D2.ticker - News from Wednesday, August 17 & Thursday, August 18, 2016

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Auburn Montgomery AD Herlihy resigns after a year on the job; he will be replaced on an interim basis by Assoc AD/SWA Rosa. Herlihy, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities, came to AUM with a background in DII transitions and says he hopes the program made some progress "to get aligned to what the NCAA is looking for. The thing I'm probably most proud of is that we got in the Gulf South Conference. That was a big deal for us." As for Herlihy's permanent replacement, he endorses Rosa, saying that she is "ready to make that professional leap" and has "a good repertoire with the coaches. She's a young rising star in the business. Don't tell her I said that." - link, link

Despite Oklahoma's 12 DII schools being spread across four conferences, resulting in road trips routinely in excess of 400 miles, Southeastern Oklahoma State AD Baxter has no designs on abandoning the GAC, comprised of four schools in Oklahoma and six in Arkansas. "Those schools have been very good to us. We're very happy in the Great American Conference. We don't want to leave them in a bad place." - link

The season of firsts for West Florida FB continued Wednesday as the team held its first media day, during which players discussed the buzz around campus leading up to the inaugural kickoff. WR Hasic, who transferred from Arizona State: "It is something that 50 years from now, you can't ever take that away from us. We were the first football team to be here. To play in front of the students here and see their reactions [during spring] and just to see how excited they are. It is really cool to experience this with them." And it's not just the players who are excited to see CFB on the panhandle. Prez Bense: "[Wednesday] is the kind of day presidents live for. There are not many days like this, when you know you are starting something. It has been a long journey, and we are just about to cross into a new era at the University of West Florida, and I am sure we are going to have a great time." - link

Bluefield State hires Bluefield College AC Price to be its interim MBB HC. AD Lewis calls Price a "young, up and coming coach" who brings "knowledge and experience to the position." Price, having been an AC at Bluefield since 2011, says he "ran for the chance to lead the Big Blues" and looks forward to "changing the culture of the program for the better." - link

University of the Sciences announces the addition of men's and women's T&F for the 2018 season. AD Caseiro says part of his vision since taking the position was to "add sports to enhance enrollment management. Adding Track & Field is just a small piece of that puzzle." Interim Prez Mayes has a similarly balanced view: "Our student-athletes thrive both athletically and academically at this institution. Our newest sport, track and field, will continue this legacy..." The interview process for HC is currently underway. - link

Midwestern State FB HC Maskill reflects on his expectations upon arriving at MSU and the 14 seasons since. "We weren't sure how things would work out. I liked the town, liked the university, and I thought we could go in the right direction...We've established some roots in the city. We don't know everybody, but it's been a good fit. Now here we are going into the 15th season, and we're still here." Maskill also discusses changes he's seen during his tenure and cites facilities, which he says have "changed immensely" with the addition of new practice fields, offices, weight room and locker room. Another change Maskill points out is recruiting: "One part is recruiting in May. That didn't happen when I first got here...People are getting offers earlier and making commitments earlier. We're probably behind in that. The academic requirements are getting tougher as well." More from Maskill. - link

Armstrong State cuts the ribbon on its new state-of-the-art tennis facility which includes 12 hard courts, feature lighting and electronic scoreboards. Prez Bleicken: "Over the last two decades, our tennis teams have brought home 13 national championships and had the opportunity to travel across the United States to face top-level competition. Today is a homecoming for Armstrong tennis." The complex is estimated to have cost $1M. - link

The Peach Belt and BlueJeans video enter into an agreement which makes the latter the conference's official video provider in a deal brokered by 2D Consulting. PBC Commish Brunk: "The technology they have developed is at the forefront of the industry and will allow us, as a league, to facilitate communications between our office and our member schools like never before." - link

University of the Sciences will partner with NovaCare Rehabilitation beginning this season. The agreement will provide student-athletes with access to three full-time trainers as well as a certified strength and conditioning coach. AD Caseiro: "Scott Sisson and I put in a lot of effort and hard work this summer in developing this relationship. We are hopeful our student-athletes will take full advantages of these services to get stronger, both mentally and physically." - link

In admin news:
+ RMAC Assoc Commish Danner will step down after 11 years to become executive producer of digital network for the WAC. - link
+ Tusculum Asst AD for Communications Donnelly will step down after 17 years in the position. - link
+ Nebraska Kearney names alumna Page asst AD for compliance and student services. Page currently works as an administrative specialist in the athletic office. - link

In broadcast news:
+ The NCAA announces thre three DII games of the week to be broadcast on ESPN3: Wheeling Jesuit v. West Florida in VB; St. Edwards v. Mines in Men's Soccer; and Bridgeport v. Western Washington in Women's Soccer. - link
+ Wingate announces the airing of 34 games on ESPN3 this fall. Director of Broadcasting Brown: "The national coverage our teams received on the ESPN platform [last year] was unmatched in Division II and we look forward to producing more events this year. - link
+ Augustana will launch a weekly interview and highlight show on the Midco Sports Network entitled Augustana All Access - link

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The NCAA Rules Oversight Panel approves the use of instant replay for regular season baseball games beginning in spring 2017. Reviewable plays will be limited to: fair/foul calls on HRs, determining whether a ball clears the fence for a HR, spectator interference, fair/foul calls inside the park, determining whether a ball is caught, scoring plays at home, determining whether a player should be thrown out for illegal or malicious slides, and determining whether a run scored in the case of a timing play. The panel also approves stronger penalties for the use of illegal bats and clarifies rules to distinguish more clearly when a pitcher is in the windup or the stretch. - link

Minnesota Crookston and American International raised over $13K and $10K, respectively by holding team golf tournaments earlier this month. Proceeds from both UMC's tournament will go directly toward athletic scholarships while proceeds from AIC's will go toward facilities upgrades and "improving the student-athlete experience." - link (UMC), link (AIC)

Olympic sport coaching movement:
+ Lander names Wofford AC Burke its new Baseball HC. - link
+ Mercyhurst hires former WLAX HC Cooke to take over the program for a second time. Cooke has also served as WLAX HC at Edinboro and Queens (NC). - link
+ Charleston names Manhattan WLAX HC Gainer to the same position. - link
+ Bellarmine hires alumna Musk to take over women's XC. Musk has spent the last two years as an academic advisor at the school. - link
+ Young Harris promotes AC Horoschak to WLAX HC. - link
+ Cal State East Bay names former CSU Bakersfield AC Pelton HC for women's swimming. - link
+ Cal State San Bernadino names former AC Leslie interim HC for Men's Soccer. - link
+ Southern Indiana names Wyatt men's golf HC. Wyatt will continue to also work as a private instructor. - link
+ Dominican hires San Francisco AC Visico to be HC for Women's Tennis. - link

The ECC announces it will establish a hall of fame to "honor those who have made significant contributions to the conference, while also preserving the history of the conference." Commish Dranoff: "With the creation of our ECC Hall of Fame, we will have the opportunity to recognize those who have accomplished so much through athletics and through contributions to their campus and community." - link

Notable hoops exhibitions:
+ Southern Nazarene will travel Wichita State November 29. The game will count as a regular season matchup for WSU. - link
+ McKendree announces two DI exhibition games against Southerin Illinois Edwardsville and Illinois November 5 and November 15, respectively. - link
+ Pittsburg State will travel to Stillwater for an exhibition against Oklahoma State November 1. - link

Recently released facility pics include:
+ Eastern New Mexico's new Greyhound Stadium. - link
+ A new look for West Chester's Farrell Stadium. - link
+ Lubbock Christian's new merchandise trailer. - link
+ New logo at Bridgeport's Knights Field. - link

Clayton State student-athletes took part in the Captains in Training Retreat designed to hone leadership skills. Captains from each program spent the day interacting with Prez Hynes, AD Duncan and other members of the athletics department with whom they discussed issues such as the risks and rewards of leadership, emotional intelligence and creating a personal leadership inventory. - link

Pursuit angles and swarm tackling: Student-athletes from the Midwestern State FB team helped apprehended a suspected thief after he tried to steal a bicycle from an MSU fan and "fixture on campus." At which point the football players gave chase on foot, eventually tackling the man and holding him until police arrived. Officers later confirmed that the man had stolen merchandise from a nearby mall. - link

In general academia news:
+ Glenville State Prez Barr announces his retirement, effective in June 2017. Barr, who has been in office since 2006, was GSU's 23rd president. - link
+ Emporia State's Now & Forever fundraising campaign, launched in 2013, has surpassed $50M, making it the largest campaign in school history. The original goal of $45M was passed in December. - link
+ Faculty at California of PA have been notified of potential layoffs. Officials cite enrollment challenges and program changes as the main catalysts. - link
+ Dixie State's new $22M student housing facility is nearly compete. Campus View Suites, which will house 350 students this year, is the first new residence hall at DSU in fifty years. - link
+ Minnesota-Crookston's $15M, 36K-sq-ft wellness center is open and ready for returning students. The center features two basketball courts, a second-floor track and areas for cardio and weightlifting.- link
+ North Georgia is expecting over 18,000 students across its five campuses when classes open this month. Along with the surge in students will be 70 new faculty members. Prez Jacobs attributes the increased enrollment to graduation and retention rates along with the availability of student housing. - link
+ Winston-Salem State welcomes its largest class since 2008. The class of 2020's 950 students also enters as the school implements a new strategic plan adopted earlier in the year. The plan has two main purposes: a more comprehensive liberal education approach and the opportunity to engage important questions within their disciplines and community. - link

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Director of Strategic Communications (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference / Lock Haven, PA): Eighteen-member NCAA Division II athletic conference seeks director to oversee all aspects of Conference operations with special emphasis on public relations/athletic communications activities. More HERE.

Associate Athletics Director - Strategic Engagement (Texas A&M University-Commerce / Commerce, TX): The Associate Athletics Director – Strategic Engagement is responsible for leading and managing the revenue generating units, including Lion Sports Properties, ticket sales/service, and marketing. More HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director - Compliance (Texas A&M University-Commerce / Commerce, TX): The Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance directly manages NCAA compliance. Position is also responsible for managing rules education for student-athletes, coaches and administrators. More HERE.

Director of Athletics (CETYS Universidad / Mexicali, Baja California, México): Dir.of Athletics will guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive intercollegiate athletics program for CETYS capable of competing as a member of NCAA DII. Must be fluent in Spa & Eng. More HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs (University of Arkansas at Monticello / Monticello, AR): Responsible for achieving the annual fundraising goals through efficient and effective leadership and management of annual programs and corporate sales. More HERE.

Assistant Compliance & Game Day Operations (University of Montevallo / Montevallo, AL): The purpose of this position is to assist in the daily operations of the department’s compliance program and to assist in management and coordination of all game day operations. More HERE.

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