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The ECC has released a statement in response to Dowling announcing they will be closing their doors for good today. Commish Dranoff says his "heart truly goes out to all" and that "the Conference will try to help any way it can to support all those impacted by the closing of this school and know we can count on our member schools to do the same." - link
After three years on the job, California Collegiate Athletic Association Commish Matthews has announced that he is stepping down. Matthews, who said he will stay on until a successor is found, is ready for a change: "I started working in intercollegiate athletics in 1978, fresh out of college. It’s been a wonderful ride, but I think it might be time to do something different. I’d like to thank everyone in the CCAA who helped and supported me along the way. I genuinely enjoyed my time in the Conference." - link
Great news for Alaska Anchorage, as state lawmakers have approved a $15M cut to the university system instead of the $50M in cuts that had been previously discussed. AD Hackett had been preparing for a $1.7M budget reduction in athletics, but it looks like that number will now be smaller. However, the Strategic Pathways Committee will still review all of the athletic programs over the summer and will determine what teams will remain at UAA. The final decision will not take effect until the start of the 2017-18 season. - link
Two more DIIs inked deals with Viviature:
+ Lindenwood has agreed to a "massive" five-year, $2.5M pact to adopt Vivature’s athletics’ training software and billing solution in their athletic training rooms. - link
+ Pittsburg State has agreed to a five-year, 600K deal to use the Vivature technology as well. - link
Delta State Prez LaForge has been elected to bethe next president of the Gulf South Conference. LaForge, who has spent the past two years as VP of the GSC and was selected to serve on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council earlier this year, is looking forward to the opportunity: "I look forward to working with the CEOs, ADs, and staffs of our member institutions, and Commissioner Matt Wilson and the conference office staff in advancing the interests of the league. We are in a position of strength to expand and I welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues as we move the GSC forward." - link
California (PA) has named Concord MBB HC McBride to the same position. McBride was at Concord for five years and is coming off a season where he led the program to its first conference title since 1997 and its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Prez Jones on the hire: "I am certain that Coach McBride will be a role model for our student-athletes, working just as hard as they do to make our men's basketball program a success. He understands the high hopes we have for all our Vulcan athletic teams, but he also knows that ultimately our goal is to prepare every Cal U student, including our student-athletes, for a purposeful life and a meaningful career." - link
Wayne State College has announced the four finalists for the MBB HC position. All four candidates will be on campus next week for interviews. The four finalists are Idaho (DI) AC Claus, North Dakota (DI) AC Horner, Morehead State (DI) Associate HC Howard and Valley City State (NAIA) HC Kaminsky. - link
NSIC schools have been hesitant to participate in football satellite camps because the general newness and lack of rules related to the practice as well as limited recruiting resources make the camps a complicated issue. Augustana HC Olszewski: "Football's a pretty pure thing right now. It's one of the purest ones out there, from a recruiting standpoint, and to throw a change into that, the NCAA will certainly have to look into that and make sure that it's the best thing for student-athletes and coaches." Minnesota State Mankato HC Hoffner: "They [DI host schools] kind of have their cake and eat it too. They have all these kids come to their camp, they get to keep all the money, and they get free help on top of that. But the way we win is that we can get an upper hand on the recruitment process and get an early start on things." - link
Oklahoma Christian announced they will add intercollegiate men's and women's swimming programs for the 2017-18 academic year and five-time Olympic Medalist Davis will serve as HC. Prez deSteiguer on the additions: "Competitive swimming is a great sport with great student-athletes, It is a fantastic fit for OC and our culture of discipline and excellence. Coach Josh Davis, a five-time Olympic medalist, is perfect to lead this new program. I am thrilled about what the future holds!" - link
Shaw will add men's and women's club soccer this upcoming year with intentions of competing as NCAA DII programs in the fall of 2017. The university also named Charlotte United Futbol Club HC Cortell to lead both the Bears and Lady Bears soccer clubs. Cornell experienced great success during his five years as HC at West Virginia Tech (NAIA). - link
Illinois Springfield will use the $270K already raised as part of the First Pitch Phase Facility Campaignto install synthetic field turf on the infield at the UIS baseball field. The fundraising initiative hopes to raise a total of $1M. Assoc AD Kabbes: "Our UIS supporters and Springfield community have stepped up in a big way. This $270,000 came together in just about six months thanks to people who have a passion for UIS, our student-athletes, our coaching staff, the city of Springfield and the great game of baseball. We cannot thank them enough for jump-starting these facility upgrades." - link (), link ()
The Jule and Helen Minium Family Scholarship was recently created at West Texas A&M to give financial assistance and motivation to S-As. The scholarships will award two scholarships each year, one to a student majoring in accounting and one to a student-athlete pursuing a degree in the School of Business. Jule Minium on his support of the university: "We support WT because my accounting degree, and Helen's degree in elementary education, are what have allowed us to raise our family and to help get them set up to do the same for their families. Without WT, our family tree would look a lot different." - link
Our condolences to the family, friends and campus community of Oklahoma Panhandle State FB S-A Cameron, who died at the age of 21 in a swimming accident over the Memorial Day weekend. - link
Both Nova Southeastern and Millersville went unbeaten through their sides of the baseball bracket to set up a best-of-three series that starts today at 3pm eastern. - link (NSU), link (MU)
Five DII schools - Benedict, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Hawaii Pacific, Michigan Tech and West Alabama - were selected to take part in the NCAA CHOICES program, which provides funding for NCAA member institutions and conferences to integrate athletics departments into campus wide efforts to reduce alcohol abuse. - link
Two more conference released their all-sports trophy winners:
+ Colorado Mines won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Sports Competition Cup for the second time in school history and first time since 2011-12. - link
+ Benedict won the 2015-16 SIAC Commissioner’s Cup for the second consecutive year. - link
Admin and Olympic sport coaching movement:
+ Oklahoma Baptist has named Southern Miss (DI) Athletics Marketing Associate Moore assistant AD for marketing and promotions. - link
+ Dallas Baptist has hired North Texas (DI) Strength and Conditioning Asst. Director Trevino to be their new director of athletic performance. - link
+ Franklin Pierce has named Bridgeport AC Fazzino to be the school's first-ever HC of the women's swimming program. - link
+ Lincoln has named Oakland City WSOC HC Awotula to the same position.- link
+ Southwestern Oklahoma State has hired former Purdue (DI) softball HC Maher to take over their softball program. - link
+ Southern Wesleyan MSOC HC Rodriguez is stepping down to take an assistant coaching position at Clemson (DI).- link
Digital media updates:
+ The PBC launched a new website via PrestoSports. - link
+ Regis’ website has a new look thanks to SIDEARM Sports. - link
Recently released facility pics include:
+ Photo gallery of the new decals and paint designs on the basketball court at the Wilmington Athletics Complex. - link
+ Time lapse video of the new floor being installed at Lee's Walker Arena. - link
+ Ongoing turf installation at Bentley's football stadium. - link
Football season tickets:
+ Virginia Union season passes are $75 and a general single-game ticket will be $20. - link
+ West Georgia season tickets are now available to the general public and a minimum donation of $100 is required to get started. - link
+ Wayne State U season tix commercial. - link
Sport and department fundraising events:
+ Slippery Rock's annual Rock Football Golf Outing that took place in late April raised more than $66K for the program. - link
+ The fifth annual Slippery Rock University Basketball Golf Classic will take place on July 29. Entry fees are $90 per player and sponsorships range from $90 to $1,000. - link
+ Registration is open for the 33rd Annual Saint Martin's University Golf Classic, sponsored by Charles Schwab, which is taking place on August 5. Entry fees are $150 per player and hole sponsorships are $400. - link
+ The 12th annual Southwest Minnesota State Football Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament will be held on July 16. Entry fees are $100 per player and sponsorships range from $50 to $500. - link
General academia news:
+ The North Carolina lawmaker behind the proposal to slash tuition to $500 a semester at five public universities that serve mostly minorities announced that he is scaling back the bill after being called a racist. - link
+ Four female Virginia State employees are suing the university, citing gender-based pay inequities and accusations of sexual harassment. - link
+ Construction is wrapping up on the new library at UVa-Wise. State bonds totaling $37M are being used to fund the project. - link
+ Mascots from all the CSU schools celebrated CSU Mascot Day at the California State Capitol earlier this week. - link
+ Bloomfield valedictorian Portia Chimbirai's commencement speech was recently featured in the Huffington Post. - link
