ On what the NCAA wants to be able to do but can’t without some limited antitrust exemption: “The primary issue for us is really around what I would describe as sort of eligibility. And when I talk eligibility, I'm not just talking five years to play four, I'm also talking academic eligibility. I mean, we've had judges basically throw out academic eligibility in some of these cases that we've been in court on. … If we get to the point where grades don't matter anymore for anybody who's playing college sports, I think that's a problem. … I think the federal preemption around a lot of the state laws, which really are just naked attempts by states to create special advantages for the schools in their own state and competing, that's not just an NCAA issue. That's a conference issue as well. … To me, the big issue with the transfer thing is do you really want kids transferring every year? …  We have a lot of that now because they can. And again, if you get rid of the academic rules and you get rid of the eligibility rules generally, then you've completely divorced the whole idea that getting a degree matters or figuring out what it is you want to do with the rest of your life matters. Even for the kids who play in the 5% of the very top end of college sports, the vast majority of them are not going to play professionally, and we are not doing them a favor by pretending that their college degree is meaningless.”

➤ On if amending the Sports Broadcasting Act would generate the necessary revenue to pay rising athletics costs: “If you think about the kinds of organizations who would have an interest in that, they're some of the biggest and most powerful entities in America. You're talking about Amazon and Apple and Google and the NFL and Paramount. I mean, there's some people there with a lot of throwaway, and that all by itself, I think, makes everybody a little nervous about what would actually happen if it were to be opened up.”

➤ More on SBA: “I think the second piece is merely opening it up and giving people the ability to bundle doesn't really do much unless you're willing to dramatically alter the schedule. When people talk about this and they talk about leverage, you can't talk about leverage unless you're willing to talk about the calendar, right? Because who people play is what ultimately is the issue that drives viewership. It's not how many people are part of the universe, it's who do they play and what day do they play them on, and what does the schedule on the calendar actually look like? And I think that's a much more challenging issue and a much bigger question than just opening up the Sports Broadcasting Act.” More from Baker. (link) 

Johns Hopkins football’s flight to Minneapolis ahead of tomorrow’s DIII semifinal against Wisconsin-River Falls was diverted to Columbus, Ohio, after one of the plane’s engines lost power. The team was reportedly unaware of the issue and, after a four-plus-hour wait, reboarded a new jet bound for Minneapolis. (link)

The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) presented its strategic white paper on the future of the sport at its 2025 Annual Convention, outlining priorities such as simplifying rules to improve media accessibility and establishing a unified championship weekend for Divisions I, II, and III by 2027, a move the NCAA has reportedly taken "public meaningful steps" toward realizing. Developed with CarrSports Consulting, the framework garnered endorsement from ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus, who noted: "The findings in this White Paper come at a pivotal moment for intercollegiate women’s  lacrosse. As media executives, we’re always looking for compelling sports content that can expand our audiences, and these proposed changes directly address the barriers we’ve seen to expanding coverage. A more streamlined game format would make women’s lacrosse significantly more accessible to casual viewers. When you reduce complexity and create a fast-paced product, you open the door to the kind of storytelling and audience engagement that drives viewership.” Lots more on the sport’s direction & momentum. (link)

Heidelberg women’s basketball student-athletes and their families are pushing for an NCAA investigation and the termination of HC Erin Eaton after allegations of verbal, mental and emotional abuse, with attorney Martin Greenberg claiming the university failed to protect its student-athletes from repeated misconduct. Greenberg submitted a 52-page demand letter to the university in March alongside interviews and recordings of Eaton’s comments. The university, in a statement, told WTOL that an external review was conducted and found “no violations of NCAA policies or laws.” (link)

Kalshi made headlines after notifying the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that it was self-certifying markets on whether college athletes will enter the transfer portal. The announcement drew a sharp rebuke from NCAA President Charlie Baker, who explained in a statement to ESPN’s David Purdum: "The NCAA vehemently opposes college sports prediction markets. It is already bad enough that student-athletes face harassment and abuse for lost bets on game performance, and now Kalshi wants to offer bets on their transfer decisions and status. This is absolutely unacceptable and would place even greater pressure on student-athletes while threatening competition integrity and recruiting processes. Their decisions and future should not be gambled with, especially in an unregulated marketplace that does not follow any rules of legitimate sports betting operators." Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder notes that “after the backlash reached a fever pitch and went viral across college sports, Kalshi issued a statement that said they are not planning to go live with transfer portal markets at this time, via ESPN’s David Purdum.” A statement from Kalshi to Purdum reads: “We certify markets all the time that we do not end up listing; despite our competitors having these markets live, we have no immediate plans to list these contracts.” (link, link)

Kalamazoo promotes Assoc. HC John Krajacic to become its new Football HC. (link)

Loras hires Saint John’s DC Brandon Novak as its next Football HC. (link)

Coaches.wire…
➤ Dallas removes the interim tag from Men’s Soccer HC Chase Reynolds. (link)
➤ Howard Payne hires former Concordia (TX) HC Amy Farber Teal as its new Women’s Volleyball HC. (link)
➤ Lyon Women’s Volleyball HC Kortney Cunningham is headed to Friends (NAIA) in the same capacity. (link)
➤ Nichols names St. Mary’s (MD) AC Luke Elson as its new Cross Country/Track & Field HC. (link)
➤ Saint Joseph selects Connecticut (DI) AC Elizabeth Wulf as its first Women’s Ice Hockey HC. (link)
➤ Simmons taps Wheaton (MA) Softball AC Maddie Castigliego as its Interim HC for the upcoming season. (link)
➤ Spalding hires Johnson City Doughboys AC Larry Owens as its next Baseball HC. (link)
➤ For the full slate of coaching staff changes, check out this morning’s edition of Coaches.wire. (link)

Hobart Men’s Volleyball will join the AMCC as an affiliate member starting in 2027. (link)

F is for Friday. From fly fishing to FIFA fumbling, the Friday edition of CRO.ticker has you fully covered. SBJ’s Ethan Joyce surveys industry executives on the biggest sports tech trends for 2026, with responses overwhelmingly pointing to the convergence of AI and data to drive hyper-personalization and workflow efficiency. The rising cost of live sports is also a focal point, with Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher examining FIFA’s latest response to "withering criticism" over exorbitant pricing for the World Cup and the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay arguing that professional leagues have made an "unbothered short-term choice to chase peak revenue against the clear risk of pricing out their most loyal fans." Find further full features. (link)