D2.ticker Top Ten - the most clicked stories of the past week |
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#10: Lackawanna President Jill Murray sits down with Penn Adjunct Professor Karen Weaver about the transition to DII. On finances, Murray joked her CFO was a little taken aback by the needed financial upgrades to the current $3M athletics budget, adding: “If there's good news about the process and how long it takes to get to the final step of Division II, that allows us to sort of step into a graduated budget process where we know we have to bring in more students, we know we have to increase our infrastructure, and we know that we’re probably going to add two to three million dollars to that budget for sure. […] As we begin to plan out how we're going to add those dollars to the budget, we also know that we have to grow our institution. We have to grow our institution through different ways. What are the revenue streams that we need to both grow or tap into that are going to make that happen? […] How are we going to do this in a responsible, ethical way that ensures everyone gets that same kind of shot to be able to prove their worth? So shifting resources from one area to another is certainly another possibility. We have to be efficient. We have to be effective. We've done that for years and we think we can continue to do it that way.” Murray broached the topic of moving out of NJCAA with her board pre-pandemic. Throughout the last couple of years, the board heard presentations from PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray and other DII presidents to understand the necessary investments in academics, infrastructure, facilities and more so that when it came time to make a decision, they were fully on board and supportive of the vision forward. (link)
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#9: Wingate hires Vanguard Softball HC Sydney Lahners for the same role. (link) |
#8: Eastern New Mexico Assoc. AD for Sport Administration Michael Molina is no longer with the Greyhounds. (link) |
#7: Minot State Asst. AD for Revenue and Fan Development Daniel Schuetz is no longer with the Beavers. (link) |
#6: Montana State Billings Cross Country did not participate in the Whitman Open after six individuals sustained injuries and one will undergo surgery after one of the team’s vans was involved in a single-car accident on Friday night heading to the event. AD Michael Bazemore: “We are shaken by this incident and feel extremely grateful that all of our student-athletes and coaches are still with us. We are thankful for the medical response and physicians that treated our student-athletes. As we move forward, we focus our attention on the continued care and healing for our student-athletes and coaching staff.” (link, link)
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#5: The DII Championships Committee has approved corrected access ratios for Field Hockey and Men’s Tennis, expanded the Men’s and Women’s Basketball bench size from 23 to 25 and granted the Peach Belt AQ privileges in Men’s Lacrosse this year as it begins its three-year grace period. (link)
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#4: Colorado Mesa held on for a wild finish to beat Colorado School of Mines after the Mavericks' sideline spilled onto the field during a bevy of laterals while play was still live. After a lengthy officials’ discussion and an illegal substitution penalty, CMU got one more stop to take home the Nyikos Cup. (link)
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#3: Millersville parts ways with Football HC J.C. Morgan after seven seasons leading the Marauders. OC Brian Ferguson will serve as Interim HC. (link)
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#2: Southern New Hampshire AD Anthony Fallacaro and Men’s Ice Hockey HC Sean Walsh have been placed on administrative leave. A statement from SNHU to WMUR: “Southern New Hampshire University is committed to fostering a supportive and professional environment that supports the health and well-being of all members of our community. Following recent concerns brought to the attention of SNHU administration, two employees within the athletics department have been placed on administrative leave. This is a proactive measure and does not reflect any conclusions or imply any finding of wrongdoing.” (link)
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#1: The Durango Herald’s Jessica Bowman reports that former Fort Lewis Men’s Basketball HC Bob Pietrack’s resignation from FLC came after an investigation into “academic misconduct, threatening and coercive behavior, and the frequent use of racial, homophobic and sexist slurs,” that was initiated after a letter written by former AC Daniel Steffensen. Multiple colleagues and former student-athletes acknowledge Pietrack used variations of the N-word regularly when referring to Black student-athletes. This, along with “homophobic or sexist slurs” and harassment of other staff members, created a toxic work environment. On academic misconduct allegations, Steffensen alleged the former HC took over former student-athlete Akuel Kot’s course registration, choosing to limit his credit hours to remain eligible with the Skyhawks but short of the credits needed to transfer to a DI program unless a school would admit him despite the credit shortfall. Steffensen on writing the letter a year after he resigned: “There was a time where they came to me and said, ‘We’re having issues. We don’t know what to do. How did you manage all of this?’ And I said, I didn’t. I resigned. I left. But I realized there’s going to be more Akuels, more Daniel Steffensens, more people that keep having issues, and that’s when I decided to write this letter and bear the responsibility.” Pietrack resigned from the HC role at Ferris State last month. (link)
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