August, 2016 – Denison University’s Diversity and Inclusion Athlete Advisory Group (DIG) was the recipient of the NCAA’s Diversity Spotlight for the month of July.
September, 2016 – Kenyon graduate Haley Townsend was named as one of the nine finalist for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award … Rich Blough, a longtime member of The College of Wooster swimming & diving staff, was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
October, 2016 – The NCAC conducted a Step Up Bystander intervention train-the-trainer workshop at Ohio Wesleyan led by Wittenberg AD Gary Williams. Step Up is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others.
November, 2016 – For the second year in a row, an NCAC men’s cross country runner took home the title at the Great Lakes Regional, this time Allegheny senior Dan Cheung (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) traversed the 8K course in Holland, Michigan with a time of 24:44.4 … The Kenyon men’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, ultimately dropping a heartbreaking 1-0 loss at Tufts … Wittenberg opened the NCAA Football Championships with a thrilling 33-30 victory at Thomas More after senior kicker Will Gingery (Bexley, OH/Bexley) drilled a 37-yard field goal in the Tigers’ fourth overtime possession. The four-overtime game marks the longest game played in the history of the NCAA Division III Football Championships, surpassing a three-overtime affair that saw West Georgia top Widener, 31-24, in the 1982 season … Kenyon junior goalie Sarah Speroff (Euclid, OH/Hawken) was named the Great Lakes Region Player of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) after finishing the 2016 season with 153 saves, a 1.24 goals-against-average and an .845 save percentage … Wittenberg freshman Aubrey Cox (Tips City, OH/Tippecanoe) was named the Div. III National Freshman of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association of America (AVCA).
December, 2016 – Kenyon field hockey coach Jacque DeMarco was named the Front Rush/NFHCA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after leading the Ladies to a 15-7 record, the NCAC Tournament title and the program’s first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 2006 … Wittenberg’s Will Gingery was announced as one of the 10 finalists for the 2016 Fred Mitchell Award, which is awarded to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCA), Div. II, Div, III NAIA or NJCAA place-kicker that excels on the football field and in the community.
January, 2017 – The NCAC men’s and women’s basketball coaches teamed with the Soles4Souls Foundation to help fight poverty through the distribution of shoes to people in need throughout all 50 states and 127 countries … Following a 91-67 win over Allegheny on January 11th, Wooster men’s basketball coach Steve Moore collected his 787th career win to make him the second winningest coach all-time in Div. III history. The Scots finished the season with a 21-8 record, giving Moore a career mark of 800-232 in 36 years, which includes a record of 713-167 in 30 seasons at Wooster.
February, 2017 – The Wittenberg University Board of Directors unanimously selected Dr. Michael Frandsen as the school’s 15th president … Allegheny College volleyball coach Bridget Sheehan announced her retirement from the position after a 30-plus year career with the Gators.
March, 2017 – A pair of NCAC female student-athletes collected individual event national titles at the 2017 NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field Championships. Oberlin junior Monique Newton (Sacramento, CA/Rancho Cordova) earned the first national title by winning the women’s shot put with a school-record heave of 51’00.75”. Newton is the first female athlete in Oberlin history to win a national title and the first track & field athlete to win a national title in school history since Bill Keller earned the crown in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1963. Ohio Wesleyan freshman Cirrus Robinson (Ashland, OH/Ashland) than topped the field in the women’s high jump at a height of 5’08.75”, making her the second female in school history to win an individual national championship after Julie Bredenbeck won the title in the discus at the outdoor meet in 1982 … The NCAC’s 34-year championship run at the NCAA Div. III Swimming & Diving Championships was snapped after Emory took home both the men’s and women’s national titles. However, several NCAC teams still found themselves high in the final team standings, led by the Kenyon Lords finishing second in the men’s standings for the second year in a row with 384 points and the Kenyon Ladies checking in at third with 381 points. Denison also produced a pair of top-five finishes, with the men placing third with 371 points and the women finishing fourth with 272 points. Following the four days of competition at the CISD Natatorium in Shenandoah, Texas, NCAC student-athletes won six national titles, logged 64 All-American performances and posted 45 Honorable-Mention All-American efforts. In addition, Denison senior Max Levy (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) was named the 2017 NCAA Div. III Men’s Diver of the Year for the second time in his career after sweeping both diving events, while his coach, Russ Bertram, was also recognized as the 2017 NCAA Div. III Men’s Diving Coach of the Year.
April, 2017 – Wittenberg volleyball player Emily Kahlig (Coldwater, OH/Coldwater) and Kenyon men’s soccer player Sam Clougher (Dublin, Ireland/Berkshire School, MA) were both awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship … For the first time since 2001, the Kenyon women’s tennis team brought home the NCAC championship after topping DePauw, 5-4, in the championship match.
May, 2017 – The Wittenberg women’s golf team finished third at the NCAA Div. III Championships with a four-round score of 1,229, which included senior Macy Hubbard (Mason, OH/Mason) finishing second in the individual standings for the third year in a row with a 72-hole score of 295 … Just one week later, the Wittenberg men’s golf team became the first active NCAC member to win a national team title in the sport of golf after the Tigers posted a four-day score of 1,180 to top Guilford by two strokes. After 72-holes of play, Wittenberg senior Garrett Brickley (Pickerington, OH/North) was tied with Hope’s Josh Gibson for the top spot in the individual standings; however, Gibson carded a par on the first playoff home to capture medalist honors … The Denison men’s lacrosse team advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament for the third time in history and the first time since 2001 with a 18-9 win over Lynchburg. The Big Red then battled eventual national champion Salisbury to the final seconds as the Sea Gulls advanced to the title game with a 12-11 win over DU … A pair of NCAC track & field athletes were named as the Field Athlete of the Year in the Great Lakes Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), including Ohio Wesleyan junior Nate Newman (Chillicothe, OH/Zane Trace) and Oberlin’s Monique Newton. In addition, Oberlin assistant coach John Hepp was also named the Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year in the Great Lakes Region … Three recent graduates from NCAC institutions were selected to participate in the 2017 NCAA Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis, including Allegheny track & field athlete Sara Von Dolln (Wilmington, NC.Wantagh, NY), Allegheny women’s lacrosse player Alexa Maloney (Philadelphia, PA/Methacton) and Denison men’s basketball player Devon Pitts (New Albany, OH/New Albany) … The Oberlin College Board of Trustees announced Dr. Carmen Twillie Ambar as the College’s 15th president and first African American leader in the institution’s 184-year history after Marvin Krislov, JD announced his resignation from the presidency, effective June 30, 2017.
June, 2017 – Wooster sophomore shortstop Michael Wielansky (St. Louis, MO/Ladue Horton Watkins) earned the Gold Glove Award for Div. III shortstops by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings … Ohio Wesleyan University announced the appointment of Douglas W. Zipp as the University’s 12th athletics director since Branch Rickey held the post in 1909 … A record total of 690 student-athletes were named to the 2017 NCAC Academic Honor Roll … A total of seven NCAC student-athletes earned NCAA Postgraduate scholarships for the winter and spring sport seasons, including Denison diver Brian Allen (Flagstaff, AZ/Flagstaff), Kenyon swimmer Arthur Conover (Oakland, ME/Messalonskee), Kenyon swimmer Trevor Manz (Eau Claire, WI/Eau Claire), Kenyon swimmer Ian Reardon (Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington), Kenyon swimmer Ellie Crawford, Denison swimmer Campbell Costley (Glencoe, IL/New Trier) and Wittenberg women’s golfer Macy Hubbard.
July, 2017 - Kenyon’s Trevor Manz was the recipient of the 2017 NCAC Don Hunsinger Award and Kenyon’s Ellie Crawford was the winner of the 2017 NCAC Pam Smith Award ... Ohio Wesleyan University President Dr. Rock Jones named president of the NCAC, with Allegheny President Dr. James H. Mullen, Jr. selected to serve as the vice president for the 2017-18 academic year.