2003-04

August, 2004: The North Coast Athletic Conference kicks off its year-long 20th Anniversary celebration. The league named 20th anniversary teams in each of its 22 championship sports.

September, 2004: Kenyon's Ashley Rowatt is named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Ohio. The award, which is presented to just one woman in each of the fifty states, honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility.

November, 2004: Kenyon's Ashley Rowatt is named NCAA Woman of The Year. She is the first Division III athlete to earn the award, and also the first swimmer.

February, 2004: Denison women's swimming wins their first NCAC swimming and diving championship. The Big Red are only the second team to win a league title since the NCAC's first championship in 1985.

March, 2004: Kenyon men's swimming stretches its national championship run to 25 straight. The Kenyon women claimed their 20th overall national title ... Denison's Lynn Schweizer joins Bill Buckner, Chris Drury, Kristine Lilly and Michael Phelps as 2004 Sports Ethics Fellows.

May, 2004: Denison wins an unprecedented seventh straight NCAC All-Sports Trophy, bringing their total to eight - more than ony other conference school. Denison posted top-two finishes in 10 of 22 sports.


2004-05

September, 2004: Wooster's Kayla Heising is named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Ohio. The award, which is presented to just one woman in each of the fifty states, honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility ... Heising is named one of 10 finalists for NCAA Woman of the Year. Heising's the second former Wooster student-athlete to be a finalist for the honor and the fourth Scot to be a state winner in the last seven years. She is the fourth NCAC national finalist since the program began in 1991, the eighth Ohio Woman of the Year from the conference and the ninth state winner overall.

November, 2004: The Denison women's cross country team earns its first berth in the NCAA Division III Championship and finishes eighth in the 24-team field.

March, 2005: The Kenyon men win their 26th consecutive NCAA Division III swimming & diving championship ... Ohio Wesleyan's Roger Ingles is named a 2005 Sports Ethics Fellow. The list of Sports Ethics Fellows for 2005 is called "A Celebration of Division III," and recognizes 12 individuals who consistently demonstrate an interest in promoting the ideals of ethics and fair play in sport and society ... The NCAC announces they will upgrade football officiating crews in the fall of 2005, when the conference will field seven-man officiating crews.

May, 2005: Denison wins its eighth-straight NCAC All-Sports Trophy, bringing their total to nine - more than any other conference school. Denison posted 11 top-two finishes in 22 sports.


2005-06

July, 2005: The NCAC and the University Athletic Association agree to play each other in a non-conference football scheduling agreement, which will begin in the fall of 2008 and continue through 2009. Nineteen games involving NCAC-UAA matchups are scheduled for 2008 and the home sites will flip for the same nineteen matchups the following year. Thirteen members from the two conferences are involved. This agreement is considered historic because collegiate conferences, in football, do not, as a rule, cross schedule with an organized agreement.

August, 2005: Denison's Jill Boo is named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Ohio. The award, which is presented to just one woman in each of the fifty states, honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility. She's the fourth straight state winner from the NCAC, and is the ninth Ohio Woman of the Year from the conference and the 10th overall state winner since the program began in 1991.

October, 2005:Ohio Wesleyan claims its 100th NCAC championship when the men's soccer team completes its perfect 9-0 campaign. The Battling Bishops lead all NCAC teams with 100 conference championships since the league began play in 1984.

November, 2005:Hiram claims the NCAC Volleyball championship, its first in any sport since joining the league in 1999.

January, 2006:The NCAA celebrates its 100th year. The North Coast Athletic Conference leads all conferences with six current members who were part of the original NCAA roster.

February, 2006:The NCAC announces that it will broadcast its men's basketball tournament over the internet. The broadcasts, free to NCAC basketball fans, are provided by the NCAC and the College of Wooster. The semifinals and championship game will all be broadcast via Teamline. The women's tournament games will not be broadcast due to technical difficulties which prevent access to the internet ... Wooster senior Kyle Witucky was named one of 16 finalists for the 2006 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an annual honor bestowed to the nation's top collegiate point guard. The finalists were chosen from across the country, with 12 coming from NCAA Div. I institutions, as well as two from Div. II and two from Div. III schools. Witucky's fellow Div. III finalist is Adam Dauksas of Illinois Wesleyan University. The two actually faced each other as sophomores in the 2004 NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16."

March, 2006:The NCAA announced former Kenyon great Carla Ainsworth was selected as the Division III Most Outstanding Swimmer over the past 25 years of NCAA championship competition. The honor was bestowed in conjunction with the NCAA's celebration surrounding the 25th Anniversary of Women's Championships. Ainsworth won 26 national championship swimming titles (11 individual, 15 relay) while competing at Kenyon from 1992-1995. She was a 28-time All-American, established seven NCAA records and led Kenyon to four NCAA team titles. She was the first woman to win the 200 freestyle four consecutive seasons and graduated as the owner of eight Kenyon swimming records. She was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year three times (1992, 1994, 1995) and was the 1994 CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American of the Year. She was further honored as the Division III Honda Broderick Athlete of the Year in 1994 and the College Sports Magazine Division III Athlete of the Year in 1995 ... The Kenyon men win their 27th consecutive NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship. Senior Andrejs Duda is named 2006 Swimmer of the Year after helping the Lords to four relay titles and claiming two individual wins. Denison head coach Gregg Parini is named Coach of the Year after the Big Red turn in a second-place finish ... Wittenberg men's basketball reaches the championship game of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The Tigers lead the entire game, but fall, 59-56, in the final two seconds on a three-point shot by Virginia Wesleyan. Tiger seniors Dane Borchers and Daniel Russ were each named to the all-tournament team. Wittenberg was participating in its NCAA Division III-record seventh Final Four, and its first national championship game since 1983 ... Alpha A. Alexander, a 1976 graduate of Wooster, was selected by the NCAA as one of its "100 Most Influential Student-Athletes," a highly-prestigious list which is part of the year-long NCAA Centennial Celebration (1906-2006). Alexander is among a "Who's Who" of American icons, including professional athletes, coaching greats, Olympic standouts and political dignitaries, all of whom "have made a significant impact or major contributions to society," according to the NCAA's definition of its list. Alexander Alexander has dedicated her career to greater accessibility and ethnic diversity in sports. At Wooster, she excelled in basketball and volleyball, while also playing tennis and one year of lacrosse.

May, 2006:Denison wins its ninth-straight NCAC All-Sports Trophy, bringing their total to 10 - more than any other conference school. Denison posted 10 top-two finishes, and claimed seven championships, in 22 sports.

June, 2006:Denison Athletic Director Larry Scheiderer was selected as the 2005-06 GeneralSports TURF Systems AD of the Year for the central region of NCAA Division III. Under Scheiderer's direction, Denison has won a record nine consecutive NCAC All-Sports trophies and has been a consistent top-25 finisher in the Division III Sports Academy Directors Cup race. At Denison, Scheiderer oversees all facets of the University's curricular program in the department of physical education, as well as co-curricular programs in 23 men's and women's varsity sports, intramural and club sports and general student recreation. The program recognizes athletics directors who have shown administrative excellence within the campus and/or college community for the current academic year. The award encompasses seven divisions - NCAA Divisions I-A, I-AA, I-AAA, II, II, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges.

2006-07

September, 2006: The NCAC announces it is joining with virtually all of the NCAA Division III athletic conferences to roll out a Sportsmanship/Fan Behavior initiative for the 2006-07 academic year. The NCAC mission statement reads: In a unified effort to promote respect for student-athletes, coaches and officials in intercollegiate athletics, the North Coast Athletic Conference and its 10 member institutions pledge their commitment to build positive spirit in the stands and on the fields of our athletic events. The initiative's slogan: Be Loud * Be Proud * Be Positive was featured on items such as banners and signs at NCAC-member athletic facilities.

October 2006: The Oberlin women won their second NCAC Cross Country Championship, and first since the inaugural event was contested in 1984. The Yeowomen are in the history books for winning the first championship in NCAC history.

November 2006: NCAC champion Ohio Wesleyan advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament, before falling 1-0 to Wheaton. The game featured two of the winningest coaches ever in college men's soccer. OWU's Jay Martin reached the 500-win mark during his 29th season as a head coach, a feat unsurpassed in the annals of college men's soccer, while Wheaton's Joe Bean was the first college men's soccer coach to reach the 600-win mark. Their combined total of 1121 wins is believed to be the most among two coaches in one game in the history of college soccer. The Bishops made their NCAA-record 29th NCAA appearance. Ohio Wesleyan won the 1998 national championship and finished as runner-up in 1990 and 1992, and also reached the national semifinals in 1975, 1981, 1991 and 2001 ... Denison suffered a 1-0, double overtime loss to unbeaten Calvin in the Sectional round of the NCAA Div. III Women's Soccer Tournament. It was the second consecutive season that the Big Red had advanced to the round of 16 ... For the second straight year, NCAC champion Wittenberg (35-8) fell to eventual champion Juniata in the semifinal round of the NCAA Div. III Volleyball Tournament. Emily Bell became just the second player in Wittenberg or NCAC history to earn a spot on the NCAA Division III All-Tournament team after the Tigers' Emily Dixon was so recognized in 2005.

March 2007: The Kenyon men won their NCAA-record 28th straight NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championship. Since 1980, Division III has known no other swimming title-holder. The Lords have won more consecutive championships than any other team in the NCAA - any sport, any division ... The Kenyon women won their 21st NCAA Division III swimming & diving championship, and their first since 2004. The Ladies own the longest consecutive women's title streak at 17 (1984-2000) ... Wooster advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Div. III men's basketball tournament for the second time in five years. The Fighting Scots finished fourth.

May, 2007:Ohio Wesleyan wins its seventh overall NCAC All-Sports Trophy, and first since the 1993-94 season. The Battling Bishops' win halts the nine-year streak of championships posted by runner-up Denison. OWU posted 10 top-two finishes, and claimed six championships, in 22 sports.


2007-08

November, 2007: The Allegheny men's cross country team placed seventh of 32 teams at the NCAA Division III championships, held at St. Olaf College ... The Ohio Wesleyan men's soccer team earned their NCAA record 30th berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Battling Bishops bowed out in the second round after tying Transylvania, 0-0 in double overtime and then falling 4-3 in penalty kicks ... Wittenberg volleyball advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. The Tigers entered the semifinal match with a perfect 38-0 record, having only dropped six games the entire season. Wittenberg fell to eventual national champion Washington (Mo.) 25-30, 30-25, 30-28, 30-15 - the only game losses the Tigers had suffered in the 2007 postseason, conference and NCAA play included.

January 2008:The North Coast announces its Branch Rickey Initiative, a commitment to promoting the hiring and retention of coaches who bring racial diversity to the staffs of both men's and women's athletic teams. The Initiative honors Rickey, an Ohio Wesleyan alum who also coached at served as the athletic director at both OWU and Allegheny upon graduating from college. The Initiative was announced at the NCAC's Hiring Workshop for Women and Minorities in Granville, Ohio.

May 2008:The Denison women's tennis team advances to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time. The Big Red dropped a 5-1 decision to defending national champion Washington & Lee in the semis, but then rebounded for a 5-2 victory over Pomona-Pitzer in the consolation game. The Denison doubles team of Marta Drane and Kristin Cobb advanced to the finals of the Div. III Doubles Championship. They fell 6-4, 6-3 in the final match ... Kenyon men's tennis advances to the NCAA Div. III Tournament quarterfinals for the first time. Lord sophomore Michael Greenberg, the NCAC Player of the Year, wins the Div. III men's singles championship with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the championship match. He was also named the ITA National and Central Region Player of the Year ... Ohio Wesleyan wins its second straight NCAC All-Sports Trophy after posting top-five finishes in 19 of 22 sports. The Battling Bishops collected six conference championships, as well as another six second-place finishes. The award is OWU's eighth overall.

June 2008: Denison's Erin Gorsich wins the inaugural Pam Smith NCAC Woman of the Year award. The award honors academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership ... Wabash Athletic Director Vernon Mummert was selected as the 2007-08 AstroTurf AD of the Year for the central region of NCAA Division III. The program recognizes athletics directors who have shown administrative excellence within the campus and/or college community for the current academic year. The award encompasses seven divisions - NCAA Divisions I-A, I-AA, I-AAA, II, II, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges. Four regional winners from each division were named.