D3.ticker Top 10 - the most clicked stories of the past week |
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#10: Wisconsin-River Falls AD Crystal Lanning sat down with The Left Hash Call’s Seth Howard to discuss the momentum for the Falcons. “I think when we got that first national championship in the current era, it had been a while – 2008 we got a women's track and field championship. So, it had been quite a while, but I think that put River Falls on the map and kind of like, ‘Oh, what's happening over there,’ and maybe raised some awareness. When they got the second one, it was like, ‘Oh, let's dig into it and see what's really happening at River Falls.’ But I think it's been a culmination of things. So, the Falcon Center opened in 2017. That was life-changing in so many ways for those of us that have been here long enough and knew where we came from to what we have now. That was a big stepping point. So now recruits can come in and see a place that we're proud of and we're proud to show that off to recruits and others. So then when the teams started raising their level, what I'm seeing across the board is other teams are seeing that competitiveness; they can see that women's hockey wins national championships, so why can't I win national championships? Now football's there and we're getting some track and field athletes winning national championships, so it's just a snowball effect that breeds success. So all the foundation is in place and now we're actually reaping the awards from it so it’s really fun to see.” (link)
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#9: Ahead of the Stagg Bowl, The Athletic’s Chris Vannini chatted with Wisconsin-River Falls Football HC Matt Walker and AD Crystal Lanning about the changes that helped the Falcons break through, with Walker noting: “I can say ‘joke’ now, but I joke I should’ve been fired three times. Those were some long, hard nights and years.” In addition to the schematic changes for the team, UWRF also changed how they recruit. With most WIAC peers leaning on the greater Chicago area, Walker and his staff found more talent in Minnesota and in other areas of the country with easy access to the airport. Overall, 67 student-athletes are from Minnesota and seven are from Arizona, including key contributors for the Falcons. Walker: “We’re the only ones in our league with the airport that can truly do it, so let’s try it. The flights to Arizona were direct and affordable, without Division III there. This became an easy decision to try Arizona.” (link)
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#8: American Rivers Commissioner Marie Stroman sits down with College.town COO Maria Buckel at the 2025 Women Leaders in Sports Convention to dive into the league’s new strategic plan. Regarding streaming, as the league has since announced it will move its basketball championship behind a paywall, Stroman notes the league will provide funds to members this year to invest in upgrading broadcasts. On the American Rivers Sports Network: “That network itself is pretty young still and we know that we have some steps to go in terms of establishing standards for broadcasting, making sure that the score bug is on there, the clock is on there, let alone other technological advances in terms of cameras, multiple angles, and the talent you have commenting on the game. All of those things we can elevate to really enhance the experience of the students and also their fans and families watching. … We are hoping year after year in our three-year plan that we can at least take some baby steps in some of those standards.” As for the action item to introduce a new football bowl game with the goal of starting that next season: “It felt like this is a natural fit for the group, in terms of competitive opportunities. When we're talking about competitive opportunities in regard to our strategic plan, what we really need are opportunities that make our programs better. So not just additional games or another chance to play, although our student-athletes are like any other Division III student-athlete in that they love the game; they play for the love of the game. It's really about we want a really meaningful game, a really meaningful competition.” More on BOSCA. (link)
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#7: John Carroll Football HC Jeff Behrman departs for the same role at Bucknell (DI). (link) |
#6: The college sports system is “irreparably broken, yet more popular than ever,” per the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy, who recently sat down with NCAA President Charlie Baker and outgoing Knight Commission member/former Northeastern/Dartmouth AD Peter Roby to discuss today’s college sports environment…
➤ Baker: “I think to say that the power conferences don’t care about education is wrong. … I worry a lot about the transfer stuff having an impact on graduate rates, but the transfer rules we had were taken away from us in a court decision in West Virginia a couple of years ago. … Most of the student-athletes I talk to really want to be students first and want to play sports. They do not want to be employees. That’s not how they want to roll. … The thing that people don’t see that I get to see all the time is the kids. They make me glad I am in this role. They are smart, proud, accomplished. The lessons they learn playing sports about teamwork and putting your own interests aside and being able to take constructive criticism and do the grind. They’re applicable everywhere for the rest of their lives. … There’s a lot about [his job] that’s frustrating. But I spent most of my career in healthcare and government, and those can be frustrating environments, as well.”
➤ Roby: “Schools continue to complain about rising costs and the need for more revenue, yet they are paying out multimillion-dollar buyouts for fired coaches and hiring coaches at $12M per year. The way things are trending, the NCAA will not exist in its current form in the next few years. It will only manage sports championships. … It’s time to separate [schools with the biggest school-based NIL programs] from schools that believe in the primacy of education and the personal development of young people. … Let’s create another division within Division I to allow like-minded schools to compete on a more level playing field academically, philosophically, and athletically.” More. (link)
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#5: The Athletic’s Alex Valdes profiles the Oberlin football program and chats with AD Natalie Winkelfoos and HC John Pont about the state of the program. With a roster of less than 40 student-athletes this season, Pont on the roster size: “The fit is so much more important than just having the number. I’d rather have the right 38 than 100 kids and 62 of them are not great fits for who we are and what we believe.” Winkelfoos on the program: “It’s a team that fights above their weight class. I think about what defines this team and it’s one word for me — persistence. They don’t just show up, they are working hard. They’re pushing boundaries, not just even programmatically on the field. Oberlin is a high academic institution. The rigor is hard. Everything that they’re doing is hard, but you would never know it because of the amount of joy that they’re showing up with. There’s never any hanging of the heads. I’m so proud of these scars that we’ve gotten to earn this year. Scars can be beautiful, right? Success belongs with the people that persist. That’s Oberlin College football.” (link)
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#4: Penn State Harrisburg rebrands its Athletics Partnership Program as the Victory Circle to help elevate partnership experiences, expand engagement and support department initiatives. AD Rahsaan Carlton: “This rebrand and our improved benefits program represents a significant milestone in our commitment to providing engaging experiences for our Victory Circle members while ensuring that their philanthropy will bolster our 19 NCAA Division III programs in this new era of intercollegiate athletics. As we continue to reach new and greater heights, we are excited to invite our Penn State Harrisburg family to make history with us by becoming a member today.” (link)
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#3: Ripon names Kenyon Women’s Volleyball HC Madison Schweitzer for the same role leading the Red Hawks. (link) |
#2: Lawrence partners with Collegiate Consulting to assist with its AD search. (link)
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#1: Middlebury AD Erin Quinn will retire at the end of the academic year after two decades leading the Panthers. President Ian Baucom: “This is bittersweet news. Erin has been a pillar of Middlebury and a steady and engaged national leader in college athletics for the past three decades, with a strong focus on building a vibrant culture, driven by excellence, grounded in shared values, always focused on the best for our students.” (link)
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