Contents
Introduction
2 DII Facts and Figures
3 Letter from DII Vice President Terri Steeb Gronau
Championships
6
20
2014 DII Championships
National Championships Festivals
Governance
24 Committees
32 News Briefs
Honors and Awards
36 Scholarships and Grants
38 Elite 89 Honorees
40 Woman of the Year Nominees
Conferences
44
Summary of Achievements, Fall 2013-Fall 2014
Looking Ahead
70 DII Brand Enhancement
72 Communication Resources
2014 Division II Yearbook
1
FACTS AND FIGURES
300 7
Active
members
Schools in
provisional year
5
Schools in
candidacy year two
6
Schools in
candidacy year one
Life in the Balance
49/51
Percentage of public vs. private
(active members only)
3,848
Average
enrollment
Enrollment at DII active members:
Higher education has lasting importance on an individual’s future success.
For this reason, the emphasis on the student-athlete experience in
Division II is a comprehensive program of learning and development in a
personal setting. The Division II approach provides growth opportunities
through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletics competition
and development of positive societal attitudes in service to community.
The balance and integration of these different areas of learning opportunity
provide Division II student-athletes a path to graduation, while cultivating a
variety of skills and knowledge for life ahead.
121 Institutions (40.3%)
2,500-7,499 students
30 Institutions (10%)
7,500-14,999 students
143 Institutions (47.7%)
Less than 2,500 students
6 Institutions (2%)
15,000 students and above
MEN
WOMEN
Undergraduate enrollment:
Undergraduate enrollment:
504,902
649,573
(44%)
(56%)
Number of
student-athletes:
Number of
student-athletes:
65,778
46,613
(59%)
(41%)
Average number of
student-athletes:
Average number of
student-athletes:
269
137
160
130
at schools with football
at schools with football
at schools without football
at schools without football
Sports
sponsorship average:
Sports
sponsorship average:
6.9
8.0
Number of
DII championships:
Number of
DII championships:
12
13
(8,720 participants)
2
2014 Division II Yearbook
(7,929 participants)
introduction
of
nCaa is a trademark of the national Collegiate athletic association.
2014 AnnuAl
YeArbook
Celebrating the
Collegiate model
for more than
40 Years
Celebrating the Collegiate model for more than 40 Years
CONNECT WITH US!
Twitter: @NCAADII
Instagram: @NCAADII
Facebook.com/NCAADivisionII
DIVISION II 2014 ANNUAL YEARBOOK
SHARE YOUR VIEW
Student-athletes celebrate
during the Fall Festival’s
closing ceremony.
2014 Division II Yearbook
Editorial staff
Gary Brown, Josh Looney
Editors
Design and Editing
Arnel Reynon
Creative Director
Amanda Goehlert
Art Director
Martha Allan
Scott Deitch
Phyllis Mahoney
Copy editors
Sport Graphics
3423 Park Davis Circle
Indianapolis, Indiana 46235
317/899-7000
www.sportg.com
Printing
JB Graphics
Indianapolis, Indiana 46280
www.jbgraphicsinc.com
2015 copyright
The Division II Yearbook is produced
annually and distributed at the
NCAA Convention as a benefit
of membership. All content is
copyright of the NCAA. Any content
that is reproduced in print or online
without written or expressed
permission is strictly prohibited.
DII strives to reflect
the collegiate model
Last year in this space I joined with the entire
Division II membership in celebrating our 40th
anniversary as a collection of like-minded institutions and people who work tirelessly to make the
student-athlete experience the best it can be. Last
year was indeed a time to honor – and be joyous
about – our rich history.
I also promised that our future was even brighter
than our past. Now that the calendar has turned over
another year, I am even more certain of that claim.
There’s been a lot of public debate lately about
the collegiate model and how it is being threatened
by financial and legal pressures. Most of that debate
– and most of the pressures – don’t directly concern
Division II, but how we as a division help shape the
collegiate model certainly does.
When we talk about “the collegiate model,”
what do we mean? I’d like to think Division II is a
spot-on example of how we define it.
Ideally, the collegiate model of athletics is one
in which students are afforded ample opportunity to
participate in varsity sports at a highly competitive
level and benefit from the attributes inherent within
that participation, such as leadership, teamwork,
self-discipline, commitment, sportsmanship and
building lifelong relationships.
But the collegiate model should also afford student-athletes the opportunity to explore their varied
academic and social interests, to grow as productive citizens and to contribute to their communities.
As I see it, the collegiate model embraces:
• Family
• Access
• Opportunity
• Leadership Development
• Education and Graduation
I believe we are in a position to talk about “the
Division II model” portraying what “the collegiate
model” is supposed to be.
We are implementing a brand-enhancement
campaign this year to emphasize what we as a division provide: high-level athletics competition,
the highest access ratio for postseason championships, a commitment to community engagement,
and legislation that strategically (and without undo
burden) allows our membership to enhance the student-athlete experience.
introduction
We are fortunate as a division to be in a position
of fiscal strength in order to implement these philosophies. This year, we operated on a surplus and
found a way to expand our championship brackets
(Division II already had the best access ratio of the
three divisions).
Our ability to fund initiatives that enhance the
student-athlete experience is not by accident. Rather, it is because of you. Our membership’s longstanding commitment to strategic planning and the
kind of innovative thinking that hundreds of volunteers in our governance structure display annually
is why Division II is what it is today. We as a membership have built upon our foundation and have
abided by our established principles for 41 years.
Are there challenges ahead? Certainly. Perhaps
most pressing is the restructuring in Division I that
allows conferences more autonomy to align legislation with resources. It remains to be seen how the
autonomy philosophy will affect the entire Division I membership, and possibly Division II, and
whether it may prompt thoughts of reclassification
for some Division I members.
As such, we will continue to refine the Division II
membership process and plan for strategic growth,
regardless of what happens in other divisions. We
will always act in the best interests of Division II.
My commitment to you as Division II vice president is to continue to build Division II as the example of the collegiate model. We at the national office
will operate with integrity and a focus on service to
you, our membership.
This is my leadership promise that I hope will
support last year’s promise of a future that builds
on our past to continue making our division great.
Terri Steeb Gronau
Division II Vice President
2014 Division II Yearbook
3
HIPS
ONS
MPI
CHA
WINTER
D i v i s i o n II w o m e n ’ s b a s k e t b a l l
Semifinals
Bentley 77, Cal Poly Pomona 62
West Texas A&M 80, Nova Southeastern 66
Senior Lauren
Battista celebrates
Bentley’s first
women’s basketball
championship.
Harry Scull Jr. / NCAA Photos
6
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
championship
Bentley 73,
West Texas A&M 65
Heading into the championship game of the NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament, the undefeated Bentley
women’s basketball team hadn’t faced too many deficits in the
2013-14 season.
But in the final, the Falcons found themselves down nine
points (58-49) – which matched the most they had trailed this
season – to West Texas A&M with 5:37 left in the game.
Being in the unfamiliar spot of playing from behind didn’t
rattle the Falcons. Instead their championship pedigree came
through as they rallied for a 73-65 victory March 28 in Erie,
Pennsylvania.
A full-court press called by coach Barbara Stevens was the
key strategy that helped change the momentum and give the
35-0 Falcons their first NCAA title in the sport. It also marked
the first national championship for Stevens, who has won 917
games in her 37-year coaching career.
“Am I dreaming? Is this
real? I can’t tell you what a
tremendous ride this has been
for our coaching staff and our
Bentley community with these
young ladies,” said Stevens,
who has been at Bentley since
1986. “Proud of them doesn’t
even begin to describe how
I feel. I get emotional when I
think of them because we’ve
gone through so much together. They are truly champions.
They have been champions in
our book from day one.”
Jacqui Brugliera, the tournament’s Most Outstanding
Player, led Bentley with 17
points. All-tournament selections Courtney Finn and
Lauren Battista added 21 and
14 points respectively for the
Falcons. All three players are
seniors, and knowing it was
the final game of their careers
helped fuel the improbable
comeback.
Above: Bentley head coach
“The clock was ticking
Barbara Stevens savors the
down under five (minutes),
first national championship
then under four (minutes),”
in her 37-year hall-of-fame
coaching career.
Battista said. “We were down
by a decent amount. At that
point, with my career on the line – the seven seniors, really,
with our careers on the line – the national championship at
stake, we need to make big plays.”
Devin Griffin led West Texas A&M (32-3) with 20 points in
the championship game. – Greg Johnson
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s I n d o o r T r a c k a n d F i e l d
Team Results
1st: Adams St., 67
2nd: Johnson C. Smith, 59
3rd: Lincoln (MO), 47
Chuck Hammork
(left) contributed
nine points, six
assists and 12
rebounds in Central
Missouri’s title win
over West Liberty.
Joe Robbins / NCAA Photos
Adams State’s women’s indoor track team ventured to Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, in search of its second indoor championship. The team entered the March 14-15 event ranked third in the nation, boasting a new coach
and 14 athletes – across an array of disciplines – on the U.S. Track & Field
and Cross Country Coaches Association’s all-region teams. Grizzlies’ head
coach Rock Light returned to his alma mater this season to lead the school’s
track and field program.
Ironically, at a school known for its talented distance runners, a sprinter
led the way. After a stellar season in which she was named all-region in four
events, senior Kayon Robinson lived up to her résumé when it mattered most.
Robinson helped earn 20 of the Grizzlies’ 67 points, winning the 400-meter
dash, finishing third in the 200, and contributing to the Grizzlies’ fifth-place
finish in the 1,600-meter relay. – Brian Burnsed
D i v i s i o n II m e n ’ s b a s k e t b a l l
Semifinals
Central Mo. 71, Metro St. 69
West Liberty 86, S.C. Aiken 83
championship
Central Mo. 84, West Liberty 77
Sometimes a little tough love can lead to a special moment.
Central Missouri senior Chuck Hammork can attest to this philosophy after helping the Mules capture the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship with an 84-77 victory over West Liberty in the
March 29 final in Evansville, Indiana.
During a midseason tournament in Las Vegas in 2013, Central Missouri coach Kim Anderson sent Hammork back to campus for not having
a good attitude toward the coaching staff or his teammates.
Hammork apologized, and a year later he found himself cutting
down the nets with his teammates after contributing nine points, six
assists and 12 rebounds in the championship game – the Mules’ first
men’s basketball title since 1984.
“Here’s the thing about ol’ Chuck,” Anderson said, growing emotional
in the postgame news conference. “Chuck and I have been through a lot.
If I was going down, I was going down with Chuck.”
But defense played as big a role in the victory as Hammork’s heroics. The Mules (30-5) held West Liberty (31-4) to 24 points below its
nation-leading 101 points-per-game average.
“Defense was the difference at the end,” said Daylen Robinson, the
tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 16 of his 21 points in
the second half. “Coach Anderson said, ‘We need stops the last four minutes,’ and that’s just what we did. We knew we had to contest their shots,
or they would score a bunch of points.” – Greg Johnson
Right: Danielle Williams
of Johnson C. Smith
races to victory in the
200-meter dash, while
Adams State’s team
(above) marks its second
team championship.
Bruce Chapman / NCAA Photos
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
7
The Drury women’s and men’s teams cheer during the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay at the Division II Swimming and Diving Championships.
D i v i s i o n II m e n ’ s
swimming and diving
David Richard / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II w o m e n ’ s
swimming and diving
TEAM RESULTS
1st: Drury, 569.5
2nd: Fla. Southern, 361
3rd: Wayne St. (MI), 358.5
Team Results
1st: Drury, 486
2nd: Wayne St. (MI), 419
3rd: Queens (NC), 368.5
This kind of dominance doesn’t happen
Though members of the Drury women’s
by accident.
swimming and diving team didn’t step into
Drury men’s swimming and diving
double-digit championship streak territory
earned the team title at the Division II
this spring like their counterparts on the
Men’s Swimming and Diving Championmen’s team did, the women did further
ships on March 15 at the Spire Institute in
their dominance at the Division II Women’s
Drury head coach Brian Reynolds (lower right) celebrates with his teams after
Geneva, Ohio. The championship was the they each captured national titles.
Swimming and Diving Championships.
10th consecutive for the Panthers, ranking
And they had the same advantage as
the school among other elite programs that have dominated their sports with a
the men as they headed into the championships: a swimming culture
double-digit title streak.
that many of them had grown up with, one amplified by their head
Drury is among only eight teams in NCAA history that have won 10 champicoach, Brian Reynolds.
onship titles in a row.
Reynolds is also the coach at the Springfield Aquatics Swim Club
So dominant was Drury in the pool that its win, on the men’s side, was nearly
and has nursed the culture of swimming in the town; this year, a halfcertain by the end of the second day of the four-day event. Senior Nick McCarthy
dozen local swimmers are on the men’s and women’s swimming and
– who had placed 17th, 16th and ninth in his previous 50-yard freestyle efforts at
diving teams at Drury.
the championships – captured first, with freshman teammate Daniel Radzkowski
This season’s men’s and women’s championships came in Reyntaking second to help the Panthers create a comfortable first-day lead.
olds’ 31st year of coaching the men and 26th year as coach of the womDrury pulled further ahead the next day, when the 200-yard free relay team of
en. Altogether, Reynolds has won 12 national team titles with the men
Radzkowski, junior Sean Feher, junior Samuel Olson and McCarthy took first in
and 10 with the women. He also held several NAIA titles before Drury
an NCAA-record time of 1:19.00.
joined NCAA Division II.
“I try not to think of the number as 10 because almost every year I kind of just
“We all went through prep, then we all went to club and right
put the trophy on the shelf and go into the next year,” coach Brian Reynolds told
through to college,” sophomore Gretchen Stein told the hometown
the Springfield News-Leader. “I can’t say that winning 10 in a row is something
newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader. “I feel like everybody, we’ve
that most coaches dream about. I’m thrilled that it’s going to happen for the men.”
all swam together for so long it feels like … everybody is a brother or
– Amy Wimmer Schwarb
sister.” – Amy Wimmer Schwarb
8
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
D i v i s i o n II w r e s t l i n g
TEAM RESULTS
1st: Notre Dame (OH), 99.5
2nd: Neb.-Kearney, 64.5
3rd: Maryville (MO), 58.5
Jason Miller / NCAA Photos
Eric Burgey of Notre Dame (Ohio) celebrates with fans after he defeated Chris Watson of Central Oklahoma to win the
165-pound weight class at the Division II Men’s Wrestling Championships.
Notre Dame (Ohio) is new to the athletics
scene in Division II. But it is already making its presence known, all because of a head
coach who has been known in Ohio wrestling for decades.
In only their second year as a member of
Division II, the Falcons brought home the
team title at the Division II Wrestling Championships on March 15. The man at the coaching helm is Frank Romano, who not only
started the wrestling program in 2007, but led
it to two NAIA titles in 2010 and 2011.
The overwhelming victory for Notre Dame
(Ohio) included four individual titles. The
school’s title winners were Jonatan Rivera at
157 pounds; Eric Burgey at 165 pounds; Joey
Davis at 174 pounds; and Garrett Lineberger
at 184 pounds. Davis won a dramatic showdown against another Ohio native, three-time
All-American Adam Walters of Findlay. –
Amy Wimmer Schwarb
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s I n d o o r T r a c k a n d F i e l d
Team Results
1st: Saint Augustine’s, 84.5
2nd: Adams St., 83
3rd: Ashland, 48
George Williams took the reins of Saint Augustine’s track program in
1976. Thirty-four men’s and women’s track and field championships later –
both indoor and outdoor – he insists winning hasn’t gotten old.
“Every championship is a different championship,” he said after Saint
Augustine’s men’s team captured its second consecutive national indoor
title. “I have a good group of kids who believed. When they believe, they
can (achieve).”
The team’s success was built upon a season in which the Division II school
with little more than 1,400 students competed against elite Division I talent. The Falcons traveled to meets held by Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North
Carolina and Penn State before squaring off against conference foes in the
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Championships, which they won
easily. It was the 17th consecutive conference title for Saint Augustine’s.
Their victory in the NCAA championships didn’t come quite as easily.
After falling behind Adams State in the penultimate event – the 3,000-meter
run – the Falcons needed to dominate the 1,600-meter relay. As expected,
they did, crossing the line a second faster than second-place Tiffin.
“It was very close, but we pulled it out,”
Williams said. “It’s always a team effort.”
– Brian Burnsed
Bruce Chapman / NCAA Photos
Members of Saint Augustine’s men’s indoor track team celebrate after successfully
defending their national title, edging Adams State by 1.5 points. The Grizzlies had
plenty to cheer about, though, as senior Wesley Lavong (left) won the shot put with a
throw of 19.5 meters.
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
9
SPRING
Kendra Foley of Grand Valley State (left), and
Courtney Anderson of Cal State Stanislaus
compete in the 5,000-meter run.
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s
Outdoor Track and Field
Team Results
1st: Lincoln (MO), 64 2nd: Johnson C. Smith, 59 3rd: Grand Valley St., 53
It was a nail-biting finish May 24 at the Division II Women’s
Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with one point separating
the leader, Lincoln (Missouri), from second-place Johnson C. Smith
heading into the final event: the 1,600-meter relay.
The Lincoln foursome of Willomena Williams, Jhevere Hall, Donna-Lee Hylton and Tamara Keane stepped to the line in Allendale,
Michigan, knowing they held the fastest time in the division, and that
didn’t change after the women sprinted through four laps in a winning time of 3:37.29. The effort secured the national title for the Blue
Tigers by five points. Johnson C. Smith finished second, and host
Grand Valley State placed third.
Momentum for the Lincoln women began to build early in the finals, when the 400-meter relay team of Janelle Riley, Yanique Ellington, Kimberly Bailey and Janae Johnson took the top prize. Ten Lincoln athletes posted 12 All-America performances throughout the day.
It was the seventh outdoor track and field championship for the
Lincoln program and the first since 2009. – Rachel Stark
10
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
Lincoln’s Tamara
Keane celebrates
a title-clinching
relay victory.
Rob Kurtycz / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II WOMEN ’ S GOL F
Entering the season, members of the Lynn women’s golf team knew
they had the right pieces to win a national title. All five of the golfers
from the Fighting Knights’ 2013 national championship team had returned, making them the obvious squad to beat.
Yet no one could. Lynn won tournament after tournament – 11 in all –
and went undefeated against Division II opponents. Then, May 17 at the
Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, North Carolina, the Fighting Knights
put the exclamation point on their special season, winning the sport’s top
honors over Barry by 29 shots. Lynn finished with a four-round score of
1,164, the second lowest in Division II championship history.
It was the 22nd national championship (including 11 NCAA titles)
for the school based in Boca Raton, Florida, and fifth for the women’s
golf program, including three NCAA titles.
Lynn’s Louise Manalo notched a 72-hole program record score of 287
to win the individual title. Teammate Jessica Bradley, the PING Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year, finished one stroke
back in second, and All-American Samantha Smolen tied for 10th. All
three are expected to return next season. Rounding out the group’s efforts were seniors Irene Calvo and Ellen Chambers, who tied for 23rd.
“This group of five players have done so many good things,” Lynn
coach Danny Randolph told the Sun-Sentinel. “It was a pretty magical
season.” – Rachel Stark
Rob Kurtycz / NCAA Photos
Elijha Owens (5) of Ashland and Myles Hunter of Minnesota State Mankato compete
in the finals of the 110-meter hurdles at Grand Valley State. Hunter finished second
in 13.96 seconds, and Owens was third.
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s O u t d o o r T r a c k a n d F i e l d
Lynn junior Louise
Manalo shot a 3-overpar 287 to win the
individual national title.
Grant Halverson /
NCAA Photos
TEAM RESULTS:
1st: Lynn, 294-297-291-282 – 1,164
2nd: Barry, 305-289-301-298 – 1,193
3rd: Tarleton St., 300-299296-399 – 1,195
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1st: Louise Manalo, Lynn,
72-73-74-68 – 287
2nd: Jessica Bradley, Lynn,
72-76-69-71 – 288
3rd: Rebecka Surtevall,
Arkansas Tech,
78-71-75-67 – 291
Team results
1st: Saint Augustine’s, 112
2nd: Adams St., 67
3rd: Ashland, 53
The Saint Augustine’s men’s track and field team added to the resume of
their legendary coach, George Williams.
The Falcons scored 104 of their 112 points on the final day, May 24, to
win the Division II Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Michigan.
This latest title for Saint Augustine’s gives Williams, who has been coaching since 1976, a total of 35 combined men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor
NCAA championships over the course of his career.
The Falcons also won back-to-back men’s outdoor track and field national
championships.
“I am always thankful for a championship,” Williams
said. “It never gets old. To see young student-athletes
develop on the track and in the classroom is amazing.”
Adams State and Ashland finished a distant second and third with 67 and 53 points respectively.
Traditionally, the Falcons are led by a
strong array of sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. It was the case this time, too.
Saint Augustine’s won four events and
scored multiple points in several more to win
comfortably.
The Falcons cemented the title in the
men’s 200-meter dash as five sprinters
competed in the finals. Joshua Edmonds placed second in 20.78 and
Jermaine Jones took third. Burkheart Ellis Jr. finished fifth, Taffawee Johnson placed sixth and Daniel
Jameison came in ninth. – Greg Johnson
Jermaine Jones anchors Saint Augustine’s
400-meter relay team. The Falcons won the
event and defended their national title.
2014 Division II Yearbook
11
D i v i s i o n II SO F TBALL
The final game of the Division II Softball Championship was
expected to be a high-scoring affair with the offense that West
Texas A&M and Valdosta State brought to the park May 26 in
Salem, Virginia.
Pitchers Rita Hokianga and Brianna Hancock had different ideas
as they both put up zeroes on the scoreboard for six innings.
Finally, with two outs in the top of the seventh, West Texas A&M
sophomore second baseman Brittany Gehle hit a three-run homer to
give the Lady Buffs a 3-0 lead. It was Gehle’s only hit in four games
at the final site.
“I was just saving it all until the end,” said Gehle, whose team
finished the season 60-7.
Last season, West Texas A&M coach Kevin Blaskowski had
Gehle second in the batting order, but he moved her to the ninth
position this season.
“I went to Brittany and told her it was not a demotion moving
to the nine spot,” Blaskowski said. “We needed her down there
because that’s the second leadoff position for us. That’s a key
spot in our lineup.”
Valdosta State, 48-15, didn’t go down without a fight in the
bottom of the inning. After the first two hitters made outs, Morgan
Butler and Heather Robinson hit back-to-back solo homers to pull
the Blazers to within a run.
Hokianga, a native of New Zealand, ended the game with her
eighth strikeout.
“Half the country of New Zealand followed us now in social media,” Blaskowski said. “I got messages from people over there wishing us luck. It was the middle of the night over there.” – Greg Johnson
Andres Alonso / NCAA Photos
CHAMPIONSHIP
West Texas A&M 3, Valdosta St. 2
Above: Tori Bayer and Brittany Gehle
celebrate with Jessica Sipe (right), whose
three-run homer put the Lady Buffs in
position to win the championship. Right:
West Texas A&M pitcher Rita Hokianga
limited Valdosta State to four hits.
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s T e n n i s
Semifinals
Armstrong 5, Saint Leo 0
Barry 5, Hawaii Pacific 1
Championship
Barry 5, Armstrong 4
For two years, Barry marched through the regular season undefeated. For
two years, its campaign ended in NCAA tournament losses to Armstrong.
This year, Barry once again entered the tournament undefeated against Division II opponents – their lone regular-season loss
coming against Division I North Florida – and, once
again, the Buccaneers were forced to square off with
the nemesis that had left the lone blemishes on two
years of painstaking work.
This time, though, Barry conquered Armstrong in
the tournament final, earning the NCAA championship with a 5-4 victory May 17 in Altamonte Springs,
Florida. It was the school’s second title in four years,
but those bitter defeats made it sweeter than the first.
“The first one, we didn’t really know what to expect. It just kind of happened,” Barry head coach Avi
Kigel said. “We were in the hunt the last two years, but we just couldn’t get
over the hump. I think this one is a little more special.”
Barry epitomized dominance, dropping only one match through the
first three rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Barry’s squad was littered with nationally ranked singles players, three
of whom – Emma Onila, Karina Goia and Linda Fritschken – finished the
season in the top 20. Additionally, sophomore Kimmy Twelker posted a
15-0 record. – Brian Burnsed
12
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
Barry’s Karina Goia
backhands a shot from
Armstrong’s Barbora
Krtickova. Inset: Kimmy
Twelker gets fired up
on her way to defeating
Armstrong’s Olga
Kalodzitsa to clinch
the title for Barry.
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II MEN ’ S TENNIS
The championship matchup at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida, didn’t disappoint when undefeated
West Florida and undefeated Hawaii
Championship
West Florida 5, Hawaii Pacific 3 Pacific emerged from their respective
sides of the bracket.
Neither did the
subsequent title showdown. West Florida
won its third Division II men’s tennis
title, but not without a
dogfight from Hawaii
Pacific, which for the
fourth time in its hisWest
tory had to settle for
Florida’s
second.
Elio Latella returns
The Argos jumped
the ball during
to
a
3-0 lead in doubles
his singles match
but
singles were noagainst Hawaii
where near as easy, as
Pacific’s Clemens
the Sea Warriors won
Graute.
three of four matches
to close within one at
4-3. But as it turned
out, the final two matches at Sanlando Park went West Florida’s way,
with the only question being who would clinch first.
The answer was the Argonauts’ Tony Rajaobelina, a senior who
got to deliver the school’s first title since back-to-back wins in 200405. Rajaobelina defeated Jaume Martinez-Vich, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
“We knew it was not over after winning the three doubles,” Rajaobelina
said. “We had to take the example and fight on each court. We knew it was
going to be hard to win this one.” – Amy Wimmer Schwarb
SEMIFINALS
West Florida 5, Armstrong 2
Hawaii Pacific 5, Barry 1
Grant Halverson / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II BASEBALL
CHAMPIONSHIP
Southern Ind. 3, Colorado Mesa 2 (12 innings)
Southern Indiana players
celebrate with the trophy
after a 3-2 win over
Colorado Mesa.
The season started with modest predictions: Southern Indiana was picked by
Great Lakes Valley Conference coaches to finish third in the East Division. The
Screaming Eagles’ early season hopes were simply to qualify for the conference tournament for the first time in three years.
The season ended with senior Matt Bowles drawing a bases-loaded walk to
bring home the winning run in a 3-2, 12-inning victory over Colorado Mesa,
giving the fast-rising Eagles their second Division II baseball crown.
That unexpected rise came to be defined by the monumental career improvements of several key players: Junior outfielder Kyle Kempf led the Eagles with
a .342 batting average, a 71-point improvement over his 2013 season; Jonathon Wandling, who transferred for his senior season from Kentucky Wesleyan,
went 10-1 in 16 starts after going 8-11 in his first three seasons; and senior
Caleb Eickhoff, who batted a career-best .300 after moving from shortstop to
second base, saw a 75-point improvement over the previous season. All three
earned first-team all-GLVC honors.
That core helped a team that started the year 2-4 post an exhilarating revival.
Southern Indiana upset No. 6 Grand Valley State in its home opener, then won 37 of
its final 42 regular-season games to capture the top seed in the GLVC tournament.
Southern Indiana then beat the top four ranked teams in the NCAA tournament —
including Tampa, top ranked all year with a 54-4 record — and
closed out its run with a win that tied the longest championship
game in Division II history. – Brian Hendrickson
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
Southern Indiana’s
Matt Chavarria forces
out Jordan Liester
(32) of Colorado
Mesa at second base
during the title game.
West Florida’s Bruno Savi and Tony Rajaobelina celebrate after defeating
Petr Michnev and Thibaud Berland, the first of three doubles matches
West Florida won in the Division II final.
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
13
D i v i s i o n II R o w i n g
Tim Crouch of Florida Southern urges a birdie
putt to go in during the Division II Men’s Golf
Championships. Crouch earned medalist
honors with a three-round total of 213.
AJ Mast / NCAA Photos
Bill Streicher / NCAA Photos
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s G o l f
After capturing the 2013 national championship, Barry head
coach Jimmy Stobs worried that lingering contentment might dull
his team’s competitive edge. So his message from the season’s outset
was clear: Last year is over.
Message received.
The Buccaneers captured their second consecutive national
championship when they bested Nova Southeastern 3-1-1 in the
final at The Meadows golf course in Allendale, Michigan.
“In the first team meeting, we talked about being complacent.
They were not,” Stobs said. “It’s hard enough to win once, but to
repeat, it’s really sweet.”
The Buccaneers finished either first or second in all eight of their
tournaments throughout the spring. The team was paced by sophomore Adam Svensson, who averaged a mere 70.05 strokes per round
through the 37 competitive rounds he played this season, including
a 68 in the final round at Allendale that left him one stroke short of a
national title in individual play.
The championship marked Stobs’ third in the past eight seasons.
When he accepted the trophy, his players rushed behind him and hoisted
him up on their shoulders. It was a fitting scene; the enduring success of
Barry’s golf program rests on his shoulders, after all. – Brian Burnsed
Semifinals
Championship
Nova Southeastern def. Malone, 3-2 Barry def. Nova Southeastern, 3-1-1
Barry def. Chico St., 3-2
Individual Results
1st: Tim Crouch, Fla. Southern, 74-71-68 – 213
2nd: Adam Svensson, Barry, 71-75-68 – 214
3rd: Santiago Gomez, Nova Southeastern,
71-71-73 – 215
Barry sophomore
Adam Svensson tees off
May 23 during the Division II Men’s
Golf Championships. Svensson, who
finished second individually, helped Barry
win its second straight team title.
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
14
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
Above: Rowers compete in a tight eights grand final during the championships in
Indianapolis. Just two seconds separated first and third in the race. Below: The Humbolt
State team celebrates on the podium.
Team Results
1st: Humboldt St., 16
2nd: Nova Southeastern, 15
3rd: Western Wash., 14
At the Division II Women’s Rowing Championships, a photo finish decided
the difference between second and third place in the
Joe Robbins / NCAA Photos
eights, the final event of the
weekend, and ultimately determined the champion.
The tight three-team final – just two points separated first from third, and two
seconds separated them in the final race – included only one team that had not
been ranked in the top three in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll.
And that team, Humboldt State of Arcata, California, ranked sixth coming into this
season, won the title.
“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think this was the year this was going
to happen,” Humboldt State coach Robin Meiggs said after the win. “Everyone
continued to point forward toward the goal of getting back to nationals, but to win
the national championship is unbelievable.”
Unbelievable, despite the fact that the rowing championship is the second in three
years for Humboldt State, which edged defending champion Nova Southeastern for
the win. In third place was Humboldt State’s regional rival, Western Washington.
In the fours, Western Washington placed first in 7:59.30, followed closely
by Nova Southeastern in 8:01.60. Humboldt State placed a distant third in
8:23.50. That lineup left only one shot for Humboldt State to win the title in
the grand final the following day. In the eights, Humboldt State would have
to place first, with Nova Southeastern second and Western Washington third.
But Western Washington pulled ahead early in the race.
Humboldt State overtook Nova Southeastern in the first 750
meters, and by the 1,000-meter halfway point, the Jacks of
Humboldt State were closing in on Western Washington.
Then, they pulled ahead, winning by nearly two seconds. And Nova Southeastern, too, topped Western Washington – by just .62 seconds – setting up Humboldt State
for its second rowing championship. – Amy Wimmer Schwarb
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s L a c r o s s e
Larry French / NCAA Photos
Calyl Robinson (right) of Limestone moves to shoot against
Octavio Bernabo of LIU Post during the Division II Men’s Lacrosse
Championship in Baltimore. Robinson, a junior, scored one of
Limestone’s 12 goals in the championship game.
SEMIFINALS
LIU Post 12, Adelphi 9
Limestone 14, Tampa 10
CHAMPIONSHIP
Limestone 12, LIU Post 6
The memories of a disappointing loss in
the 2012 national championship game were
still fresh for Limestone’s seniors as the lacrosse team headed into its 15th straight appearance in
the NCAA tournament with a 16-1 record.
“We played in this game in 2012 and ended up losing to
a team we had beaten a couple weeks before,” said Todd
Nakasuji, who took home Elite 89 honors at both the 2012
championship and this year’s. “That left a bitter taste in our
mouths, and we knew as seniors we would do whatever it
took to have a different outcome. We came up here and treated it like a business trip. We were going to win the championship game this time, and we got it done.”
The team “got it done” May 25 in a 12-6 win over LIU
Post at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The Saints had something else going for them, too: a
hometown crowd, 500 miles from home. Some of the team’s
top players and many alumni of the Gaffney, South Carolina,
college call the Baltimore area home.
“Baltimore,” Limestone coach J.B. Clarke said, “is a special place for us and for our fans.”
One of those natives, Joey Rotolone – who spent last season mostly on the bench as a reserve midfielder – got things
off to a good start when he scored the team’s first goal on a
crank shot at the 10:51 mark of the first quarter. The crowd
erupted when the ball hit the back of the net.
As Rotolone told his hometown newspaper, The Capital: “I
wanted to be one of the guys that my teammates could count
on and who made a difference.” – Amy Wimmer Schwarb
Left: Adelphi’s Jacqueline Williams, the
Division II Defender of the Year, chases
Lock Haven’s Chelsea Borrino. Below:
Adelphi ends its perfect season by
winning the championship trophy.
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s L a c r o s s e
Semifinals
Lock Haven 10, Lindenwood (MO) 9
Adelphi 17, LIU Post 10
Championship
Adelphi 7, Lock Haven 5
What happens when you combine the nation’s top defense
with its second-most-potent offense? No need for a calculator,
the answer is simple: 22-0.
Adelphi’s undefeated season, which was capped by a 7-5
NCAA-championship-clinching win May 18 over Lock Haven in Salem, Virginia, was born from a defense that allowed
1.3 fewer goals per game than any other team in the nation
and an offense that netted 17.3 goals per contest.
The Panthers’ stifling defense was anchored by Jacqueline
Williams, who was named Division II Defender of the Year
by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association, and goalkeeper Taylor Hayes, whose 4.81 season goalsagainst average was nearly a full goal better than secondplace Chrissy Baffuto of Lock Haven.
The offensive numbers are equally impressive. Three Panthers – Devan Crimi, Alexa Froccaro and Jackie Jahelka – finished the season in the top 50 in the nation in goals per game,
and Crimi led the nation with 83 total goals. Despite controlling
games on both ends of the field all season long, Adelphi players
didn’t take their championship performance for granted.
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” Froccaro said. “It
was everything I thought it would be.” – Brian Burnsed
Andres Alonso / NCAA Photos
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
15
FALL
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s C r o s s C o u n t r y
Team Results
1st: Grand Valley St., 50
2nd: Hillsdale, 115
3rd: Minn. Duluth, 118
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos
Top: Kendra Foley (No. 88), Allyson Winchester (No. 94) and Jessica Janecke (No. 90)
finished 1-2-3 to help Grand Valley State win the women’s cross country team title.
Above: Parts of the course resembled a steeplechase due to three days of rain prior
to the championship.
16
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
Individual Results
1st: Kendra Foley, Grand Valley St., 21:05.8
2nd: Allyson Winchester, Grand Valley St., 21:11.5
3rd: Jessica Janecke, Grand Valley St., 21:14.7
Grand Valley State cross country coach Jerry Baltes knew heading into
the women’s national championship on Dec. 6 in Louisville that his team
had at least three runners who could claim the individual title.
Kendra Foley, Allyson Winchester and Jessica Janecke had all taken
turns as frontrunner throughout the season – on a team so deep that even
when Foley sat out the Midwest Region championships to rest an injured
foot, the Lakers still won their 14th straight regional by more than 30 points.
Baltes wasn’t shocked, then, to see sophomore Foley cross the finish line first at nationals, followed by senior Winchester in second and
Janecke, a junior, in third.
The championship course at Louisville’s E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State
Park was shortened to avoid one messy turn, a result of heavy rain in the
days leading up to the meet. The women’s race, made up of 32 teams and
25 additional individual runners, covered 5.78 kilometers – 220 meters
shorter than the typical women’s race. Cool temperatures, a soft, mudsoaked ground and rain puddles made for challenging conditions.
Emily Frith of Bellarmine, which hosted the meet as part of the Division II National Championships Festival, placed fourth. – Rachel Stark
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s C r o s s C o u n t r y
Team Results
1st: Adams St., 69
2nd: Grand Valley St., 127
3rd: Augustana (SD), 136
Individual Results
1st: Tabor Stevens, Adams St., 30:02.0
2nd: Aaron Dinzeo, California (PA), 30:19.3
3rd: Mike Biwott, American Int’l, 30:26.5
With an impressive record of finishing first or second in every Division II
Men’s Cross Country Championships since 2003, Adams State has become
the team to beat. But on a cold, gray day Dec. 6 in Louisville on a wet,
muddy course, nobody was able to do it.
Grizzlies senior Tabor Stevens defended his individual title on the
9.65-kilometer course – shortened because of a rain-soaked portion – crossing the line in 30:02.0.
Stevens and his teammates totaled 69 points to secure the national title
once again. Grand Valley State placed second with 127 points and Augustana (South Dakota) was third with 136.
Adams State junior Kevin Batt, who was runner-up in the 2012 national championships, finished fourth. Senior Matthew Daniels, who sat out five weeks of the season with
an injured heel, crossed the line one spot back.
Individually, Aaron Dinzeo of California (Pennsylvania) was the runner-up in 30:19.3.
American International’s Mike Biwott took third in 30:26.5.
Stevens entered the race expecting a challenge due to the conditions. He was ready.
“I was mentally prepared, knowing that maybe I’d fall or maybe I’d slip a lot,” Stevens said. “I just prepared for things that might throw me off my game.” – Rachel Stark
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos
Tabor Stevens (left) wins his
second straight individual title,
traversing the muddy course at
E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in
Louisville, Kentucky. Stevens’
win helped the Adams State
Grizzlies win the team title.
D i v i s i o n II F i e l d H o c k e y
Millersville lived up to its
top defensive ranking by shutting out LIU Post, 1-0, Dec. 6
in the final of the Division II
Championship
Field Hockey Championship
Millersville 1, LIU Post 0
at Trager Stadium on the University of Louisville campus.
“I am just so happy for these guys,” said Millersville head coach
Shelly Behrens, who won a national title as a player at Old Dominion. “From where this program has come when I got here seven years
ago until now, winning a national title, it’s really just unfathomable.”
When Behrens arrived in 2007, the Marauders were coming
off a 4-14 season and had not had a winning record since 1998.
Millersville reached the national semifinals a season ago before
completing the journey this year.
It was the 14th time this season that the Marauders held their
opponents scoreless, four more than any other Division II team.
Millersville also led the nation in goals-against average and was
fourth in save percentage.
After a scoreless first half, Millersville tallied the game’s only
goal at the 46:10 mark on a penalty corner. Sarah Bomberger sent
a pass to Rachel Dickinson, who smashed a shot from just inside
the circle. The shot was deflected by an LIU Post defender, and
Olivia Hershey was able to redirect the ball into the net.
The Pioneers had several chances late in the game, including several penalty corners, but they were not able to convert
due to the staunch Marauder defense and the play of goalie
Lauren Sotzin. – Mark Bedics
Semifinals
Millersville 2, West Chester 1 (ot)
LIU Post 3, Stonehill 2
Millersville’s Rachel Dickinson defends a corner during the Division II
Field Hockey Championship game. Dickinson scored the only goal in
the Marauders’ 1-0 win over LIU Post.
Joe Robbins / NCAA Photos
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
17
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s S o c c e r
Semifinals
Grand Valley St. 1*, Saint Rose 1 (2 ot)
Rollins 1, Colorado Mines 0
*Advanced on penalty kicks, 3-0
Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos
No stranger to the Division II Women’s Soccer
Championship, Grand Valley State won its second consecutive national title and fourth in six years Dec. 6 at Championship
Bellarmine by beating Rollins, 3-0, and preventing the Grand Valley St. 3, Rollins 0
Tars from winning their first national championship.
The experienced Grand Valley State squad got off to a fast start despite fighting a
steady first-half wind, getting a goal from senior forward Jenny Shaba in the seventh minute. Shaba’s first-time finish off a serve into the box from freshman Gabriella Mencotti
put the Lakers on the board.
Shaba’s goal would hold as the only score until the 54th minute when sophomore Kendra Stauffer extended the Lakers’ lead with a chip shot over the head of Rollins goalkeeper
Mary Spring. Stauffer’s score, just her fourth of the season, came off a breakaway bouncing
ball at the top of the box.
Shaba added a final goal in the 90th minute to seal Grand Valley State’s championship run.
Grand Valley State has now made five championship appearances over the past six seasons. The Lakers previously won it all in 2013, 2010 and 2009, and finished as runner-up in
2011. The Lakers also reached the championship game in 2006. – Josh Looney
Above: A Grand Valley State player heads away a Rollins
corner kick during the Division II Women’s Soccer
Championship game. Inset: The Lakers celebrate their second
straight title and fourth in six years after defeating Rollins, 3-0.
D i v i s i o n II M e n ’ s S o c c e r
Semifinals
Charleston (WV) 2, Colorado Mesa 0
Lynn 4, Quincy 1
Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos
Lynn’s Chris Hellmann eludes a Charleston slide tackle during the championship game. Hellmann
scored a goal in the Knights’ 3-2 victory.
18
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championships
Championship
Lynn 3, Charleston (WV) 2
Lynn struck early and often and then survived a furious secondhalf rally from Charleston (West Virginia) en route to its second
Division II Men’s Soccer Championship title in three seasons.
The Knights powered past the previously unbeaten Golden Eagles,
3-2, on Dec. 6 at Bellarmine on the strength of three first-half goals.
Freshman Nicolas Mortensen set the tone for Lynn’s championship run with a fourth-minute strike that deflected off the hands
of Golden Eagles goalkeeper Fabian Veit.
Sophomore Chris Hellmann followed with a free kick score in
the seventh minute. Hellmann, who contributed two goals and two
assists in Lynn’s 4-1 semifinal victory over Quincy, would connect
again in the 32nd minute to push Lynn’s advantage to 3-0 at the half.
Junior Jules Gabbiadini put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard in the 79th minute, igniting what would become a furious
rally from Charleston over the game’s final minutes. A penalty
kick score from freshman Will Roberts pulled Charleston within
a goal in the 90th minute and set the stage for Lynn to defend a
free kick as time expired. – Josh Looney
D i v i s i o n II F o o t b a l l
Semifinals
Minn. St. Mankato 47, Concord 13
Colorado St.-Pueblo 10, West Ga. 7
Championship
Colorado St.-Pueblo 13, Minn. St. Mankato 0
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
Tampa’s Marissa Lisenbee (No. 9) and Meagan Burke (No. 5) block an
attempt by Southwest Minnesota State’s Kenzie Beekman during the
Spartans’ sweep in the championship final.
D i v i s i o n II W o m e n ’ s V o l l e y b a l l
Semifinals
Southwest Minn. St. def. Grand Valley St., 25-19, 25-23, 25-18
Tampa def. Ark.-Fort Smith, 25-9, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17
Championship
Tampa def. Southwest Minn. St., 25-14, 25-20, 25-21
Justin Tafoya /NCAA Photos
Paul Browning was Colorado State-Pueblo quarterback Chris Bonner’s favorite target during
the Division II Football Championship game. The two connected on five passes, including
this one for the game’s only touchdown.
Something had to give when the two top-ranked scoring defenses locked horns
in the Division II Football Championship game December 20 at Sporting Park in
Kansas City, Kansas.
In the end, Colorado State-Pueblo gave up nothing at all, blanking the high-powered offense of Minnesota State Mankato and handing the Mavericks their first loss
of the season, 13-0.
The Thunderwolves capped a school-record 14-1 season and gave the university
its first Division II championship in any sport. The shutout was the first in the national
title game since 1997 when Northern Colorado blanked New Haven, 51-0.
Colorado State-Pueblo entered the game allowing a Division II-best 12.8 points
per game, with Minnesota State Mankato second at 12.9. The Mavericks held a apparent advantage offensively with a rushing attack that had produced more than 240
yards per game, but the Thunderwolves held them to just 265 yards of total offense in
the championship game, including a paltry 105 on the ground.
The Thunderwolves’ offense came from quarterback Chris Bonner, who completed
17-of-30 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown; running back Cameron McDondle, who
posted his 11th 100-yard outing in his last 12 games with 113 yards on 28 totes; and wide
receiver Paul Browning, who hauled in five receptions for 84 yards and a score.
Colorado State-Pueblo also blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter that
would have put Minnesota State Mankato on the board first. That led to a Thunderwolves field goal, and Bonner and Browning connected on the next drive to give
Colorado State-Pueblo a 10-0 halftime lead.
The two teams were the first to play a football game at Sporting Park, home of the
Sporting Kansas City soccer team. After 28 years in Florence, Alabama, the championship game moved to Kansas City, Kansas. – Gary Brown
Tampa won its second Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship by defeating Southwest Minnesota State in the final Dec.
6 at Bellarmine, 25-14, 25-20, 25-21.
The Spartans also won the title in 2006, after which ConcordiaSt. Paul began a seven-year stranglehold on the crown. But Southwest Minnesota State knocked Concordia-St. Paul out of the tournament in the regional semifinals this year and made a Cinderella
run all the way to the final match.
Southwest Minnesota State actually had given the 34-1 Spartans
their only loss of the season in a 3-1 conquest during a tournament
in Denver in early September. But the clock finally struck midnight
on the Mustangs in the championship match. Top-ranked Tampa
took control early, winning the first set comfortably before having
to battle the never-give-up Mustangs in the second and third sets.
Southwest Minnesota State led the final set,
21-20, before Tampa tallied the last five points.
American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year Berkley Whaley
connected on match point. Whaley had
11 kills for the match, one shy of
Marissa Lisenbee’s team-high
12. Tampa’s Jessica Wagner
was named the tournament’s
Most Outstanding Player.
– Gary Brown
Berkley Whaley (right) hugs
a teammate after Tampa wins
its second Division II Women’s
Volleyball Championship.
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
19
All-for-one
makes DII Festival
one-for-ALL
Since their inception,
the Division II Festivals have
tallied some impressive numbers:
7,450
17
46
183
3,000+
2,400
student-athletes
sports represented
team champions from
30
institutions
individual champions from
62
institutions
volunteers have helped administer the Division II Festivals
student-athletes have served more than
20
2014 Division II Yearbook
3,500
Championships
youth and community members in host cities
By Fran Reidy
Division II conducted its eighth National Championships Festival this December in Louisville, the third time we’ve been fortunate enough to be in that city and experience the extraordinary hospitality that hosts Bellarmine University and
the Louisville Sports Commission provide.
Since the first Division II Festival in 2004,
thousands of student-athletes, coaches and
staff have enjoyed all that our marquee event
has to offer.
When people who don’t know about our
event ask me what it’s like, I tell them that the
competition is as intense as you would expect at
any national championship, but it’s what happens outside the competition that sets the Division II National Championships Festival apart.
The camaraderie, sportsmanship and hospitality are what really
impress me. All the student-athletes instantly get along and make
new friends. They love meeting people from different schools and
different sports and sharing their personal experiences. The “standoffishness” that you might think would be prevalent at a national
championship just isn’t the case at a Division II Festival.
Then you throw in the opening and closing ceremonies, the student-athlete lounges, the community engagement – all of the wonderful ancillary events – and you’ve got a special recipe. Those
who have participated in one of these walk away knowing they
took part in something they’ll never forget.
That’s certainly the goal of the hundreds of staff and volunteers
who make the National Championships Festivals possible. Here’s
a tip of the hat to them.
And here’s a tip of the hat to all of us in Division II, as well, for
continuing to support this outstanding event. We remain the only
division to embrace the National Championships Festival concept,
and we do it rather well, in my opinion.
See you in Denver in spring 2016 for Division II Festival No. 9!
Fran Reidy is the director of athletics at Saint Leo University and
chair of the Division II Championships Committee.
DIVISION II FESTIVAL’S PATH
Division II staged its first National Championships Festival in
2004 and remains the only NCAA division to conduct the
Olympic-style events that crown champions in multiple sports at
one locale. The Division II Festivals foster student-athlete
camaraderie, community engagement and first-rate
athletics competition over several days. Next up is
spring sports in 2016 in Denver, followed by
Birmingham in 2017 for winter sports.
Denver
Louisville, Ky.
2016 Spring
2010 Fall
2012 Spring
2014 Fall
Birmingham, Ala.
2013 Winter
2017 Winter
The closing ceremony at the 2010 NCAA
Division II National Championships Festival
held at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Houston
Pensacola, Fla.
2006 Fall
Orlando, Fla.
2008 Spring
2009 Winter
2004 Spring
NCAA Photos Archive
Championships
2014 Division II Yearbook
21
ERN
ANC
E
GOV
Presidents pave strategic path for Division II
By Thomas Haas, chair
The Division II Presidents Council is charged with setting the strategic vision for the division. That is an appropriate mission, since as presidents we spend every day setting the strategic visions for our own institutions. As such,
we take strategy seriously, whether it
is for one school or an entire division.
For Division II, our strategy continues to focus on providing a balanced college experience for our
student-athletes by enabling their
successes. While Division II will be
tweaking the way it brands itself in
the coming months, we are not drifting from our core mission of Life in the Balance.
The council used several tools to inform our strategy in
2014. We based our direction on the Division II Strategic
Plan that projects growth and initiatives through 2021, and
we benefited from data obtained through the membership
census conducted last year. Such valuable feedback from
schools will help shape the future of our division.
We also supported legislation that aligns with Division
II strategic principles. Two of those proposals at this year’s
Convention expand the student-athlete voice by providing
the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee more
voting authority within the governance structure and on
the Convention floor.
The Presidents Council also sponsored 15 proposals that
align with our strategic direction for the division, including
several that are specific to obligations of membership, such
as requiring full-time athletics directors and compliance officers who do not have coaching among their responsibilities.
Other proposals give institutions the flexibility to make
decisions that are in the best interests of their student-athletes without the constraints of bureaucratic rules.
We opposed any legislation (and will continue to do
so) that is in direct conflict with Life in the Balance. If that
is the division’s philosophy, it should be mirrored in our
legislation. Any proposal that contradicts that philosophy
is not in the best interests of the division.
Initiatives for 2015 include continuing the work of a
project team to explore partnership opportunities with the
military. The division takes pride in honoring our service
men and women at our championship events, but we are
interested in expanding those opportunities. Many of our
institutions have longstanding relationships with nearby
military communities, and we believe we as a division can
learn from those success stories.
We also will continue to be vigilant regarding the national landscape of college sports. In many ways, this is
an uneasy time for the whole of intercollegiate athletics, as
legal decisions, financial pressures and increased scrutiny
from government sources influence the enterprise.
While we understand the need to be aware of the
changes happening in Division I and the Association
overall, our initiatives in Division II such as brand development, strategic planning, health and safety efforts
and championships enhancements are just as critical. The
council will continue to understand the larger impact and
be ready to act as needed. The environment surrounding
Division I will not keep Division II from moving forward.
Division II continues to provide value for schools. Our
Presidents Council is determined to keep it that way under
the direction of incoming chair Judy Bense of West Florida.
Thomas Haas is president at Grand Valley State University.
Presidents
Council Roster
Judy Bense
West Florida
January 2016 Linda Bleicken
Armstrong
January 2016
Robin Capehart
West Liberty
January 2016
Steven DiSalvo
Saint Anselm
January 2016*
Ronald Ellis
California Baptist
January 2018
Deborah Ford
Wisconsin-Parkside
January 2017
Glen Jones
Henderson State
January 2019
Art Kirk
Saint Leo
January 2016
Michael Scales
Nyack
January 2017
Steve Scott
Pittsburg State
January 2017
Dene Thomas
Fort Lewis
January 2017
Leslie Wong
San Francisco State
January 2018
Robert Wyatt
Coker
January 2016
Outgoing members
Jim Gaudino
Central Washington
Thomas Haas (chair)
Grand Valley State
Keith Miller
Virginia State *Eligible for reappointment
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos
The Division II Presidents Council will continue to consider legislative proposals and policy changes that align with the division’s
Life in the Balance mantra.
24
2014 Division II Yearbook
GOVERNANCE
Management Council Roster
Karen Stromme (chair)
Larry Marfise
Robin Arnold
Will Prewitt
Senior associate athletics director
Minnesota Duluth
January 2016
Associate athletics director
Holy Family
January 2018
Anita Barker
Athletics director
Chico State
January 2016
Julia Beeman
Faculty athletics representative
Belmont Abbey January 2018
Douglas Blais
Athletics director
Tampa
January 2016
Commissioner
Great American Conference
January 2016
Kevin Schriver
Faculty athletics representative
Southwest Baptist
January 2018
Scott Swain
Athletics director
Notre Dame (Ohio)
January 2018
Kim Vinson
Faculty athletics representative
Southern New Hampshire
January 2017
Associate athletics director
Cameron
January 2019
Carrie Bodkins
Gilbert Zimmermann
Senior associate athletics director
Alderson Broaddus January 2018
Tonya Charland
Assistant commissioner
Great Lakes Valley Conference
January 2018
James Crawley
Faculty athletics representative
Dominican (New York) January 2017
Gary Gray
Athletics director
Alaska Fairbanks
January 2018
Kathy Heitzman
Associate athletics director
Bloomsburg
January 2016
Bob Hogue
Commissioner
Pacific West Conference
January 2017
Timothy Ladd
Faculty athletics representative
Palm Beach Atlantic
January 2016
Richard Loosbrock
Faculty athletics representative
Adams State
January 2017
Jacqie McWilliams
Commissioner
Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association
January 2017
Athletics director
Texas A&M International
January 2017
Members who served in
2014 but are no longer
with the council
(or their institution)
Clyde Doughty Jr.
Athletics director
New York Institute of Technology Denisha Hendricks
Athletics director
Kentucky State Jim Herlihy
Athletics director
Montevallo
Outgoing members
Kris Dunbar
Athletics director
Lake Superior State Janet Montgomery
Associate athletics director
West Alabama
Steve Poston
Athletics director
Wingate
Brent Wren
Faculty athletics representative
Alabama-Huntsville
Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos
Management Council
frames the big picture
By Karen Stromme, chair
As one of the largest and most representative groups in the Division II governance structure, the Management Council spends much of its time looking at the big picture.
In a time when financial pressures continue to strain the mission of intercollegiate athletics at some levels, we’re working hard in Division II to walk our
Life in the Balance talk.
As such, the Management Council is working closely with the
Membership Committee and the Presidents Council to focus on strategic membership growth. Division II reached the 300-member mark
this year, and we continue to carefully plan for measured growth that
aligns with our mission and resources.
Part of that strategy is to help our Membership Committee continue
to strengthen standards for incoming members as well as our current membership. We have
established a high bar for prospective members to meet, which not only puts them in good
position to succeed once they become active members, but also enhances our entire division.
The council also is keeping its eye on the DII brand. Our Identity Subcommittee is collaborating with a creative firm to build on our established brand and tweak it for the future (see the
related story on page 70). While the I Chose theme has served us well, Division II is now at a
point where a new strategy will carry our Life in the Balance message to external audiences.
We also approved more than $800,000 worth of Division II championships budget
requests at our October meeting that we believe will enhance the overall championships experience for Division II student-athletes.
As for what’s on the horizon, the council is continuing its focus on student-athlete
health and safety, looking ahead at drug testing and education and strength and conditioning certification.
We also believe there’s an opportunity for greater national media exposure for DII
athletics programs. The council will review potential new opportunities for national
championships and regular-season television coverage in the coming years.
As chair of a large governing body, I am sometimes asked how in the world we get
anything done. Having been involved in the DII governance structure for many years
now, I assure them that it’s no mystery. There’s a collective sense in Division II about
who we are and what we need to accomplish to honor our principles and standards.
Since the Management Council represents all DII conferences and includes just
about all levels of administration and faculty from the institution and conference perspective, we get a lot of passionate input on just about any topic we address. But at the
end of the day, that passion funnels into a common goal, which is enhancing us as a
division that represents the collegiate model.
That mission will continue under the leadership of our next chair, Timothy Ladd, the
faculty athletics representative at Palm Beach Atlantic.
Karen Stromme is a senior associate athletics director and the senior woman
administrator at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
GOVERNANCE
2014 Division II Yearbook
25
Planning and
Finance Committee
Roster
Judy Bense (chair)
President
West Florida
January 2016
Robin Capehart
President
West Liberty
January 2016
The Planning and
Finance Committee
was among groups
that helped increase
allocations to Divisin II
championships in 2014.
Planning and Finance Committee
building on DII’s fiscal strength
By Judy Bense, chair
As the name of our committee suggests, the Planning
and Finance Committee is interested in how Division II
allocates resources to align with the
division’s strategic direction.
We don’t set that direction, but we
certainly help inform it. And while
the buck doesn’t stop with us, we
certainly have a say in where it goes.
Our priority in 2014 was to help
Division II maintain a balanced budget
that included opportunities for enhancements in membership
growth, championships bracket expansion, increased supplemental distributions to membership and increased per diem.
To be sure, that’s a lot of enhancing and increasing.
But Division II is blessed with a membership and a gov-
ernance structure that have proved to be good stewards
of Division II resources over many years. It is because of
such fiscal responsibility that we are able to continually
enhance the experience for Division II student-athletes.
Enhancing that experience in ways that align with the
Division II Life in the Balance theme is always our No. 1
goal. That is reflected in the division’s new strategic plan
that the membership will review at this Convention.
Among our goals for 2015 is to review the conference
grant program. We’ll be looking for efficiencies, enhancements and increased accountability with a program that has
become one of the primary benefits of DII membership.
With resources a premium, we will continue to plan for
the future in order to keep Division II financially sound.
Judy Bense is president at the University of West Florida.
2014-15
Division II Budget
Division II annually receives 4.37 percent
of all NCAA revenue, as guaranteed by
the NCAA constitution. Most of those
allocations go to championship
opportunities for student-athletes.
26
2014 Division II Yearbook
$22.1 million
Championships
$6 million
Strategic Initiatives
and Other Programs
$5.9 million
Enhancement Fund
$3.2 million
Conference Grants
GOVERNANCE
Gary Gray
Athletics director
Alaska Fairbanks
January 2018
Timothy Ladd
Faculty athletics representative
Palm Beach Atlantic
January 2016
Jacqie McWilliams
Commissioner
Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association
January 2016
Steve Scott
President
Pittsburg State
January 2017
Karen Stromme
Associate athletics director
Minnesota Duluth
January 2016
Robert Wyatt
President
Coker
January 2016
Outgoing members
Thomas Haas
President
Grand Valley State
Legislation
Committee Roster
Ann Traphagen (chair)
Assistant athletics director
Augustana (South Dakota)
September 2015
Marty Gilbert
Faculty athletics representative
Mars Hill
September 2017
Barbara Hannum
Faculty athletics representative
Hawaii Pacific
September 2016
Kathleen Heitzman
Senior woman administrator
Bloomsburg
January 2016
Kelly McLaughlin
Senior woman administrator
Regis (Colorado)
September 2017
Kim Pate
Athletics director
Illinois-Springfield
September 2017
Charles Pinckney
Faculty athletics representative
Livingstone
September 2015
Outgoing members
Review of financial aid on horizon
By Ann Traphagen, chair
The Legislation Committee is coming off a couple of
big years with the adoption of the “Ease of Burden” initiative that eased compliance and financial burdens previous
regulations had placed on Division II members.
But as you would expect with a
committee like this one, there’s never
really a dead or quiet period. While
we’ve been busy preparing for a hefty
legislative docket this year, including
four proposals from the membership
regarding playing and practice seasons
(see the accompanying box), we’re
already focused on the 2016 Convention with a review of
Bylaw 15 (Financial Aid).
We’ve heard from Division II members that financial aid
rules are confusing and unclear, and that the intent of some
of the rules can be misapplied from one institution to another. We want to clean up and possibly reorganize the entire
bylaw in order to simplify it and make it more consistent.
In many ways, the review plays off the Ease of Burden initiative to make financial aid rules continue to fit
within the Division II philosophy and be easier for all
members to apply. At this point, we’re planning more
of a cleanup than an overhaul, but we expect a few leg-
islative proposals to emerge by either the 2016 or 2017
Convention, so stay tuned.
I know many of you reading this have been on various
NCAA committees during your career, and I imagine that
like me you have relished the rewards of service that come
with it. What I’ve come to appreciate with the Legislation
Committee is its diversity and its tenacity to work collectively for the best overall outcome.
When I look at our members, the one thing we have in
common is that we don’t have much in common! What I
mean by that is that each member represents his or her region,
not just an institution, and we have robust discussion about all
the topics we consider. It’s good to have that kind of representative conversation and still end up as a strong, unified group
that works collectively for the best interests of the division.
I appreciate being part of a committee with people who
are aware of one another’s challenges and yet try to resolve and improve all kinds of situations that may prompt
different reactions from different regions.
That’s my reward, and it helps make DII the great
group we are.
Ann Traphagen is an assistant athletics director and the
senior woman administrator at Augustana College (South
Dakota).
Spencer Dodd
Student-athlete
Saint Martin’s
Curtis Campbell
Athletics director
Tuskegee
Dean Johnson
Associate athletics director
Caldwell
Steve Poston
Athletics director
Wingate
Membership-driven proposals for 2015
• A
llow student-athletes in sports other than football
to participate in a maximum of two hours of team
activities per week as part of the permissible eight
hours of countable athletically related activities that
may occur outside the playing season during the
academic year.
• E
stablish the Friday before Feb. 1 (in years when
Feb. 1 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday) as
the first competition date for baseball, golf, lacrosse,
rowing, sand volleyball, softball and tennis.
• Allow strength and conditioning personnel to
design and conduct workout programs for
student-athletes beginning June 1 through the end
of an institution’s summer vacation period for fall
championship sports (including golf and tennis, for
those institutions that conduct the championship
segment during the fall term).
• Permit a maximum of two contests played as part
of a conference challenge event to be exempted annually from the maximum number of contest limits in
baseball, soccer, softball and women’s volleyball.
GOVERNANCE
2014 Division II Yearbook
27
Bigger brackets, better experience
By Fran Reidy, chair
The Division II Championships Committee spent the
year putting our money where our mission is. In September, we recommended allocating more than $800,000 toward enhancing participant opportunities and the overall
championships experience for the
division’s student-athletes.
We approved bracket expansions
for baseball, football, women’s golf,
women’s lacrosse and men’s soccer,
and squad size increases in men’s
and women’s basketball, football and
women’s volleyball. If those recommendations pass through the governance structure, they’ll
become effective Sept. 1, 2015.
Our ability to do this came from three budget buckets.
Each triennial budget year (this one pertains to the 2015-18
triennium), the Planning and Finance Committee allocates
$100,000 to the championships budget. On top of that, a
recent rightsizing of the championships budget revealed an
additional $372,500 that could be reallocated to other areas.
But we really got a budget boost when sport committees proposed increasing the mileage limit for ground
travel from 500 to 600 miles, which will save an additional
$341,000. The Championships Committee’s budgetary allocations were made with that savings in mind.
Such creative thinking from sport committees helped
us get the most out of the dollars we were allocated for the
coming triennium. And while Division II is generous with
its championships allocations, such funding is not unlimited.
That means as a committee, we have to balance our charge of
enhancing student-athlete opportunities with being fiscally
responsible to our member institutions.
Bracket expansion is a terrific opportunity, but we realize
that it comes with a price tag in other areas. In this case, it
may mean not being able to alleviate some of the financial
obligations for institutions whose teams and student-athletes
qualify for championships competition. Obviously, that’s
something we’ll want to address in the near future, but for
this triennium, we felt we were best served providing another 500 student-athletes an NCAA championship experience.
As for what’s next on our agenda, we’ll be focusing on
increasing compensation for our officials, and making our
championships selection and bracketing processes more
consistent by sport and by region.
Also, remember a year ago when we adopted new selection criteria? That came with a two-year implementation
period, which means those criteria take effect with next
year’s process. We have to remind people of that, and educate regional advisory committees about those new criteria.
In all, the Championships Committee had a big year
enhancing student-athlete opportunities. We hope you’ll
join us in celebrating that achievement.
Fran Reidy is the director of athletics at Saint Leo
University.
Budget requests
All DII championships
Regional team trophies for championships that currently do not provide them$32,600
Bracket expansion to 56 teams, reduction in travel party from 30 to 29
$215,000
$4,800
Men’s basketball
Championship squad size increase (from 14 to 15)
$591
Women’s basketball
Championship squad size increase (from 14 to 15)
$591
Football
Championship squad size increase (from 54 to 58)
$844
Football
Bracket expansion to 28 teams
Women’s golfIncrease field size of super regionals to 66 qualifiers
Women’s golf
Stipend for super regional head rules officials
Women’s lacrosse
Bracket expansion to 12 teams, and extension of the championship
by one day to allow for a day off between games
Women’s rowingIncrease of championship officials
Men’s soccer
Bracket expansion to 38 teams
Softball
Format change of finals to double-elimination series
Men’s and women’s tennis Format change for start date
Men’s and women’s
indoor track and field
Addition of Eagle Eye video review system
Women’s volleyball
Championship squad size increase (from 15 to 17)
Women’s volleyballIncrease in officials fee
28
Allocation
Baseball
BaseballRegional umpire evaluators
2014 Division II Yearbook
GOVERNANCE
Fran Reidy (chair)
Athletics director
Saint Leo
September 2015
Roberto Baroniel
Student-athlete
Nova Southeastern
January 2016
Pat Britz
Commissioner
South Atlantic Conference
September 2015*
Kim Duyst
Senior woman administrator
Cal State Stanislaus
September 2016
Greg Gilbert
Assistant athletics director
Findlay
September 2016
B.J. Pumroy
Athletics director
Shepherd
September 2017
Nate Salant
Commissioner
Gulf South Conference
September 2015
Lisa Sweany
Athletics director
Armstrong
September 2016
Kim Vinson
Senior woman administrator
Cameron
January 2015*
Outgoing members
The Division II Championships Committee supported the following budget requests:
SportItem
Championships
Committee Roster
$292,000
$48,000
$1,600
$95,000
Kris Dunbar
Athletics director
Lake Superior State
Timothy Ladd
Faculty athletics representative
Palm Beach Atlantic
Claudie Mackey
Faculty athletics representative
Elizabeth City State
David Sharp
Athletics director
Ouachita Baptist
Susan Zawacki
Senior associate athletics director
New Haven
*Eligible for reappointment
$792
$83,000
$6,070
$2,000
$23,515
$1,350
$900
Membership
Committee Roster
Debbie Chin (chair)
Athletics director
New Haven
September 2015
Dixie Cirillo
Associate athletics director
Colorado School of Mines
September 2015
Kaye Crook
Faculty athletics representative
Coker
September 2016
Bob Hogue
Commissioner
Pacific West Conference
January 2017
Kevin Schriver
Faculty athletics representative
Southwest Baptist
January 2018
Tim Selgo
Athletics director
Grand Valley State
September 2016
Dustin Smith
Athletics director
Arkansas-Fort Smith
September 2015
Roger Thomas
Athletics director
Mary
September 2017
Tonia Walker
Athletics director
Winston-Salem State
September 2016
Outgoing members
Dan Mara
Division II membership hits 300
By Dan Mara
The Division II family continues to grow. We reached
300 members this year, welcoming Azusa Pacific University, Point Loma Nazarene University,
Roberts Wesleyan College, Shorter
University, Southern Nazarene University, Trevecca Nazarene University, Union University and Young Harris College to active member status.
Those additions not only bolster
our division competitively but also
help diversify our geographic footprint.
We also moved the following schools to year one of the
candidacy period: California State University, San Marcos; Concordia University Irvine; Concordia University,
Portland; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida); and Oklahoma Baptist University.
Our growth is a reflection of the great job the Division II membership has done to make us a destination of
choice, helping improve the health and notoriety we have
established especially over the last decade.
The Membership Committee has been a longstanding steward of our Division II family. Over the years, our
group has helped establish rigorous standards for prospec-
eight
tive schools and actively monitored and evaluated progress as applicants strive to reach active status.
The membership process has changed over the last 1015 years. Most recently, applicant institutions for 2015-16
will have to be in full compliance by year two, ensuring
they are prepared before coming on board.
Our committee also completed the Division II Membership White Paper, which was a project we took on to
reinforce our strategic direction. The mission and composition of the committee – as well as the membership requirements this group has established – have been evolving, and like any team with a game plan, it’s important to
be on the same page. The white paper was a great opportunity to better communicate our devotion to the Division
II philosophy and attributes.
This committee really understands, loves and respects
the division, and members are doing everything they can
to ensure that we welcome institutions that will be good
representatives of what Division II has become.
I have no doubt that the committee will continue to succeed with new leadership. New chair Debbie Chin, director
of athletics at the University of New Haven, and vice chair
Dustin Smith, director of athletics at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, will make sure this committee continues to
grow, protect and enhance Division II membership.
Dan Mara is commissioner of the Central Atlantic
Collegiate Conference. Mara completed his term as chair
of the Division II Membership Committee in August.
new members
Commissioner
Central Atlantic
Collegiate Conference
Roberts Wesleyan
College
Sue Willey
Athletics director
UIndy
Union University
Azusa Pacific University
Point Loma Nazarene University
Southern Nazarene
University
GOVERNANCE
Trevecca Nazarene University
Young Harris College
Shorter University
2014 Division II Yearbook
29
Academic Requirements Committee
works collectively to make the grade
By Katie McGann, chair
This is a benchmark period for Division II when it
comes to academics. Last January, the membership adopted changes in initial-eligibility and progress-toward-degree
standards and two-year college transfer requirements that are intended to
continue enhancing student-athletes’
academic success. The package was
referred to as the “Path to Graduation,” and with good reason.
The Academic Requirements
Committee coordinated the initiative, along with a task force of experts in the field, and
worked in concert with the Division II Legislation Committee and other groups to ensure a collaborative approach. In the end, the ARC endorsed a package of options for the membership to consider, and I was proud of
the time and effort the committee devoted to the cause.
It was a three-part look at academic preparation and
success through initial eligibility, progress toward degree and transfer eligibility. We evaluated ample
data on each, but we did
not review those
components independently. Our challenge was to assess
how all of those components work together to not only
improve student-athlete academic success but also accommodate a large membership with divergent institutional goals and resources.
The Academic Requirements Committee is uniquely
positioned to accomplish broad-based initiatives like
“Path to Graduation” because of its composition. The
ARC includes presidents, faculty athletics representatives and athletics administrators at the institutional and
conference level who approach academic issues from
very different perspectives but work collectively to act in
the best interests of Division II.
Unlike other areas of legislation that focus specifically on athletics, the ARC deals with the bigger picture of
higher education, but with a keen understanding of how
student-athletes fit into that bigger picture. Members of
this committee certainly need to know about academic
standards, but they also need to have the Division II philosophy down pat and be willing to look beyond what
might be in the best interests of their school, conference
or region to reach the best outcome for the division.
That is true with any committee service, but academics is such a key component of eligibility and access
that being able to determine what is best for the division
overall is critical. What I can promise the membership is
that I’m confident the committee took the time to critically evaluate every component of academic success and
worked together to find solutions that are right for
the membership as a whole.
We’ll continue to operate that way
as we address the idea of “academic
integrity” in the coming years. That’s a
far-reaching concept, and certainly one that encompasses more than just athletics and more than just
Division II, but it’s top-of-mind in higher education these
days and is attracting more and more public scrutiny. The
ARC will be discussing the delicate issue of what is appropriate to leave in the realm of institutional autonomy
versus what role we as athletics departments and a national governing body should take in ensuring academic
integrity among student-athletes.
Katie McGann is the associate athletics director for
compliance and student services at the University of
California, San Diego.
Academic
Requirements
Committee Roster
Katie McGann (chair)
Associate athletics director
UC San Diego
September 2015
Damon Arnold
Director of academic services
Grand Valley State
September 2016
William Biddington
Faculty athletics representative
California (Pennsylvania)
September 2016
Brenda Cates
Faculty athletics representative
Mount Olive
September 2018
Tonya Charland
Assistant commissioner
Great Lakes Valley Conference
January 2018
Gary Gray
Athletics director
Alaska Fairbanks
January 2018
Joseph Kissell
University registrar
Bloomsburg
September 2018
Perry Massey
Faculty athletics representative
Fayetteville State
September 2018
Margaret Poitevint
Faculty athletics representative
North Georgia
September 2015
Dene Thomas
President
Fort Lewis
January 2017
Outgoing members
Christopher Phenicie
Vice president for enrollment
Limestone
Freddie Vaughns
Faculty athletics representative
Bowie State
Keith Vitense
Faculty athletics representative
Cameron
Alison Arlen Welch
Student-athlete
Christian Brothers
30
2014 Division II Yearbook
GOVERNANCE
Shutterstock
Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee Roster
Justin Armstrong
Indoor and outdoor track and field
Wisconsin-Parkside
January 2016
Roberto Baroniel
Christopher Pike
Football
Gannon
January 2017
Ayanna Tweedy
Baseball
Nova Southeastern
January 2016
Indoor and outdoor track and field
Bowie State
January 2017
Vonnick Boyogueno
Deron Washington
Tennis
Clark Atlanta
January 2017
Francesca Ceppi
Tennis
Mount Olive
January 2016
Grace F. Donovan
Lacrosse
Florida Southern
January 2017
Laura Farleman
Football
Pittsburg State
January 2017
Outgoing members
Ellen Augsburger
Soccer
Regis (Colorado)
Amy Berry
Volleyball and indoor and outdoor
track and field
Georgian Court
Indoor and outdoor track and field
Cedarville
January 2016
Spencer Dodd (chair)
Christina Furrer
John Steven Galanoudis
Volleyball
Hawaii Pacific
January 2016
Corbin Greening
Swimming and diving
Henderson State
January 2017
Kayla Jones
Gymnastics
Texas Woman’s University
January 2016
Shanteona Keys
Baseball
Saint Martin’s
Baseball
Molloy
Dylan Jackson
Golf
Cal State Monterey Bay
Bradley Maldonado
Cross country
Lincoln Memorial
Katelyn McElveen
Volleyball and softball
Coker
Basketball
Georgia College
January 2016
Jared Merritt
Celine Mangan
Alison Arlen Welch
Basketball
Notre Dame (Ohio)
January 2017
Steve Martinez
Golf
Texas A&M International
January 2017
Katie Mnichowicz
Softball
Upper Iowa
January 2016
Wrestling
Lake Erie
Volleyball
Christian Brothers
Jessica Wharton
Tennis
Palm Beach Atlantic
Samantha Whittier
Soccer
Southern New Hampshire
Peter Lockley / NCAA Photos
Former Division II SAAC member Hilary Cox spoke from the floor during the 2013 business
session. Pending the outcome of a proposal this year, the SAAC could have an official vote
in subsequent years.
SAAC seeks to strengthen
the student-athlete voice
By Spencer Dodd, chair
The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee spent the year reviewing
how to enhance student-athlete voice and representation in the governance structure.
Our discussions focused on the past, present and future. We feel that student-athlete
input is already valued within the Division II structure, but the
SAAC is exploring ways to strengthen this voice.
Two legislative proposals emerged from that review that the Division II membership will vote on during this year’s Convention. One
is a proposal to add two SAAC members to the Division II Management Council (with one collective vote), and another establishes the
ability for the SAAC to cast a vote on behalf of Division II studentathletes on legislative items at the annual NCAA Convention.
We believe both proposals represent a groundbreaking opportunity for a forwardthinking division that has always tried to act in our best interests.
In addition to our legislative work, the SAAC oversaw a record number of entries
submitted for the Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award, now in its second year. This
year’s mentor award went to David Landers of Saint Michael’s College.
The award is named after Pariser, a physical therapy professor at Bellarmine University who died in 2013. It honors faculty members at Division II schools for their
dedicated support and mentorship of student-athletes, and for demonstrating the same
commitment to Division II student-athletes’ lifelong learning, competition and wellbeing. Landers is a psychology professor who is in his 32nd year at Saint Michael’s
and ninth as the FAR there. (For more about the award winner, see page 33.)
It also was another record-breaking year for our Make-A-Wish efforts. The partnership really went to another level this year because of our relationship with Make-A-Wish
CEO David Williams (a former tennis student-athlete at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania). The “Wish Reveal” parties became a reality on Division II campuses in 2014!
And there’s more good news regarding community engagement – the Division
II SAAC has initiated a pilot program partnering Make-A-Wish with our Team IMPACT initiatives, which should really make a difference in how Division II studentathletes affect people’s lives.
In all, the national SAAC, as well as SAACs at the conference and institutional
levels, continue to be the leadership voice for all Division II student-athletes.
Spencer Dodd is a baseball student-athlete at Saint Martin’s University.
GOVERNANCE
2014 Division II Yearbook
31
News Briefs
university of north georgia photo
Another record year
means even more wishes
Division II set yet another fundraising record for Make-A-Wish America during the 2013-14 academic year, raising $567,778. The fundraising total surpassed
last year’s record by more than $50,000.
Since Division II student-athletes on the national Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee started their alliance with Make-A-Wish in 2003, the division has
raised nearly $3.5 million for the national nonprofit – helping to fund more than
470 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
“For 11 years, Division II student-athletes have taken the skills that have allowed them to succeed in athletics competitions, such as teamwork and self-determination, and channeled them toward helping us grant wishes for children with
life-threatening medical conditions,” said David Williams, CEO and president of
Make-A-Wish America. “This record donation – along with the more than $3 million raised for Make-A-Wish in previous years – will forever change the lives of
the wish kids who have had their one true wish granted thanks in part to the efforts
of Division II student-athletes throughout the country.”
Nearly 77 percent of schools in Division II participated in the 2013-14 campaign.
Of those, 141 schools exceeded their total raised in 2012-13 and consequently received matching donations through Make-A-Wish America of up to $1,000 for local
Make-A-Wish chapters. The matching donations amounted to more than $75,000.
Keeping with the record-setting trend, two schools – the University of North Georgia and Barry University – exceeded the $20,000 mark, a first for the division. Additionally, the Peach Belt Conference became the first Division II conference to donate
more than $50,000.
32
2014 Division II Yearbook
GOVERNANCE
Make-A-Wish recipient Joseph Tippens is escorted to the North Georgia gym
for his “signing day” ceremonies. Tippens was among dozens of Make-A-Wish
children who received their “wishes” because of funds raised by Division II
student-athletes. North Georgia and Barry University exceeded the $20,000
mark in 2013-14.
raising the bar
top ten Schoolsamount raised
1. University of North Georgia
$21,413.00
2. Barry University
$20,220.50
3. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
$10,767.98
4. Georgia College and State University
$9,385.00
5. Delta State University
$8,154.62
6. Wingate University
$7,030.00
7. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
$6,891.92
8. Flagler College
$6,555.00
9. Saint Leo University
$6,000.35
10. University of Findlay
Grand Valley State University
$6,000.00
$6,000.00
Top 5 Conferences
Amount raised
1. Peach Belt Conference
$55,293.61
2. Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
$43,400.65
3. Sunshine State Conference
$36,496.58
4. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
$30,422.54
5. South Atlantic Conference
$28,133.48
Lindenwood wins 2014 DII Award of Excellence
Lindenwood University claimed the Division II Award of Excellence
for its efforts to raise money and awareness for the cause of Sterling
Thomas, a Lindenwood football player who suffered a serious spinal
cord injury in October 2012.
A record number of Division II schools were competing for the award,
which was presented to President Jim Evans and Athletics Director John
Creer Jan. 18 at the 2014 NCAA Convention in San Diego. The award is
presented for an activity or event that exemplifies excellence in any of the
areas covered by the six attributes of Division II – learning, service, balance, passion, sportsmanship and resourcefulness.
Lindenwood’s entry, called “Sellout for Sterling,” centered on a basketball promotion in February 2013 for a game against the University of
Central Missouri when Thomas delivered a special video message at halftime. The short video documented Thomas’ rehab at a facility in Atlanta,
and contained a special thank-you message.
Creer said “Sellout for Sterling” was a
labor of love for those who organized it. He
said their many efforts included a series of
promotional YouTube videos, lapel stickers
and sidewalk stickers to promote the game.
“It spread all over the community,” Creer said.
“It was very touching. There was a big restaurant promotion called 27
for 27, and we also received donations from across the country. Schools
in our conference were also very generous. When we went on the road
for a football game, they were passing the hat and making a donation.”
Lindenwood received a cash prize for winning the Award of Excellence, as well as a nationally televised football or basketball game on
CBS Sports Network in 2014-15.
Saint Michael’s takes home DII Faculty Mentor Award
David Landers, the faculty athletics representative at Saint Michael’s
College, is the second recipient of the Division II SAAC Dr. Dave Pariser
Faculty Mentor Award.
Landers will be recognized Jan. 15 during the Division II Faculty Athletics Representatives reception.
The award is named after Pariser, a physical therapy professor at Bellarmine University who died in 2013. It honors faculty members at Division II
schools for their dedicated support and mentorship of student-athletes, and
for demonstrating the same commitment to Division II student-athletes’ lifelong learning, competition and well-being.
Landers is a psychology professor who is in his 32nd year at Saint Michael’s, and ninth as the FAR.
“When I became the FAR, I first wanted the faculty to better understand
that our student-athletes are student-athletes, and that they do really well academically,” Landers said. “I also wanted our student-athletes to understand
that faculty care about them outside of the classroom. More students are communicating with their faculty members about playing a sport and discussing
their schedule, and finding solutions to potential conflicts. We’re also seeing
more and more and more faculty at more and more of our athletics events.”
Landers, an avid photographer who photographs many of Saint Michael’s
home contests, is particularly proud of the athletics department’s Academic Success Rate, which is annually among the best in Division II.
“I get credit for a lot of this, but it is really about what everyone on campus
is doing,” said Landers, whose expertise is in the fields of bullying, LGBTQ
issues, academic achievement and transition from high school to college. “We
have faculty liaisons for each team. It is another resource for our student-athletes. Each team already has academic mentors and faculty they can turn to
within different departments, but they also have this other person who probably goes to their games or a practice. It is another level of support for our
student-athletes, which is what we’re all about.”
Division II SAAC Chair Spencer Dodd of Saint Martin’s University said
Landers is an ideal recipient of the award that honors student-athlete mentors.
“Dr. Landers is an example of someone who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the student-athlete experience is a balance of high athletics competition, academic excellence and personal growth as a college student,” Dodd said.
Saint Michael’s college photo
Student-athletes at Saint Michael’s appreciate David Landers’ devotion
to their athletics and academic pursuits.
GOVERNANCE
2014 Division II Yearbook
33
HON
ORS
AND
AWA
RDS
Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship
Karenee Demery
Cal State Stanislaus soccer student-athlete,
biology major
The NCAA established the Walter Byers Postgraduate
Scholarship Program in 1988 to award a $24,000 scholarship to one male and one female student-athlete annually
in any division in recognition of outstanding academic
achievement and potential for success in postgraduate
study. The award is named after the NCAA’s first executive director who oversaw the Association until his retirement in 1988.
Karenee Demery, a biology major and soccer studentathlete at Cal State Stanislaus, is the female recipient for
2014. She plans to use her scholarship to attend medical
school.
Homeschooled throughout high school, Demery’s only
exposure to organized sports came through travel teams.
Nevertheless, she jumped into her college studies and embraced her teammates, earning a 3.7 GPA and the praise of
Warriors head coach Gabriel Bolton, who called Demery
“the finest student-athlete I have ever coached in my nearly
20 years of collegiate experience.”
Demery, the 2013 Capital One Academic All-American
of the Year for Division II women’s soccer, was also a fourtime all-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection. Demery expects the life lessons she learned outside the
classroom – including hard work, balance and perseverance
– to help her compete in the rigorous medical school environment and in her future career as a physician. “I’m going
to take that work ethic wherever I go,” she said.
Marty bicek / California state university, stanislaus
“This scholarship will be a tremendous help in achieving my goals in attending
med school and to eventually become a doctor. It was not something I was
expecting, but it was a huge blessing and it means a lot to me, my family, the
community and the university.”
Jim McKay
Scholarship
Bryan Baumgartner
Edinboro track and field student-athlete,
journalism and mass communications graduate
edinboro university of pennsylvania photo
“It was pretty awesome when I got the call notifying me about the
scholarship. To receive an award named after a journalist such as Jim McKay is
a great honor. I’m really excited to continue my development as a journalist at
the graduate level.”
36
2014 Division II Yearbook
honors AND AWARDS
The NCAA established the Jim McKay Scholarship Program in 2008 to annually award one male and one female student-athlete a $10,000 scholarship in recognition for outstanding academic achievement and the potential to make a major
contribution in the sports communication industry. The award
is named after the longtime broadcaster known for his coverage of the Olympic Games and ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
The male recipient in 2014 is Bryan Baumgartner, a
track and field student-athlete at Edinboro. He graduated
in May 2014 with a 3.70 cumulative GPA as a journalism
and mass communication, print and broadcast major, while
also minoring in speech communication. He was a member
of the cross country and track and field teams and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship qualifier
in the 5,000-meter run. He was a four-year PSAC and Edinboro Scholar-Athlete.
NCAA Postgraduate
Scholarship Recipients
The NCAA awards $7,500 postgraduate scholarships annually
to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically
and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics
competition. Each sports season, there are 29 scholarships
available for men and 29 scholarships available for women for
use in an accredited graduate program. The following includes
Division II awardees for winter and spring sports in 2014, and
for fall sports in 2013, since awardees for fall sports in 2014 had
yet to be announced by the time this yearbook was compiled.
Women’s Fall Sports 2013
Jennifer Agnew, Mary, cross country
Rebecca McCoy, Winona State, soccer
Janelle Strampe, South Dakota Mines, volleyball
Berklee Watson, West Texas A&M, soccer
Men’s Fall Sports 2013
Andisheh Bagheri, UC San Diego, soccer
Phillip Klaphake, St. Cloud State, football
Brendan Langford, Drury, soccer
Andrew Pattock, Minnesota Duluth, football
Women’s Winter Sports 2014
Courtney Brewis, Grand Valley State, indoor track and field
Clarissa Enslin, California (Pennsylvania), swimming and diving
Kayla Johnson, Colorado School of Mines, indoor track and field
Kelsey Nuhfer, California (Pennsylvania), swimming and diving
Men’s Winter Sports 2014
Matthew Baker, Maryville (Missouri), wrestling
William Calkins, UC San Diego, swimming and diving
Mark Frilling, Findlay, basketball
Michael Kromka, Clarion, basketball
Women’s Spring Sports 2014
Erin Alewine, Central Missouri, outdoor track and field
Katherine Athens, Pfeiffer, lacrosse
Alexandra Groeger, Central Missouri, softball
Barbora Krtickova, Armstrong, tennis
Hilary Lyons, Shippensburg, softball
Akemi Maehama, Barry, tennis
Rachel Patnoe, Southwest Minnesota State, golf
Jaclyn Sileo, LIU Post, lacrosse
Men’s Spring Sports 2014
Jose Avila, King (Tennessee), tennis
Gregory MacAulay, Lindenwood, golf
Robert Sandlin, Bellarmine, outdoor track and field
Nicholas Thimesch, Drury, baseball
Dustin Thomas, Edinboro, outdoor track and field
Ethnic Minority and Women’s
Enhancement Postgraduate
Scholarship Recipients
The Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate
Scholarship for Careers in Athletics programs aim to increase
the pool of, and opportunities for, qualified minority and female
candidates in intercollegiate athletics. The NCAA awards
$7,500 scholarships annually to 13 ethnic minorities and 13
female college graduates who will be entering their initial year of
postgraduate studies. Following are the Division II recipients:
Degree-Completion Award Recipients
The NCAA established the Division II Degree-Completion Award Program in 2001
to provide deserving student-athletes financial assistance to complete their first
baccalaureate degree. To date, nearly $4 million has been given to approximately
1,000 deserving student-athletes. Of those student-athletes who have received the
award since its inception, 94 percent have earned their undergraduate degree with
the help of this program.
Rushi Amin, Kutztown
Mechela Barnes, Seattle Pacific
Keeley Bateman, St. Thomas Aquinas
Caysie Beetley, Washburn
Tabitha Bemis, Edinboro
Brittany Biddle, Wilmington (Delaware)
Alexa Bordewick, Pittsburg State
Lauren Boyd, Bellarmine
Tasia Bristow, Glenville State
Ali Brown, Cameron
Amanda Burnard, Wayne State
(Michigan)
Kylie Burns, Alaska Anchorage
Veronica Celaya, Western New Mexico
Ethan Cordray, Pittsburg State
Trinesha Cornell, Central State (Ohio)
Trent Davison, Ferris State
Andrea Dawson, Armstrong
Katelyn Dedrick, Humboldt State
Sarah DeShone, Ferris State
Jamel Dobbs, Tuskegee
Jazlyn Fuller, Tuskegee
Kyra Garrison, Adams State
John Gaston, Kentucky State
Allison Glisch, Winona State
Christine Groh, Fort Lewis
Heidi Haller, Lewis
Jasmine Hammon, Alabama-Huntsville
Austin Hanser, Montana State Billings
Bena Hanyard, Clayton State
Chandler Hash, Anderson
(South Carolina)
Bente Heller, Alaska Fairbanks
Ethan Hildebrand, Southwest
Minnesota State
Breanna Holleman, Southwest
Minnesota State
Kristen Holmes, Armstrong
Natalie Huggins, Ursuline
Kaley Jacobson, Winona State
Katie Kerns, Central Oklahoma
Alison Kusler, Northern State
Carissa Kutkowski, Cal State
San Bernardino
Kelsey Lewis, Washburn
Christen Lopez, Colorado Mesa
David Lundberg, North Alabama
Melissa Marshall, Colorado School of
Mines
Jena Matter, Mansfield
Jessica Mattia, Virginia State
Mary Ellen McCollum, Holy Family
Jillian McDaniels, Central Washington
Samantha McGaha, Lewis
Chantry McMahan, Texas
A&M-Commerce
Lauren Michael, Drury
Kristin Mihara, Cal Poly Pomona
Lee Nishanian, Cal State
San Bernardino
Carlos Olea, St. Mary’s (Texas)
Laura Patrick, Emporia State
Petra Pesic, Central Oklahoma
Lewis Polkow, Montana State Billings
Emily Relles, Cal State Stanislaus
Victoria Reuscher, Holy Family
Taylor Rock, Colorado Mesa
Chelsea Rodriguez, Fort Lewis
Annie Rubendunst, Northern Michigan
Gabriela Saravia, Fort Hays State
Michelle Scannell, Mount Olive
Jessica Schuck, West Chester
Danielle Slivka, Wisconsin-Parkside
Jordan Smith, Alabama-Huntsville
Nicholas Smith, Southwest
Minnesota State
Rebecca Smith, East Stroudsburg
Katie Sokolowski, Nebraska-Kearney
Suzanne Solin, Northern Michigan
Caitlin Stredde, McKendree
Joylene Thompson, Fayetteville State
Jordan Tippens, King (Tennessee)
Halei Van Dyke, Felician
Taylor Varnadore, Sonoma State
Cory Veldhuizen, Malone
Ashley Vellucci, Shippensburg
Tricia Vogel, Emporia State
Samantha Walling, Clayton State
Breanna Wilson, Montana State Billings
Derek Younker, Pittsburgh-Johnstown
MORE INFORMATION
For information about these scholarship programs and other resources, see
www.NCAA.org/about/resources/grants-programs-and-scholarships.
Mohamed Mohamed, Grand Valley State, track and field
Bailey Vrazel, Texas Woman’s, softball
honors AND AWARDS
2014 Division II Yearbook
37
ELITE 89
excellence
in academics
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Elite 89 Award is presented to
the student-athlete with the highest
cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of
the NCAA’s 89 championships. These
are the Division II winners for 2014.
Baseball
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Brad Wannemuehler
BethAnne Davis
Luke Calkins
Southern Indiana
Accounting and Professional
Services, 3.86 GPA
Union (Tennessee)
Nursing, 4.0 GPA
UC San Diego
Mechanical Engineering,
3.947 GPA
Men’s Basketball
Margaret Thorwart
Mitch McCarron
Metro State
Human Performance and Sport,
3.86 GPA
Women’s Basketball
Maurissa Lester
Limestone
Biology, 4.0 GPA
Men’s Cross Country
Billy Brockmueller
Sioux Falls
Applied Mathematics and
Computer Science, 4.0 GPA
Field Hockey
Millersville
Communications, 3.967 GPA
Football
Joe Shultz
Colorado State-Pueblo
Engineering, 3.919 GPA
Men’s Golf
Andrew Ward
South Carolina Aiken
Business Administration,
3.914 GPA
Women’s Golf
Ellen Chambers
Lynn
International Relations,
4.0 GPA
Men’s Lacrosse
Todd Nakasuji
Limestone
Business, 4.0 GPA
Women’s Lacrosse
Melissa Menchella
Lindenwood (Missouri)
Physical Education, 4.0 GPA
Women’s Rowing
Emily Francis
Mercyhurst
Public Health, 4.0 GPA
Men’s Soccer
Conor Branson
Charleston (West Virginia)
Sports Administration, 3.97 GPA
Women’s Soccer
Samantha Collin
Rollins
Physics, 4.0 GPA
Softball
Courtney Albritton
Valdosta State
Education, 4.0 GPA
honors AND AWARDS
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Kristin Diemer
Queens (North Carolina)
Finance, 4.0 GPA
Men’s Tennis
Renato Lombardi
Barry
Finance, 3.94 GPA
Women’s Tennis
Celina Goetti
Hawaii Pacific
Travel Industry Management,
3.962 GPA
Men’s Indoor
Track and Field
Billy Brockmueller
Sioux Falls
Accounting, Business
and Computer Science,
4.0 GPA
Women’s Indoor
Track and Field
Madison Pines
Northwood (Michigan)
Accounting, 4.0 GPA
Men’s Outdoor
Track and Field
William Shell
Southwest Baptist
Athletic Training, 4.0 GPA
Women’s Outdoor
Track and Field
Bri Leeper
West Texas A&M
Communications, 4.0 GPA
Women’s Volleyball
Claire Sames
Southwest Minnesota State
Biology and Chemistry, 4.0 GPA
Wrestling
Corbin Bennetts
Western State
Biology, 3.945 GPA
2014 Division II Yearbook
39
ncaa woman of the year division II
finalists
Ellen Chambers
Lynn University, Sunshine State Conference
Golf student-athlete, international relations major
Ellen Chambers, an Australian
native, dove into American politics
during her collegiate career. The
four-year SAAC member joined
the Lynn University College Democrats and served as vice president of
the International Affairs Society for
two years. Chambers volunteered
at the 2012 U.S. General Election Final Presidential Debate, after which she was selected to provide a number
of local, national and international interviews discussing
foreign policy. She also spent two years mentoring female high school students with Lynn’s Leading Ladies.
Chambers compiled a cumulative 4.0 GPA and was
named the Sunshine State Conference Female Scholar
Athlete of the Year as a senior. She also won the Division II Women’s Golf Championships Elite 89 Award
that year. She helped her team win two Division II
championships and finished fourth individually in 2013.
“My experience as a
collegiate golfer has shaped
me into someone who
looks beyond individual
results, having learned the
importance of working hard
for the collective success of
a team. I recognize
now that this has
been one of the
greatest and most valuable
lessons presented to me.
I will continue throughout
my life as someone who
believes in giving back,
as I am motivated by the
opportunities that have come
my way as a scholar, athlete
and leader in the community.”
Jackie Sileo
Long Island University/LIU Post, East Coast Conference
Lacrosse student-athlete, psychology major
Jackie Sileo saw sports, and specifically lacrosse,
as an opportunity to make a difference during her
college career. She volunteered at lacrosse clinics
for children of all ages, taught special needs children
to ride bicycles, helped raise money to fund a middle
school lacrosse team, volunteered at a local Ronald
McDonald House and assisted with relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy.
Sileo received Capital One Academic All-America honors in 2012, and
was inducted into Psi Chi honor society in 2013 and Chi Sigma Iota Society
in 2014. She currently is pursuing her graduate degree in school counseling.
Sileo was a member of two Division II championship teams and a
four-time All-American. She holds the Division II championship record
for points scored in a tournament and was named the Most Outstanding
Player at the 2012 championship. As a junior, Sileo broke the Division II
all-time points and assists records. This past year, she shattered the career
points record across all divisions. Sileo rounded out her storied career
with 195 goals and 369 assists.
40
2014 Division II Yearbook
honors AND AWARDS
“I have come
to realize the
impact that simply
reaching out and
helping others can
have. It is truly
heartwarming to
see how a simple
act of kindness can
go such a long way.
I feel compelled
to look out for the
well-being of others
and remain humble
and selfless.”
Bailey Vrazel
Division II conference nominees
Conferences may recognize two nominees if at least one is a woman of
color or an international student-athlete.
Texas Woman’s University, Lone Star Conference
Softball student-athlete, kinesiology/pre-physical therapy major
Bailey Vrazel is a quick study on and off the field.
On the softball diamond, Vrazel’s quickness was reflected in her speed on the basepaths. The three-time
National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American
holds the Texas Woman’s and Lone Star Conference
career and single-season records in stolen bases and
hits, in addition to the university’s single-season records in runs, walks and consecutive stolen bases. She
is ranked second in Division II in career stolen bases.
Her quick mind in the classroom led to a perfect 4.0 GPA and several
academic honors, including the Division II softball Elite 89 Award in 2013,
the 2014 Texas Woman’s Outstanding Senior Award and the 2014 Capital
One Academic All-American of the Year for Division II softball.
Vrazel also was a three-year member of the Texas Woman’s campus
SAAC, while coaching an under-16 softball team and volunteering with the
Brazosport Regional Medical Center Physical Therapy group, the Good Samaritan Nursing Home and the Angleton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center.
“Throughout my undergraduate experience, I have been shaped by
challenges in the classroom and on the field, as well as through my
service and scholastic community experiences. Being a studentathlete has allowed me to grow into a woman who upholds her
moral character, works diligently and intensely on all tasks, knows
the importance of giving back, and is a leader with a purpose.”
California Collegiate
Athletic Association
Karenee Demery
Cal State Stanislaus, soccer
Chelsey Jones
Cal State San Bernardino, soccer
Central Atlantic
Collegiate Conference
Elizabeth Nichols*
Heartland Conference
Rachel Murray*
St. Edward’s, soccer
Lone Star Conference
Bailey Vrazel*
Texas Woman’s, softball
Central Intercollegiate
Athletic Association
Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association
Anna-Kay Edwards
Erin Alewine
Livingstone, outdoor track and field
Danielle Williams*
Johnson C. Smith,
cross country/track and field
Conference Carolinas
Jasmine McDonald
Mount Olive, basketball
Central Missouri,
indoor track and field
Northeast-10 Conference
Lauren Battista*
Bentley, basketball
Northern Sun
Intercollegiate Conference
Rachel Patnoe
Hannah Witt
Southwest Minnesota State, golf
King (Tennessee),
cross country/track and field
Pacific West Conference
East Coast Conference
Academy of Art, golf
LIU Post, lacrosse
Great American Conference
Agostina
Casamento Moran*
East Central, tennis
Kristen Celsor
Harding, basketball/track and field
Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference
Kristen Hixon
Grand Valley State, track and field
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Katie Kujawa
Andrea Nieto
Peach Belt Conference
Natalie Klemann
UNC Pembroke, softball
Barbora Krtickova
Armstrong, tennis
Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference
Jennifer Papich
Gannon, basketball
Rocky Mountain
Athletic Conference
Ashley Kuchar
Fort Lewis, basketball
South Atlantic Conference
Rockhurst, soccer
Keeley Wood
Great Midwest
Athletic Conference
Wingate, cross country/
track and field
Deanne Bradshaw*
Sunshine State Conference
Cedarville, soccer
The NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to
celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics.
NCAA member schools from all three divisions nominate their own
woman of the year annually. Each fall, the NCAA Woman of the
Year selection committee selects the Top 30 – 10 from each division
– and then three finalists from each division. The NCAA Committee
on Women’s Athletics selects the winner from the nine finalists.
Annalee Pierce
Delta State, cross country
Philadelphia U., lacrosse
Jackie Sileo*
ABOUT THE AWARD
Gulf South Conference
Great Northwest
Athletic Conference
Keri Knight
Alaska Fairbanks, volleyball
Ellen Chambers*
Lynn, golf
Akemi Maehama*
Barry, tennis
*Denotes Top 30 Finalist
honors AND AWARDS
2014 Division II Yearbook
41
ENC
ES
FER
CON
We asked Division II conferences to pick one word
that best described their achievements from fall
2013 through fall 2014. All 24 conferences chose
different words, and their accomplishments are
summarized in the following pages.
celebration
CCAA announces inaugural Hall of Fame class. In conjunction
with the celebration of the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s 75th anniversary, the conference created the Hall
of Fame to honor its most illustrious student-athletes, coaches,
administrators and benefactors, including an Olympic gold
medalist, several All-Americans and legendary coaches:
• Former Cal Poly Pomona coaches Darlene May and John
Scolinos
• Cal State L.A.’s Nicole Duncan Chance, a former track
and field student-athlete
• Carmelita Jeter, a former Cal State Dominguez Hills
sprinter who won three medals at the 2012 Olympics
• Cal State San Bernardino’s Kim Morohunfola, a former
volleyball student-athlete
• Former student-athlete, coach, administrator and CCAA
Commissioner Bob Hiegert
CCAA celebrates its 75th anniversary. The anniversary logo for
the 2013-14 academic year included a diamond-like structure
with a dodecagon center and inner lettering. The diamond
represented the 75th anniversary year, while the dodecagon,
a 12-sided shape, represented each of the CCAA’s member
institutions at the time. In addition to the 75th anniversary
logo, the CCAA website featured a 75th anniversary page that
contained stories covering past NCAA champions and great
moments, as well as “Where Are They Now” features posted
throughout the academic year.
Humboldt State women’s rowing team wins CCAA’s 153rd
national title. The Lumberjacks for the second time in three
years hoisted the Division II trophy at Indianapolis’ Eagle
Creek Park. In a grand final predicted to be a tight three-team
field, the Lumberjacks claimed the championship by a single
point, 16-15, over defending champions Nova Southeastern
and two points better than third-place West Region rival Western Washington.
All four qualifying men’s basketball teams advance from first
round of NCAA West Region tournament. Cal Poly Pomona, Cal
State Stanislaus, Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino all
captured wins in the first round of the 2014 Division II Men’s
Basketball Championship, hosted on the campus of Cal State
San Bernardino. Chico State went on to win the regional and
represent the CCAA in the Elite Eight.
California
Collegiate
Athletic
Association
Founded: 1938
Commissioner:
Mike Matthews
Membership
n University of
California, San Diego
n California State
Polytechnic
University, Pomona
n California State
University,
Dominguez Hills
n California State
University, East Bay
n California State
University, Los
Angeles
n California State
University, Monterey
Bay
n California State
University, San
Bernardino
n California State
University,
San Marcos
(Candidacy Year 1)
n California State
University, Stanislaus
n Chico State
University
nHumboldt State
University
nSan Francisco State
University
nSonoma State
University
Joe Robbins / NCAA Photos
Above: Humboldt State’s rowing team celebrates its second
NCAA championship trophy in three years at Eagle Creek Park
in Indianapolis. Right: Chico State topped conference rival Cal
State Stanislaus to win the regional March 17, 2014, at Cal State
San Bernardino. All four CCAA teams that qualified for the tournament won their first-round games.
Robert A. Whitehead / Chico State University
44
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Progressive
Central Atlantic
Collegiate
Conference
Founded: 1961
Commissioner:
Dan Mara
Membership
The Central Atlantic Collegiate
Conference was progressive in
2014, with several new initiatives.
As the conference prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary as a Division II member in 2014-15, these initiatives continued the momentum from its first decade of success.
The CACC Hall of Fame. The conference created criteria and a structure for a new Hall of Fame. The
first CACC Hall of Fame class will be announced
in September 2015.
nBloomfield College
n Caldwell University
n Chestnut Hill College
n Concordia College
(New York)
nDominican College
(New York)
n Felician College
n Georgian Court
University
nGoldey-Beacom
College
nHoly Family
University
nNyack College
nPhiladelphia
University
n Post University
n University of
the Sciences in
Philadelphia
nWilmington
University (Delaware)
Direct reports meeting. Several schools in the conference have athletics directors reporting to senior administrators who do not serve in the role of president.
The CACC has several meetings annually with presidents and ADs, but not people in the other positions.
Conference presidents urged the CACC to initiate a
direct reports meeting, which brought all of those senior administrators into one room. The first meeting
was in October 2014, and the feedback was outstanding, prompting another meeting to be planned for the
coming year. The meeting allowed administrators to
become more aware of CACC initiatives and allowed
professionals to share best-practice standards.
CACC/ECC SAAC Retreat. Members of the CACC
office, along with the league’s SAAC representatives, will join with their counterparts at the East
Coast Conference in March for a retreat that will
focus on various topics, including leadership development, career planning and other issues facing student-athletes. This will be the first year
the event is combined with both conferences, as
student-athletes from both leagues will gain an opportunity to learn more about each other.
Men’s track and field championships. The CACC
will add a 15th conference championship sport in
2014-15. The league’s men’s outdoor track and field
championships will be held in conjunction with the
women’s track and field championships May 3 at
Georgian Court in Lakewood, New Jersey.
The CACC will hold
its first men’s outdoor track
and field championships in
2015 at Georgian Court.
Photos by Ellen O’Brien
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
45
Resilient
shutterstock
CIAA inks Charlotte extension. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association signed a six-year agreement to conduct several postseason events in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conference also announced
plans to move its headquarters there. By 2017, the
CIAA plans to hold early rounds of its men’s and
women’s basketball tournaments at the upgraded
GoodSports and Bojangles Coliseum sports complex,
with final rounds still at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Broadcast agreement expands. The CIAA also signed
an agreement with WSOC-TV to be the official media sponsor of the CIAA tournament in Charlotte and
the home of CIAA football, basketball and the weekly
program “Inside the Game.” The network will air two
regular-season football games and the football championship game, along with five regular-season men’s
basketball games, four men’s quarterfinal tournament
games and two men’s semifinal games.
Williams wins again. George Williams, the athletics
director and head men’s and women’s track and field/
cross country coach at Saint Augustine’s, continued his
coaching dynasty, winning team titles at the men’s indoor and outdoor track and field championships in 2013
and 2014. Since 1976, his track and field programs
have won 35 national championships.
Central
Intercollegiate
Athletic
Association
Founded: 1912
Commissioner:
Jacqie McWilliams
Membership
nBowie State
University
n Chowan University
nElizabeth City State
University
n Fayetteville State
University
central intercollegiate athletic conference photo
Above: CIAA Commissioner Jacqie
McWilliams (center) joins Charlotte
Regional Visitors Authority CEO
Tom Murray (left) and Fred Whitfield,
Charlotte Hornets president and
chief operating officer, in celebrating
the CIAA’s extension with Charlotte
(top) to host several postseason
events. Right: Track and field coach
George Williams has expanded Saint
Augustine’s trophy collection.
Conference strategic plan. The CIAA reduced a fiscal
deficit by more than half in 2014 and emerged with
a clean audit.
46
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
n Johnson C. Smith
University
nThe Lincoln
University
(Pennsylvania)
n Livingstone College
nSaint Augustine’s
University
nShaw University
nVirginia State
University
nVirginia Union
University
Geoff Wood photo
nWinston-Salem
State University
Growing
Larry French / NCAA Photos
Growing competition. The competitiveness of Conference
Carolinas continues to flourish in Division II, with Limestone winning its third Division II championship in men’s
lacrosse as an example.
Conference
Carolinas
Founded: 1930
Commissioner:
Alan Patterson
Membership
nBarton College
nBelmont Abbey
College
n Converse College
nEmmanuel College
(Georgia) (Candidacy
Year 1)
nErskine College
nKing University
n Lees-McRae College
Growing academics. Conference Carolinas emphasizes
educational experiences through athletics. Last year, 3,024
student-athletes were on the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll, an award that recognizes student-athletes who have earned a 3.20 grade-point average on a 4.00
scale for the semester (the award includes freshman and
transfer students). The number of award recipients continues to expand each year.
Growing community engagement. The Conference Carolinas Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has grown in its
service to communities. SAAC not only raises money for
Make-A-Wish but also hosts a wish recipient at the committee’s annual retreat. In addition, at this year’s retreat,
the Conference Carolinas SAAC spent time working for
Habitat for Humanity.
n Limestone College
n University of Mount
Olive
nNorth Greenville
University
n Pfeiffer University
nSouthern Wesleyan
University
(Candidacy Year 2)
Limestone (top) celebrates its 12-6 win against LIU Post in the
Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship at M&T Bank Stadium
in Baltimore. The Conference Carolinas Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee built homes in addition to relationships at the group’s
recent retreat, hosting a Make-A-Wish wish recipient (middle,
right) and collaborating on a Habitat for Humanity project (right).
Conference carolinas photos
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
47
COMMUNITY
The East Coast Conference was all about community in 2014. Here are
just a few of the community service and engagement events that ECC
members conducted last year:
Team Up To Clean Up. In the first year of this project, several ECC
schools worked to beautify their local communities. All 11 member
schools will participate this year. Night Out event. Three ECC members hosted a “Night Out” that
gave parents a night to themselves during the holiday season by letting them drop off their kids for a fun evening with student-athletes. Casey Rafferty photo
Spirit Showcase. East Coast Conference and other Long Island cheer
and dance teams joined to perform at the conference’s fifth annual
Spirit Showcase, proceeds from which go to Make-A-Wish. Carnival. Student-athletes who participated in the ECC’s Excellence
in Community and Character Leadership Workshop helped run a carnival for about 50 children from the Miracle League of Long Island. Lacrosse clinic. ECC student-athletes helped run a lacrosse clinic
at the ECC championship for the Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership
program, a nonprofit organization that provides academic intervention, leadership training and lacrosse participation to at-risk youth.
From top: ECC soccer student-athletes Sam Rugg (left) of Daemen and
Luis Lizarzaburu of Mercy flank a young ECC carnival attendee. A MakeA-Wish recipient presents ECC Commissioner Dr. Robert Dranoff with a
thank-you plaque from Suffolk County Make-A-Wish during the conference’s Spirit Showcase. Dozens of ECC student-athletes took pride in their
surroundings this year by teaming up to clean up their communities.
East Coast
Conference
Founded: 1988
Commissioner:
Dr. Robert Dranoff
Membership
n University of
Bridgeport
nDaemen College
n University of the
District of Columbia
nDowling College
n Long Island
University/LIU Post
n Mercy College
n Molloy College
nNew York Institute of
Technology
n Queens College
(New York)
n Roberts Wesleyan
College
nSt. Thomas Aquinas
College
Casey Rafferty photo
Dowling College athletics photo
48
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Great American
Conference
great american conference photo
Founded: 2011
Commissioner:
Will Prewitt
Membership
n University of
Arkansas, Monticello
n Arkansas Tech
University
nEast Central University
nHarding University
nHenderson State
University
nNorthwestern
Oklahoma
State University
(Provisional)
nOklahoma
Baptist University
(Candidacy Year 1)
nOuachita Baptist
University
nSoutheastern
Oklahoma State
University
nSouthern Arkansas
University
nSouthern Nazarene
University
nSouthwestern
Oklahoma State
University
BALANCE
Balance among champions. Eleven Great American Conference members have won a conference regular-season or tournament championship during the past two seasons, including
nine different schools winning a title in the league’s 13 sports
in 2013-14.
Balance among individuals. During The Home Depot College
Football Awards on ESPN, Henderson State quarterback Kevin
Rodgers was selected as the fourth team captain in the 22-year
history of the 2013 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He also
finished third in the Harlon Hill Trophy voting. The Good
Works Team recognizes college football players at all levels for
their inspiring acts of service and the impact they have on their
communities and the lives of others. Rodgers led the nation in
Ouachita Baptist University photo
passing yards per game in 2013 (400.6) and threw for a total
4,807 yards (fifth-most in Division II history).
Balance among academics. Student-athletes representing the
GAC have won the past two Conference Commissioner’s Association Central Region Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
honors, with Harding’s two-sport standout Kristen Celsor being recognized in 2013-14. Celsor recently graduated with
a 3.91 grade-point average in communication sciences and
disorders. She was the Daktronics NCAA Division II Central
Region Player of the Year and the Great American Conference Player of the Year in basketball. She was Harding’s top
high jumper, as well. Celsor earned Capital One Academic
All-America honors in both sports.
Conferences
Clockwise from top left:
Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers was
announced as team captain
of the Allstate AFCA Good
Works Team. Kristen Celsor
of Harding was recognized
regionally for her academic
and athletics accomplishments. Ouachita Baptist
wrestlers were among 11
different GAC champions in
the past two years.
2014 Division II Yearbook
49
Danny reise / University of missouri-St. Louis
ACHIEVEMENT
Leading the way. Grand Valley State’s nine Learfield Sports
Directors’ Cup titles are tops among all NCAA Division II
schools. The Lakers also claimed the 2013-14 GLIAC Presidents’ Cup title for the 16th straight year, winning 11 GLIAC championships and two national team titles, in women’s
cross country and women’s soccer. Doug Witte / Grand Valley State University athletics
Academic achievement. Two-time NCAA Elite 89 Award
recipient Madison Pines compiled a 4.0 GPA in accounting
and is now in graduate school. Pines, a two-sport studentathlete (soccer and track) at Northwood (Michigan), earned
the award in 2014 for women’s indoor track and field, running the mile at the NCAA championships. The GLIAC has
amassed 10 Elite 89 winners in the award’s history.
Top-flight facilities. Saginaw Valley State finished construction in September on a $14 million athletics field house.
The structure features 80 yards of turf, suitable for football
and soccer practice, along with a 300-meter track. The field
house is one of only two of its kind in Division II. The other
is at fellow GLIAC member Grand Valley State.
Saginaw Valley State University athletics media relations photo
From top: Wayne State’s softball team provided plenty of happy
moments in 2014. Grand Valley State student-athletes, coaches
and staff celebrated the school’s ninth Directors’ Cup presentation. The new field house at Saginaw Valley State is another
showcase facility in the GLIAC.
50
2014 Division II Yearbook
Championship-level play. The Wayne State (Michigan) softball team, after winning its second NCAA Midwest Super
Regional title in the past five years, qualified for the NCAA
Division II Women’s Softball Championship after a recordsetting year in which the team won 19 straight games and
compiled the second-most wins in school history (46). And
at the 2014 Fall Festival, Grand Valley State won titles in
women’s soccer and women’s cross country (along with
sweeping the top three spots in the individual standings).
Conferences
Great Lakes
Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference
Founded: 1972
Commissioner:
Dell Robinson
Membership
n Ashland University
n Ferris State University
n University of Findlay
n Grand Valley State
University
nHillsdale College
n Lake Erie College
n Lake Superior State
University
n Malone University
n Michigan Technological
University
nNorthern Michigan
University
nNorthwood University
(Michigan)
nOhio Dominican
University
nSaginaw Valley State
University
nTiffin University
n Walsh University
n Wayne State
University (Michigan)
eNHANCE
Great Lakes
Valley Conference
Founded: 1978
Commissioner:
Jim Naumovich
Membership
nBellarmine University
nDrury University
n University of Illinois
Springfield
n University of
Indianapolis
n Lewis University
n Maryville University
nMcKendree
University
n Missouri S&T
n University of
Missouri-St. Louis
n Quincy University
n Rockhurst University
nSaint Joseph’s
College
n University of
Southern Indiana
nTruman State
University
David Richard / NCAA Photos
The Great Lakes Valley Conference enhanced the experience for its
members by:
n William Jewell
College
n University of
Wisconsin-Parkside
Pioneering the GLVC Sports Network, an inclusive digital streaming
platform designed to enhance the profile of all 20 GLVC championships and the league’s 16 member institutions.
From top: The Drury
women’s and men’s teams
celebrate their twin titles
at the Division II Men’s and
Women’s Swimming and
Diving Championships in
Geneva, Ohio. The new
GLVC style guide instructs
member schools to dress
their facilities in style.
GLVC members made a
splash in the pool, participating in the league’s first
conference championships.
Creating the GLVC Style Guide, a document given to all 16 conference members showcasing how and where the GLVC mark should be placed on apparel and in facilities to enhance the league’s brand on campuses.
Conducting the Senior Woman Administrator GLVC Championship Initiative, a program funded through conference grant dollars to enhance
opportunities and professional development for the league’s senior
woman administrators by allowing them to travel to GLVC championships throughout the 2013-14 season and participate in event management, student-athlete experience, and post-event surveys.
Great lakes valley conference Photos
Hosting the inaugural GLVC Swimming and Diving Championships, which
provided a memorable first (and first-class) impression for the conference’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Some even
reported that the enhanced student-athlete experience was more rewarding than that of the NCAA championships, where GLVC-member Drury
claimed both the men’s and women’s national team titles.
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
51
EMERGENT
And they’re off. After serving a provisional year, 2013-14 was a
significant step forward for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as the NCAA officially recognized the league as active. The
conference also added four institutions (Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, Salem International) in 2013-14, increasing overall membership to nine active schools.
Tracy Proffitt photo
Great Midwest Athletic Conference photo
Scott Huck photo
(From top) Cedarville pitcher David Ledbetter joined
his twin brother Ryan as first-year draft picks by the
Texas Rangers. Community engagement projects for
the G-MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in
2014 included a food drive.
Making the grade. In the third year of the Division II Presidents’
Award for Academic Excellence program, Cedarville and Davis
& Elkins were among 27 schools across the country with Academic Success Rates over 90.
Making their presence known. Cedarville’s men’s cross country team
competed at the NCAA Division II championships in Spokane,
Washington. Matt Brooker became the G-MAC’s and Yellow Jackets’ first NCAA All-American in any sport. Cedarville twin pitchers, David (3rd round) and Ryan Ledbetter (19th round), were both
selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft
by the Texas Rangers. Deanne Bradshaw (Cedarville women’s soccer) was a 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honoree.
Lending a helping hand. The G-MAC’s Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee started the Athletes Collecting Toiletries in Service
(ACTS) last year. In support of ACTS, each school contributed boxes
of items after posting collection spots throughout the campus. The GMAC SAAC was also active with the Healing Center in Cincinnati.
Cedarville runners posted a 15th-place finish at the
2013 Division II Men’s Cross Country Championships.
52
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Great Midwest
Athletic
Conference
Founded: 2012
Commissioner:
Tom Daeger
Membership
n Alderson Broaddus
University
n Cedarville University
n Central State University
nDavis & Elkins
College
nKentucky Wesleyan
College
nOhio Valley University
nSalem International
University
nTrevecca University
n Ursuline College
fantastic
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
Great Northwest
Athletic
Conference
Founded: 2001
Commissioner:
Dave Haglund
Membership
n University of Alaska
Anchorage
n University of Alaska
Fairbanks
n Central Washington
University
n Concordia University
Portland (Candidacy
Year 1)
n Montana State
University Billings
nNorthwest Nazarene
University
nSaint Martin’s
University
nSeattle Pacific
University
nSimon Fraser
University
n Western Oregon
University
n Western Washington
University
GNAC on ROOT Sports. Seven Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s
and women’s basketball games were televised on ROOT Sports during the
2013-14 season, bringing a great brand of Division II basketball to millions
of fans in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia. Western Washington guard Richard Woodworth provided fans with a
fantastic finish Feb. 22, hitting a shot from half court at the buzzer to beat
arch-rival Central Washington, 94-91.
GNAC hosts Women in Sports Seminar. The GNAC hosted a Women in
Sports Career Seminar May 17 at the Washington State Convention Center
in Seattle. More than 75 women interested in pursuing careers in athletics
had a fantastic time networking and gaining career advice from current
female athletics professionals, including keynote speaker Kimberly Ford,
NCAA director of minority inclusion.
GNAC student-athletes enjoy academic success. Seattle Pacific was among
27 schools to receive the third annual Division II Presidents’ Award for
Academic Excellence. Conference-wide, 119 student-athletes earned the
GNAC Faculty Athletics Representative Scholar-Athlete award, posting
GPAs of 3.85 or better.
GNAC student-athletes enjoy athletics success. GNAC teams reached the
2013 national semifinals in men’s and women’s soccer (Simon Fraser and
Western Washington, respectively), and Alaska Anchorage’s women finished
fourth in the 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Championships hosted by the GNAC in Spokane, Washington, for the second time in
three years. GNAC athletes also had some fantastic performances at the 2014
NCAA Division II Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships as Seattle Pacific’s McKayla Fricker won the 800 meters and Western Washington’s Bethany Drake and Katie Reichert finished 1-2 in the javelin – just one
inch apart. And Western Washington’s Katelyn Steen placed fifth at the 2014
NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Championships.
Conferences
Dan Levine photo
Nick Gonzales Photo
From top: McKayla Fricker of Seattle Pacific wins
the national title in the 800-meter run with a time
of 2:06.18. GNAC staff members enjoyed their time
at the Women in Sports Seminar in Seattle. From
left are Assistant Commissioner Bridget Johnson
Tetteh, intern Nick Schmidt, Commissioner Dave
Haglund and Assistant Information Director Evan
O’Kelly. Fans mob Western Washington’s Richard
Woodworth after he hits a miracle half-court shot
to beat Central Washington, 94-91, in a ROOT
Sports regionally televised game.
2014 Division II Yearbook
53
evolve
GSC-TV Game of the Week moves to ESPN. The Gulf South
Conference celebrated the 10th year of its Football Game of
the Week package by inking an exclusive agreement to broadcast on ESPN3.
Membership growth. Gulf South Conference membership has
been evolving since 2011 by serving as the sponsoring conference for four transitional institutions. Shorter and Union (Tennessee) became official NCAA and Gulf South members in 201415. Lee is on track to follow in 2015-16 and Mississippi College
in 2016-17. The Gulf South also bolstered its membership by
adding associate members. Florida Tech
became the only Division II football school
in the state of Florida in 2013. Spring Hill
is on track to become an official associate
member in men’s and women’s soccer and
women’s golf in 2016-17.
Leadership transition. The Gulf South
Conference selected Matt Wilson (right,
top) as the seventh commissioner of
the league on March 27, 2014. Wilson
replaces the longest-standing commissioner in Gulf South history, Nate Salant
(right, bottom), who was also inducted
into the Gulf South’s inaugural Hall of
Fame class announced this year.
Gulf South
Conference
Founded: 1970
West Florida’s Bruno
Savi gets fired up during his singles match
with Petr Michnev.
West Florida defeated
Hawaii Pacific, 5-3, to
win the national title.
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
Commissioner:
Matt Wilson
Membership
n University of
Alabama in
Huntsville
n Christian Brothers
University
nDelta State
University
n Lee University
(Provisional)
n Mississippi College
(Candidacy Year 2)
n University of North
Alabama
nShorter University
n Union University
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Make-A-Wish. The
Gulf South SAAC participated in a community engagement
project coordinated with Children’s of Alabama. The Gulf
South initiated a monthly SAAC Spotlight Series with video
interviews/features of its members. The Delta State SAAC
turned in a record Make-A-Wish campaign, ranking fifth in
all of Division II.
nValdosta State
University
n University of West
Alabama
n University of West
Florida
n University of West
Georgia
Shorter (pictured) and Union (Tennessee)
(right) became official NCAA and Gulf
South members in 2014-15.
(left) shorter university photo; (above) Union university photo
54
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
engaged
Wes Koenig was
one of two baseball
student-athletes
from St. Edward’s
to be recognized as
All-Americans.
st. edward’s university photo
Heartland
Conference
Founded: 1999
Commissioner:
Tony Stigliano
Membership
n University of
Arkansas, Fort Smith
nDallas Baptist
University
n Lubbock Christian
University
(Provisional)
nNewman University
nOklahoma
Christian University
(Provisional)
nOklahoma
Panhandle State
University
n Rogers State
University
(Candidacy Year 2)
nSt. Edward’s
University
nSt. Mary’s University
(Texas)
nTexas A&M
International
University
n University of Texas
of the Permian Basin
Heartland Conference overall GPA continues to rise. The
conference saw a 2.1 percent increase overall in student-athletes’ GPAs. The Heartland Conference promotes academic
success by distributing NCAA enhancement funds, creating
a successful balance between athletics and academics, adjusting regular-season and championship schedules to minimize missed class time, and recognizing academic success.
Oklahoma Christian
cross country coach
Wade Miller (left, in
hat) says Heartland
Conference studentathletes “are not only
engaged in the sports
they play but also in
their academics, their
college community,
and their community they live in, as
well.” Miller’s cross
country teams made a
preseason trip to the
Regional Food Bank
of Oklahoma, bagging 3,000 pounds of
frozen vegetables.
St. Edward’s women’s basketball team spends afternoon
at children’s hospital. The Hilltoppers took time to visit
with children at the Dell Children’s Medical Center of
Central Texas. Members from the team greeted patients,
played board games and participated in activities with
the young patients from the hospital.
Regional Champions. St. Mary’s (Texas) scored five runs
in the top of the ninth inning to beat Angelo State, 7-3, to
win the NCAA Division II South Central Region 2. And
Arkansas-Fort Smith’s women’s volleyball team won the
2014 South Central Region and advanced all the way to
the national semifinals.
Heartland Conference baseball teams reap postseason
awards. The Heartland Conference had eight players named
to All-America teams or honorable mention lists by the
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Daktronics Baseball. The teams consist of players from St.
Edward’s, St. Mary’s, Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma
Christian. Wes Koenig and Brannon Easterling from St. Edward’s were named to both teams, Koenig as a first-team selection on both squads and Easterling as a first-teamer on the
NCBWA unit and a second-team selection for Daktronics.
Conferences
St. Edward’s women’s
basketball studentathletes spent an
afternoon in January
2014 entertaining
young patients at the
Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central
Texas.
Heartland conference photos
2014 Division II Yearbook
55
Andres Alonso / NCAA Photos
premier
Lone Star Conference schools and student-athletes provided
premier performances in the past year, including:
West Texas A&M, whose softball team won the 2014 Division II
title with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Valdosta State in the championship game. Brittany Gehle provided the winning margin for
the Lady Buffs with a three-run homer with two outs in the top
of the seventh inning. West Texas A&M also was runner-up in
women’s basketball and a semifinalist in women’s volleyball.
The Lady Buffs were the only Division II school to participate
in all three championships.
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
From top: The ecstatic Lady Buffs greet Brittany Gehle (No.
11) after her homer in the last inning gave West Texas A&M its
first Division II softball crown. Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Jeron
Robinson tied a Division II record in the high jump and was
named Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association. Meanwhile, teammate
Tim Price won both sprints to compile the highest point total of
any participant in the 2014 outdoor championships.
56
2014 Division II Yearbook
Texas Woman’s graduate Bailey Vrazel was selected as a Top 9
finalist for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year. She was a star on
the softball diamond, finishing her career with 246 stolen bases,
the third-most by any player in the history of NCAA softball (all
divisions). Vrazel also led the Pioneers in runs (54), hits (73) and
assists (107) in 2014 while posting a .376 batting average and
.945 fielding percentage. She received the NCAA Elite 89 award
for academic achievement in 2013 and also was named the 2014
Capital One Academic All-America of the Year in softball.
Buoyed by individual event titles from Tim Price and Jeron Robinson, Texas A&M-Kingsville finished fourth at the 2014 Division
II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Price won both the
100- and 200-meter dashes, while Robinson prevailed in the
high jump with a Division II-record-tying clearance of 7 feet,
6½ inches (2.30 meters).
Conferences
Lone Star
Conference
Founded: 1931
Interim
commissioner:
Jay Poerner
Membership
n Angelo State
University
n Cameron University
nEastern New Mexico
University
n Midwestern State
University
nTarleton State
University
nTexas A&M
UniversityCommerce
nTexas A&M
University-Kingsville
nTexas Woman’s
University
n West Texas A&M
University
success
Mid-America
Intercollegiate
Athletics
Association
Founded: 1912
Commissioner:
Bob Boerigter
Membership
n University of Central
Missouri
n University of Central
Oklahoma
nEmporia State
University
n Fort Hays State
University
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association won three national titles in the 2013-14 academic year:
• Football, Northwest Missouri State
• Men’s basketball, Central Missouri
• Women’s outdoor track and field, Lincoln (Missouri)
The MIAA experienced continued academic success:
• More than 2,000 MIAA student-athletes had GPAs greater than 3.0 in 2014
• 252 had GPAs greater than 3.5, and 86 had perfect 4.0s
The MIAA and its members were selected to host several Division II and National Collegiate championships: • Division II football in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 (hosted by the MIAA)
• Division II men’s and women’s soccer in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2016 and 2017 (hosted by the MIAA)
• Division II softball in Oklahoma City in 2015 (hosted by Central Oklahoma)
• Division II indoor track and field in Pittsburg, Kansas, in 2016 and 2018 (hosted by Pittsburg State)
• National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship in 2015 and 2018 (hosted by Central Missouri)
• National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey Championship in 2017 (hosted by Lindenwood)
From left: Northwest Missouri State student-athletes show their pride after
defeating Lenoir-Rhyne,
43-28, to win the 2013
football championship.
Janae Johnson of Lincoln
(Missouri) anchors the winning team in the 400-meter
relay during the outdoor
championships.
n Lincoln University
(Missouri)
nLindenwood
University
n Missouri Southern
State University
n Missouri Western
State University
n University of
Nebraska at
Kearney
nNortheastern State
University
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
nNorthwest Missouri
State University
n Pittsburg State
University
nSouthwest Baptist
University
n Washburn University
TJ White of Central Missouri
drives to the basket en route
to beating West Liberty, 84-77,
to capture the Division II Men’s
Basketball Championship.
Joe Robbins / NCAA Photos
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
57
historic
This year was historic for the Mountain East Conference, as it was the first of active status
for the league in Division II. Commissioner Reid Amos said, “Any first year of a conference is going to automatically be historic, but the outstanding performances of our members at the regional and national level made this truly a special year.” Several Mountain
East members had teams that had historic seasons, as well:
Adam Zundell / Mountain east conference
Mountain East
Conference
Founded: 2013
First-time finalists. West Liberty’s men’s basketball team played for a national championship for the first time in school history in that sport. The Hilltoppers went 31-4 on the year,
including a 20-2 record in MEC play that earned them the inaugural regular-season league
title. They went on to win the Atlantic Regional by defeating top-seeded East Stroudsburg
on its home court, 89-82. Victories over Drury and South Carolina Aiken earned West Liberty its first appearance in the national championship game, where it fell, 84-77, to Central
Missouri. Charleston (West Virginia) also made its first championship game appearance
in men’s soccer. The Golden Eagles were unbeaten during the 2014 regular season and
through the postseason until losing to Lynn in the national final.
Commissioner:
Reid Amos
Membership
n University of
Charleston (West
Virginia)
n Concord University
n Fairmont State
University
n Glenville State
College
Wheeling Jesuit’s women’s volleyball team advanced further in the NCAA tournament than
ever before, making it all the way to the 2013 national semifinals before losing to eventual
champion Concordia-St. Paul. The Cardinals finished the year 38-6, including a perfect
16-0 record in conference play. Wheeling Jesuit hosted and won the NCAA Regional, and
Jenna Pew was named MEC and Daktronics Atlantic Region Player of the Year, while also
earning All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Wheeling Jesuit University photo
Top: All-America guard Cedric
Harris led West Liberty to its first
national championship game.
Above: Wheeling Jesuit’s volleyball
team advanced to the 2013 national
semifinals. Below: Shepherd celebrates its 2013 conference title.
nNotre Dame College
(Ohio)
nShepherd University
n Urbana University
nThe University of
Virginia’s College at
Wise (Provisional)
Shepherd’s football team notched a perfect 10-0 record in the 2013 regular season and earned
the top seed in Super Region 1. The Rams hosted the regional final against West Chester,
but fell, 28-7. It was the first time Shepherd had hosted that game, and it marked the Rams’
second-deepest run in Division II playoff history. Shepherd also recorded its first postseason
shutout in school history with a 7-0 win over Winston-Salem State, and the Rams finished the
year ranked first in rushing defense (48.3 yards per game) and second in total defense (244.8).
n West Liberty
University
n West Virginia State
University
n West Virginia
Wesleyan College
n Wheeling Jesuit
University
Shepherd University Photo
58
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Bentley’s Lauren Battista received
national accolades for her athletics
and academic achievements.
Harry Scull Jr. / NCAA Photos
DISTINCTION
Northeast-10
Conference
Distinction in competition. Teams from the Northeast-10 Conference won national
championships in women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse in 2014, bringing the
total for the 2013-14 academic year to three team championships. Northeast-10
members also captured individual national titles in swimming (Southern Connecticut State’s Raymond Cswerko) and in track and field (Southern Connecticut State’s
Nick Lebron) in 2014. The conference captured ten regional crowns in the 2013-14
academic year and in fall 2014 (two in women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and field
hockey, and one each in men’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s
lacrosse) and advanced to the national semifinals in seven of those.
Founded: 1979
Commissioner:
Julie Ruppert
Membership
n Adelphi University
nAmerican
International College
n Assumption College
nBentley University
n Franklin Pierce
University
Nick Lebron
n Le Moyne College
n Merrimack College
n University of New
Haven
n Pace University
nSaint Anselm
College
nSaint Michael’s
College
nThe College of
Saint Rose
nSouthern
Connecticut State
University
nSouthern New
Hampshire
University
nStonehill College
Northeast-10 members
believe in their relationships with Team
IMPACT, as evidenced
by the cover of the Fall
2014 issue of NCAA
Champion magazine.
Raymond
Cswerko
Distinction in the community. Northeast-10 members made 56 matches on 14 member campuses with Team IMPACT, the nonprofit organization seeking to improve the
quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses by matching
the courageous kids with local college athletics teams. The 56 matches led all conferences in all three divisions, and they speak volumes about the commitment that
NE-10 student-athletes have to impact their local communities.
Academic distinction. Of the 276 Northeast-10 teams competing in 23 conference
sports, 69 percent (190) earned team GPAs above 3.0 in 2013-14. Additionally, more
than 3,100 of the conference’s 5,500 student-athletes achieved individual GPAs
above 3.0 in 2014. In the Academic Success Rate release from October 2014, six
NE-10 institutions have a six-year ASR average of 90 or above, and four (Saint Michael’s, Bentley, Stonehill and Assumption) are ranked in the top 10 in Division II.
Balanced distinction. Lauren Battista, a basketball student-athlete from Bentley, was
not only the Honda Division II Athlete of the Year but also the Capital One Academic
All-America of the Year in her sport.
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
59
experience
Sharing the experience. Minnesota State Mankato hosted more than 50 representatives
from all 16 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference institutions at the conference’s
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Summit. Representatives helped with building
repairs and landscaping at a recreation center for people with intellectual disabilities.
Caring for the experience. Southwest Minnesota State collected the most pledges, and
Upper Iowa collected the highest percentage of pledges from basketball fans in attendance during the second annual “It’s a Slam Dunk Don’t Drive Drunk” campaign. Southwest Minnesota State men’s basketball coach Brad Bigler helped bring the campaign
to NSIC schools to encourage students and fans not to drive drunk. In 2012, Bigler’s
5-month-old son, Drake, died in an accident caused by a drunk driver.
A blueprint for the experience. The NSIC launched a community engagement campaign during its postseason basketball tournament in 2014 that will serve as a blueprint
for Division II. It was the first of a three-year agreement with the city of Sioux Falls,
South Dakota, to host the tournaments at the newly built Sanford Pentagon, and NSIC
schools banded together to include and entertain dozens of community stakeholders.
Experience counts. The NSIC’s ability to host championships made an impact on
NCAA officials, who awarded eight Division II championships to the city of Sioux
Falls and one to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for upcoming seasons. Sioux Falls will be the
home of championships for men’s basketball in 2017 and 2018, women’s basketball in
2015, 2016 and 2018, women’s volleyball and wrestling in 2016, and outdoor track and
field in 2018. The 2018 wrestling championships will be in Cedar Rapids.
Conrad Schmidt / NCAA Photos
Experience in competition. Concordia-St. Paul won its seventh straight Division II
Women’s Volleyball Championship in 2013. Minnesota State Mankato was runner-up
in the 2014 Division II Football Championship, and Southwest Minnesota State advanced to its first volleyball championship final at the 2014 DII Fall Festival.
Experience in the classroom. A total of 96 graduating senior student-athletes, each with
a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher, earned the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with
Distinction Award.
Northern Sun
Intercollegiate
Conference
Founded: 1932
Commissioner:
Erin Lind
Membership
n Augustana College
(South Dakota)
nBemidji State
University
n Concordia University,
St. Paul
n University of Mary
n University of
Minnesota Crookston
n University of
Minnesota Duluth
n Minnesota State
University, Mankato
n Minnesota State
University Moorhead
n Minot State
University
nNorthern State
University
n University of
Sioux Falls
nSouthwest
Minnesota State
University
nSt. Cloud State
University
n Upper Iowa
University
n Wayne State College
(Nebraska)
n Winona State
University
nothern sun intercollegiate conference photo
Above: Concordia-St. Paul won over
BYU-Hawaii in three straight sets to
claim the 2013 Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship title. Middle: The
conference’s annual SAAC Summit featured both camaraderie and community.
Right: The NSIC’s community engagement activities during the conference’s
postseason basketball tournaments
were a big hit.
nothern sun intercollegiate conference photo
60
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Diversity
Azusa Pacific student-athletes, coaches and staff celebrate
the school’s acceptance as an active Division II member.
azusa pacific university photo
Pacific West
Conference
Azusa Pacific and Point Loma Nazarene further diversified the
PacWest by taking the final step in their journeys to active Division II membership. The two additions bring the PacWest roster
to 11 full members competing in 15 sports during the 2014-15
academic year. Founded: 1992
Commissioner:
Bob Hogue
Membership
n Academy of Art
University
n Azusa Pacific
University
nBrigham Young
University, Hawaii
n California Baptist
University
Tina Yang’s participation in the
women’s golf
championships
helped California
Baptist win the
Commissioner’s Cup.
PacWest member Hawaii Pacific continued its tennis success at
the NCAA championship, with the men’s team reaching the
championship match and the women advancing to the semifinals.
grant halverson / NCAA Photos
nChaminade
University
nDixie State College
of Utah
nDominican University
of California
In one of the tightest races in conference history, California Baptist
won the 2013-14 PacWest Commissioner’s Cup by less than half
an average point over Azusa Pacific. The Lancers used three conference championships and seven additional top-three finishes to
win their second Commissioner’s Cup since joining the league
in 2011-12.
n Fresno Pacific
University
(Provisional)
n University of Hawaii
at Hilo
nHawaii Pacific
University
nHoly Names
University
(Candidacy Year 2)
nNotre Dame de
Namur University
n Point Loma
Nazarene University
Dominican (California) received the PacWest Academic Achievement Award for an unprecedented fifth consecutive season. The
Penguins displayed their prowess in the classroom once again
with the highest cumulative grade-point average in PacWest history (3.41). In the seven years the conference has recognized the
highest program GPA for the academic year, Dominican has been
at the top of the list five times.
Thibaud
Berland
was part of a
Hawaii Pacific
team that reached the
Division II men’s final.
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
61
leadership
Ken Gerlinger / Peach belt conference
Peach Belt
Conference
Founded: 1990
Commissioner:
Dave Brunk
Dyane Busse / Flagler
Membership
n Armstrong State
University
Nick Moeller / university of Montevallo
University of north georgia Athletics Communications
Above, middle: Flagler Athletics Director Jud
Damon (right) receives the Bob Frederick Award
for sportsmanship. Above: North Georgia Athletics Director Lindsay Reeves (left),
Make-A-Wish recipient Joseph Tippens (center)
and North Georgia men’s basketball coach
Chris Faulkner stage a “signing day” during a
Make-A-Wish event.
Leadership in the classroom. Peach Belt Conference student-athletes earned
four NCAA Degree-Completion Scholarships, 11 Academic All-America
Awards and an NCAA Elite 89 Award. In addition, a record 1,449 were named
to the conference’s Presidential Honor Roll.
Leadership in events. The Peach Belt was the first conference office to serve as sole
host – without campus involvement – of a national championship event by hosting
the Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships in 2012 and 2013.
Leadership in character. Flagler’s Jud Damon was presented with the Bob
Frederick Award for sportsmanship, and North Georgia’s Lindsay Reeves was
named the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators
Division II Administrator of the Year. In addition, PBC student-athletes were
featured twice in NCAA Champion magazine, including as the cover story in
the Winter 2013 issue and again as a feature in the Summer 2014 edition.
Leadership in Giving. The PBC led the nation in Make-A-Wish giving in 2013-14,
setting a Division II record with $55,293 raised. North Georgia led all schools
with $21,413, while Georgia College was fourth in the nation and Flagler eighth.
62
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
n Clayton State
University
n Columbus State
University
n Flagler College
n Francis Marion
University
n Georgia College
n Georgia Regents
University
nGeorgia
Southwestern State
University
n Lander University
n University of
Montevallo
n University of
North Carolina at
Pembroke
n University of North
Georgia
n University of South
Carolina Aiken
nYoung Harris College
passion
Pennsylvania
State Athletic
Conference
Founded: 1951
Commissioner:
Steve Murray
Membership
n Bloomsburg University
of Pennsylvania
n California University
of Pennsylvania
n Cheyney University
of Pennsylvania
n Clarion University of
Pennsylvania
nEast Stroudsburg
University of
Pennsylvania
nEdinboro University
of Pennsylvania
n Gannon University
nIndiana University of
Pennsylvania
nKutztown University
of Pennsylvania
n Lock Haven
University of
Pennsylvania
n Mansfield University
of Pennsylvania
nMercyhurst
University
n Millersville University
of Pennsylvania
Passion for excellence. Kutztown’s Andre Reed became the first player from the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall
of Fame. Reed played for the Golden Bears from 1981 to 1984 and spent 16 years
in the NFL, including 15 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He finished his NFL
career with 951 receptions for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns while guiding
the Bills to four Super Bowls.
Jake Vyner photo
Passion for the classroom. The PSAC finished the 2013-14 academic year with
57 Capital One Academic All-Americans, more than any other Division II conference. It was the third straight academic year that the PSAC earned at least one spot
on all 12 Academic All-America teams. Two Clarion female athletes were named
Academic All-Americans of the Year in their sports: Hannah Heeter, volleyball,
and Kristin Day, women’s at-large (women’s swimming/diving).
Passion for charity. PSAC institutions combined to raise a record $43,400 during
the 2013-14 academic year for Make-A-Wish. The total is the second highest
among Division II conferences. Edinboro raised $10,767.98 to rank third among
245 participating institutions, while Indiana (Pennsylvania) ranked seventh with
$6,891.92. The Fighting Scots will once again get to reveal a wish to a child with
a life-threatening medical condition because the school raised more than $8,000.
Last February, Edinboro granted a wish to 15-year-old Austin Hawk.
Passion for sport. In 2013-14, 14 of 18 PSAC member institutions won a conference
title, while PSAC schools earned 14 NCAA regional championships. Additionally,
PSAC teams clinched 52 of a possible 96 (54 percent) NCAA regional playoff positions. In men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor
track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s golf, and wrestling, 124
PSAC student-athletes qualified as individuals for the 2013-14 NCAA championship in their respective sport, resulting in 13 individual national titles. Millersville
claimed the 2014 NCAA DII field hockey title, following Shippensburg’s 2013
NCAA crown and West Chester’s back-to-back DII titles in 2011 and 2012.
clarion university of pennsylvania photo
From top: Edinboro raised enough money
for Make-A-Wish in 2013 to grant a wish for
15-year-old Austin Hawk. Austin received a
pit bull puppy named Layla. Hannah Heeter
(center), who played volleyball and basketball
at Clarion, was named Capital One Academic
All-American of the Year in volleyball.
n University of
Pittsburgh,
Johnstown
nSeton Hill University
nShippensburg
University of
Pennsylvania
nSlippery Rock
University of
Pennsylvania
n West Chester
University of
Pennsylvania
Former Kutztown star
receiver Andre Reed
landed in the Pro Football
Hall of Fame after racking
up stellar stats in college
and the NFL.
David Johnson / Kutztown University Relations; (right) Kutztown University photo
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
63
excellence
Tabor Stevens of
Adams State races to a
first-place finish during
the 2013 Division II
Men’s Cross Country
Championships.
He won the title
again in 2014.
Brian Plonka / NCAA Photos
Barbara Szabo
Brandon
Jefferson
rockey mountain athletic conference photos
64
2014 Division II Yearbook
Top teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, 2013-14.
• NCAA team champions – Adams State men’s cross country (2013 and 2014),
Adams State women’s indoor track and field (2014), Colorado State-Pueblo
football (2014)
• NCAA runner-ups – Colorado Mesa baseball (2014), Adams State women’s cross
country (2013), Adams State women’s outdoor track and field (2014)
• NCAA semifinalists (or top four finishers) – Adams State women’s cross country
(fourth, 2014), Metro State men’s basketball (2014), Colorado Mesa men’s soccer
(2014). Colorado School of Mines men’s cross country (fourth, 2014) and women’s
soccer (2014), Lindenwood women’s lacrosse (2014), Western State men’s cross country (fourth, 2013), Western State women’s cross country (third, 2013; fourth, 2014)
• 25 top-10 team finishes.
Nine national Player/Athlete of the Year awards, 2013-14.
• Baseball – Austin Kaiser, Colorado Mesa
• Men’s basketball – Brandon Jefferson, Metro State
• Men’s cross country – Tabor Stevens, Adams State (2013 and 2014)
• Women’s indoor field – Barbara Szabo, Western State
• Women’s outdoor field – Salcia Slack, New Mexico Highlands
• Men’s outdoor track – Tabor Stevens, Adams State
• Gene Upshaw Award (top Division II lineman) – Darius Allen, Colorado StatePueblo (2013 and 2014)
Standout individuals. Adams State’s Tabor Stevens won back-to-back Division II
Men’s Cross Country Championships in 2013 and 2014. Barbara Szabo from Western
State won her fourth consecutive national indoor high jump title at the 2014 Division
II Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, becoming just the third woman to
win four championships in a single event. Szabo won the title with a mark of 6 feet, 2
inches (1.88 meters), which would have claimed the Division I title the same day. Metro State’s Brandon Jefferson broke the school’s single-season scoring record, totaling
734 points for an average of 21.6 points per game. The Roadrunners finished the season
32-2 and became only the third RMAC squad to go undefeated in conference play.
Conferences
Rocky Mountain
Athletic
Conference
Founded: 1909
Commissioner:
Chris Graham
Membership
n Adams State
University
nBlack Hills State
University
n Chadron State
College
n University of
Colorado, Colorado
Springs
n Colorado Christian
University
n Colorado Mesa
University
n Colorado School of
Mines
n Colorado State
University-Pueblo
n Fort Lewis College
n Metropolitan State
University of Denver
nNew Mexico
Highlands University
n Regis University
(Colorado)
nSouth Dakota
School of Mines &
Technology
n Western New
Mexico University
n Western State
Colorado University
distinct
South Atlantic
Conference
Founded: 1930
Commissioner:
Pat Britz
Membership
n Anderson University
(South Carolina)
nBrevard College
nCarson-Newman
University
n Catawba College
n Coker College
nLenoir-Rhyne
University
n Lincoln Memorial
University
n Mars Hill University
nNewberry College
n Queens University of
Charlotte
nTusculum College
n Wingate University
The South Atlantic Conference is a collection of 12 private institutions, most of
which are faith-based. The SAC enjoyed a number of distinctions in 2013-2014:
Philanthropy. The conference raised $28,133 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the
fifth-highest total of any Division II conference. Wingate was sixth among Division II member institutions with $7,030 raised for Make-A-Wish. The Bulldogs
also hosted a Make-A-Wish recipient at a home football game.
Academics. The conference produced both the male and female Conference Commissioner’s Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the Southeast Region and
had a record number of student-athletes named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Leadership. Lincoln Memorial cross country student-athlete Bradley Maldonado
chaired the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
All-America honors. Lenoir-Rhyne standout Kevin Baxter earned All-America
honors after finishing fourth in the 110-meter hurdles at the Division II Men’s
Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Highly competitive. Two conference football teams, Lenoir-Rhyne and CarsonNewman, were nationally ranked throughout the 2013 season.
Top athletes. Wingate’s Ashlyn Hardie and Jade Montgomery were named Disney
Soccer/National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Players of the Week.
South Atlantic Conference photos
From top: Wingate’s Make-A-Wish success in 2013-14 included hosting a wish
recipient named Vicker, who was the
No. 1 Bulldog during his visit. Robbie
Nallenweg, a football student-athlete
from Wingate, and Ashley Sarmiento, a
volleyball student-athlete at Tusculum,
were honored by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association for
their achievements in competition and
in the classroom. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Kevin
Baxter (far right) cleared enough hurdles
to finish fourth at the 2014 outdoor track
and field championships.
Erik Holladay / NCAA Photos
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
65
Innovative
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference attracted approximately 2 million unique visitors to its
digital ecosystem, the most of any NCAA Division
II conference, while continuing to lead Division II
in several social media platforms, including Twitter
and Facebook.
Right, middle: The
Tuskegee men’s
basketball team became the first SIAC
squad in nearly
three decades to
advance to the Elite
Eight. Below: This
foursome made
history calling the
Lane-Miles football
game in 2013. From
left to right, they
are back judge
Krystle Apellaniz,
field judge Sebrina Brunson, head
linesman Yvonda
Lewis and line judge
Tangela Mitchell.
The SIAC was the first NCAA conference to have four
female officials on the crew for a college football
game. Head linesman Yvonda Lewis, line judge
Tangela Mitchell, field judge Sebrina Brunson
and back judge Krystle Apellaniz called the Oct.
24, 2013, contest between Miles and Lane. Harold
Mitchell, supervisor of officials for the SIAC, said,
“This is a special opportunity for not only the group
of ladies selected to officiate the game, but all officials in the SIAC. It’s also very important for everyone to understand that the selected crew are all
outstanding officials, and not just females.”
Southern intercollegiate athletic conference
The SIAC celebrated its 100th anniversary in
2013-14. The league featured nine founding members, two of which remain as active members today
– Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University)
and Tuskegee University.
Tuskegee’s men’s basketball team advanced to the
Division II Elite Eight, becoming the first SIAC team
to accomplish the feat in nearly three decades.
Southern
Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference
Founded: 1913
Commissioner:
Greg Moore
Membership
n Albany State
University (Georgia)
nBenedict College
n Central State
University
n Claflin University
n Clark Atlanta
University
n Fort Valley State
University
nKentucky State
University
n Lane College
nLeMoyne-Owen
College
n Miles College
n Morehouse College
n Paine College
nSpring Hill College
(Candidacy Year 2)
nStillman College
nTuskegee University
Southern intercollegiate athletic conference
66
2014 Division II Yearbook
Conferences
Barry’s Elisabeth Abanda returns a shot
from Armstrong’s Clara Perez during their
singles match. Barry’s tennis team won its
second national title in four years.
Matt Marriott / NCAA Photos
Distinguished
It was a banner year for the Sunshine State Conference, with transition
and growth, and continued success in competition, in the classroom, and
in the community.
Sunshine State
Conference
Founded: 1975
Commissioner:
Ed Pasque
Membership
nBarry University
nEckerd College
n Florida Institute of
Technology
n Florida Southern
College
n Lynn University
nNova Southeastern
University
n Rollins College
nSaint Leo University
n University of Tampa
Provisional
members
nEmbry-Riddle
Aeronautical
University
n Palm Beach Atlantic
University
The Sunshine State Conference continued to distinguish itself through
growth, with the addition of men’s lacrosse in 2013-14 and the announcement that women’s lacrosse will be added in spring 2015, bringing the total number of sports for the league to 18. In addition, the conference received official acceptance from Embry-Riddle (Daytona Beach,
Florida) and Palm Beach Atlantic (West Palm Beach, Florida) to become
provisional members, the first since Nova Southeastern joined as a provisional member in 2002. When both schools complete their provisional
terms, the conference will increase to 11 member institutions in 2017-18.
The Sunshine State Conference was distinguished academically, earning the highest Academic Success Rate among Division II conferences
for the seventh straight year. The conference also named 958 studentathletes to its spring 2014 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. In addition, the
Division II Athletics Directors Association recognized 475 Sunshine
State student-athletes for academic achievement.
Lynn university photo (above, women); Barry University Photo (Men)
It was back-to-back on the fairways for Sunshine
State teams in 2014, as golf squads from Barry
(above; men) and Lynn (above; women) claimed
consecutive titles.
The Sunshine State also was distinguished in competition, with Lynn and Barry winning national team titles
in women’s and men’s golf, respectively; Barry winning in women’s tennis; and Lynn (men’s soccer) and
Tampa (women’s volleyball) capturing crowns at the
DII Festival this fall. In addition, Tim Crouch (Florida
Southern, men’s golf), Louise Manalo (Lynn, women’s
golf) and Alli Crenshaw (Florida Southern, women’s
swimming) won individual national titles in 2013-14.
The SSC featured eight former student-athletes on active Major League Baseball rosters in 2014 and had
nine players selected in the 2014 MLB Draft.
Conferences
2014 Division II Yearbook
67
KING
LOO
AHE
AD
Some old, some new
in store for Division II
By Brian Hendrickson
Blacktop Creative, which Division II
retained to develop a new
externally facing brand, recently
performed a branding makeover
for Kansas City’s Major League
Soccer franchise, which went from
being the Wizards to Sporting KC.
An effort to build on Division II’s brand attributes with a new look and feel for 2015 and
beyond will come with familiar messages: stories of how student-athletes crave personal connections, opportunities to play and real-world skills.
Division II – between its Life in the Balance positioning statement and its strategic platform,
built on core values of service, sportsmanship and learning, among others – has rallied around
those messages for the past decade. The division’s members, with years of familiarity, intuitively
understand how they distinguish their division from its NCAA cousins.
Knowing that it was time to build on the past to strengthen its future from a branding perspective, Division II retained a Kansas City, Missouri-based marketing firm called Blacktop
Creative, which has worked with national brands such as Applebee’s, Chick-fil-A and Sporting
KC (a Major League Soccer franchise in Kansas City, Kansas). Blacktop spent the past year
conducting interviews with people familiar with the division to learn what individualized it
from the other divisions.
The need for initial independent research illustrated what Division II leaders already knew: More
investment needs to be made in communicating the Division II brand beyond the membership.
“With the whole journey to distinguish what Division II is in our own minds, we have done
a phenomenal job,” Management Council chair Karen
Stromme said. “Now we need to articulate it a lot better
than we’re doing to the external audience.”
The key to success, according to Blacktop executives,
is finding the core truth about Division II – the DNA that
influences every interaction people have with it, from
messaging to program satisfaction. The branding elements that emerge from that core truth then become what
Blacktop refers to as a “brand experience,” or the feelings
people take away from interacting with Division II. That
experience can then be marketed in ways that allow the
core beliefs of Division II to attract external audiences. Blacktop gathered additional data through online surveys, interviews and focus groups this past spring and
Blacktop creative images
summer. Once complete, the information will be used
collaboratively with Division II members to determine the division’s core truth and the brand
positioning that will ultimately drive the rest of the campaign. The goal is to rally members around a single, uniting point and use it to define the Division
II experience in a way that engages, is interactive and can turn outside audiences into advocates.
Blacktop presented ideas for a brand moniker, brand colors, photography and other aspects
of design that would help tell the story of Division II to the governance structure this fall. The
new moniker would replace the current “I Chose Division II” tagline.
Those ideas will be vetted during the 2015 Convention, and Division II members will have
many opportunities to weigh in on the concepts before a brand strategy is chosen this spring.
REBRANDING TIMELINE
70
2014 Division II Yearbook
January 12-17
Blacktop attends/presents at NCAA Convention
Post-Convention
Continue testing and implement broad membership feedback
Spring 2015
Soft brand launch
Summer 2015
Full brand launch ready for 2015-16 academic year
LOOKING AHEAD
Welcome to
NCAA Division II
– where excellence is always the
pursuit but not a narrow one.
It’s a collegiate environment
that encourages individuals to
discover and pursue what they
love. Division II is the country’s
premier stage for what matters
most: the hearts, minds and
ambition of young people.
9
Winning isn’t just about spo
rts.
It isn’t just about academi
cs.
It’s about achieving everyt
hing you
need to be ready for the
ultimate
level of competition: LIFE.
life
12
LOOKING AHEAD
2014 Division II Yearbook
71
New communication tools available
To accompany Division II’s branding efforts in the coming
months, the national office has developed communications tools to
help Division II members promote the division to external audiences.
The brand audit conducted two years ago found that while
Division II members were proficient at understanding and promoting the division’s values and attributes to internal audiences,
they were not as well equipped to carry the Division II message
to constituents who aren’t familiar with Division II.
As such, prototype talking-point brochures are now available
at NCAA.org for these purposes. The brochures, which can be
downloaded as PDFs and printed, offer quick-hit messaging for
Division II members to promote the division’s unique attributes,
characteristics and programs.
Two prototypes have been created, one for
athletics department staff and another for faculty
athletics representatives. Other versions are being
planned specifically for presidents, coaches and
student-athletes.
The brochures address requests from Division II
members who have asked for material that helps
explain the division during recruiting visits and
presentations to community groups, alumni groups
and potential donors.
In addition to these brochures, the national office partnered with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate
Conference to create a handbook to help Division II
conferences stage community engagement events
during their postseason tournaments. The publication, “Your time to shine: A resource guide to staging
conference championship events with community en-
The three toolkits are now available
for download at NCAA.org:
•B
enefits of Division II membership:
Talking points for athletics directors and staff
•B
enefits of Division II membership: Talking points
for faculty athletics representatives
•Y
our time to shine: A resource guide to staging
conference championship events
with community engagement in mind
72
2014 Division II Yearbook
gagement in mind,” is also available at NCAA.org and is intended
as a template for conferences to strengthen their community relationships during their flagship events.
The booklet guides conference personnel from the planning
stage, through relationship building, pre-event preparations and
the games themselves. While the guide is designed as a tool for
conference community engagement, the resources also are relevant for community engagement at the institutional level.
Other communications tools are being developed in 2015 to
join with these pieces and help Division II members continue to
tout the benefits of membership in Division II.

2014 NC WBO committee annual meeting report

February 2015

Anaheim Ducks Weekly Prospect Report

2015 February Camp - Race Walking Record

Sponsor Messages, PA Announcement

CSI Invitational 8-Ball Championship Matches Released on YouTube

General Preview

2015 National German Shorthaired Pointer Association National

2015 MAZDA Victorian Four-Ball Championship

Contact: Los Angeles Karting Championship Prepared by: ProMedia

Prize Giving - Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs

National SAAC Video Contest