IWU Preview. ( Article is behind a paywall but get free views before they ask for $$$. At least I did.)

Their offense was second in CCIW in passing last year as far as passing yards per game behind Wheaton. QB and WR's are back this year. Coach calls out wanting to do better in the run game offensively and defensively. They were 9th in CCIW in run D last year.
They picked up a QB transfer from NCC and a couple FCS transfers on the OL.

Round 1
1. Nescac1 - Kye Robinson - Mary Washington x1
2. FCGG - Josiah Butler - UW-Stevens Point x2
3. NCF - Sam Grieger- UW-Lacrosse x1
4. Greek - Deacon Judd - Oswego St x3
5. Ronk - Zach McLaughlin - ME-Farmington x1.5

Round 2
6. Ronk -Carvin Fish - Minnesota-Morris x3
7. Greek - Vinnie Adjahoungbeta - Elmhurst x3
8. NCF - Kaleb Nutifafa- Keuka - x2
9. FCGG - Jason Reynolds - Maine-Farmington 1.5x
10. Nescac1 - Jackson Rein - Williams 3x

Round 3
11. Nescac1 - Dominic Trelenberg - Elmhurst 3x
12. FCGG - Jay Randall - Mary Washington 1x
13. NCF - Ulysses Young - Mary Washington 1x
14. Greek - Jordan Cooper - Keene St 3x
15. Ronk - Aidan Yates - Williams 3x

Round 4
16. Ronk - Aidyn Boone - Elmhurst 3x
17. Greek - Andrew Deppe - RPI 3x
18. NCF - Matt DeVine - Williams 3x
19. FCGG - Seth Miron - UW-Stevens Point 2x
20. Nescac1 - Jevon Yarbrough - Hood 1x

Round 5
21. Nescac1 - Soren Richardson - Wheaton 3x
22. FCGG - Sammy Tornabene - Scranton 3x
23. NCF - Christian Nicholson - Montclair St. 2x
24. Greek - Michael Metcalf-Grassman - Oshkosh 3x
25. Ronk - Brendan Carr - Scranton 3x

Round 6
26. Ronk - Nick Ruisi - Scranton 3x
27. Greek - Justin Harper - Stockton 3x
28. NCF - Toa Hollenbeck - Christopher Newport 1x
29. FCGG - Jack Plesser - Union 3x
30. Nescac1 - Jackson Bell - Roanoke 1.5x

Round 7
31. Nescac1 - Carnegie Johnson - NYU 1.5x
32. FCGG - Mike Vuckovic - North Park 3x
33. NCF - Mason Funk - IWU 1x
34. Greek - Chris Bryant - Hardin-Simmons 3x
35. Ronk -Eli Yusavage - Drew 3x

Round 8
36. Ronk - Andre De Los Reyes - Drew 3x
37. Greek - Peyton Podany - St. John's 3x
38. NCF - Tommy Scholl - Stevens 2x
39. FCGG - Shea Fitzgerald - Vassar 2x
40. Nescac1 - Will Householter - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x

Round 9
41. Nescac1 - Reid Jones - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x
42. FCGG - Grady Thompson - Dubuque 3x
43. NCF - Jared Berry - Trinity, CT. 1x
44. Greek - Nathan Richardson - Olivet 3x
45. Ronk - Jackson Bowman - Coe 3x

Round 10
46. Ronk - Kanyon Bryte - Coe 3x
47. Greek - Christian Winn - Nebraska Wesleyan 3x
48. NCF - Ben Robinson - Scranton 3x
49. FCGG - Thomas Ferdinando - Babson 1.5x
50. Nescac1 - Myles Barnette - Gustavus 1x

Round 11
51. Nescac1 - Zach Wolinski - Wesleyan 1x
52. FCGG - Ethan Fauss - Emory 1x
53. NCF - Braylen Salters - Guilford 3x
54. Greek - Will Stuckey - St Norbert 3x
55. Ronk - Porter Kretschman - Olivet 3x

Round 12
56. Ronk - Conner Schipper - Olivet 3x
57. Greek - Kellon Smith - Denison 3x
58. NCF - AJ Harris - Emory 1x
59. FCGG - Tyson Henderson - Chris Newport 1x
60. Nescac1 - Tanner Overby - Willamette 3x

Round 13
61. Nescac1 - Tim Mulvey - Babson 1.5x
62. FCGG
63. NCF
64. Greek
65. Ronk

Quote from: Macon on August 22, 2026, 06:14:01 PMJK, I share your thoughts on large recruiting classes.  Similar to WLU, RMC brings in about 30-35 players each year.  However,  most schools don't have the financial luxuries that WLU possesses. Some do it out of financial necessity without success on the field.  Others, such MU, recruit 120+ per year and win numerous national championships.   At the end of the day, if the schools are being honest and upfront, and the students and parents are honest with themselves,  then so be it.  Otherwise, shame on everyone.

I doubt the honesty part. There is no way the coach looks at tape and doesn't know of those 100 kids, 50 have no shot at seeing the field. And that's being generous. When the admin pressures you to have a quota, honesty isn't part of the equation.

Round 1
1. Nescac1 - Kye Robinson - Mary Washington x1
2. FCGG - Josiah Butler - UW-Stevens Point x2
3. NCF - Sam Grieger- UW-Lacrosse x1
4. Greek - Deacon Judd - Oswego St x3
5. Ronk - Zach McLaughlin - ME-Farmington x1.5

Round 2
6. Ronk -Carvin Fish - Minnesota-Morris x3
7. Greek - Vinnie Adjahoungbeta - Elmhurst x3
8. NCF - Kaleb Nutifafa- Keuka - x2
9. FCGG - Jason Reynolds - Maine-Farmington 1.5x
10. Nescac1 - Jackson Rein - Williams 3x

Round 3
11. Nescac1 - Dominic Trelenberg - Elmhurst 3x
12. FCGG - Jay Randall - Mary Washington 1x
13. NCF - Ulysses Young - Mary Washington 1x
14. Greek - Jordan Cooper - Keene St 3x
15. Ronk - Aidan Yates - Williams 3x

Round 4
16. Ronk - Aidyn Boone - Elmhurst 3x
17. Greek - Andrew Deppe - RPI 3x
18. NCF - Matt DeVine - Williams 3x
19. FCGG - Seth Miron - UW-Stevens Point 2x
20. Nescac1 - Jevon Yarbrough - Hood 1x

Round 5
21. Nescac1 - Soren Richardson - Wheaton 3x
22. FCGG - Sammy Tornabene - Scranton 3x
23. NCF - Christian Nicholson - Montclair St. 2x
24. Greek - Michael Metcalf-Grassman - Oshkosh 3x
25. Ronk - Brendan Carr - Scranton 3x

Round 6
26. Ronk - Nick Ruisi - Scranton 3x
27. Greek - Justin Harper - Stockton 3x
28. NCF - Toa Hollenbeck - Christopher Newport 1x
29. FCGG - Jack Plesser - Union 3x
30. Nescac1 - Jackson Bell - Roanoke 1.5x

Round 7
31. Nescac1 - Carnegie Johnson - NYU 1.5x
32. FCGG - Mike Vuckovic - North Park 3x
33. NCF - Mason Funk - IWU 1x
34. Greek - Chris Bryant - Hardin-Simmons 3x
35. Ronk -Eli Yusavage - Drew 3x

Round 8
36. Ronk - Andre De Los Reyes - Drew 3x
37. Greek - Peyton Podany - St. John's 3x
38. NCF - Tommy Scholl - Stevens 2x
39. FCGG - Shea Fitzgerald - Vassar 2x
40. Nescac1 - Will Householter - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x

Round 9
41. Nescac1 - Reid Jones - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x
42. FCGG - Grady Thompson - Dubuque 3x
43. NCF - Jared Berry - Trinity, CT. 1x
44. Greek - Nathan Richardson - Olivet 3x
45. Ronk - Jackson Bowman - Coe 3x

Round 10
46. Ronk - Kanyon Bryte - Coe 3x
47. Greek - Christian Winn - Nebraska Wesleyan 3x
48. NCF - Ben Robinson - Scranton 3x
49. FCGG - Thomas Ferdinando - Babson 1.5x
50. Nescac1 - Miles Barnett - Gustavus 1x

Round 11
51. Nescac1 - Zach Wolinski - Wesleyan 1x
52. FCGG - Ethan Fauss - Emory 1x
53. NCF - Braylen Salters - Guilford 3x
54. Greek - Will Stuckey - St Norbert 3x
55. Ronk - Porter Kretschman - Olivet 3x

Round 12
56. Ronk - Conner Schipper - Olivet 3x
57. Greek - Kellon Smith - Denison 3x
58. NCF - AJ Harris - Emory 1x
59. FCGG - Tyson Henderson - Chris Newport 1x
60. Nescac1

Round 13
61. Nescac1
62. FCGG
63. NCF
64. Greek
65. Ronk

JK, I share your thoughts on large recruiting classes.  Similar to WLU, RMC brings in about 30-35 players each year.  However,  most schools don't have the financial luxuries that WLU possesses. Some do it out of financial necessity without success on the field.  Others, such MU, recruit 120+ per year and win numerous national championships.   At the end of the day, if the schools are being honest and upfront, and the students and parents are honest with themselves,  then so be it.  Otherwise, shame on everyone.

U of W Oshkosh license plate frame in Dallas, Texas.

Quote from: ADL70 on August 22, 2026, 03:02:56 PM

Quote from: unionpalooza on August 21, 2026, 06:20:23 PM

Quote from: unionpalooza on August 21, 2026, 06:08:11 PMI've often wondered to what extent the proliferation of D1AA/FCS and D2 programs in the Northeast is part of the reason that NY/PA/NJ went from regularly producing D3 title contenders to producing almost none. Prior to 2000, a team from one of those states played in the Stagg Bowl 23 out of 28 years.  Some of that is explained by regional brackets, but certainly not all. A lot of the difference-maker kids who would have have been playing at Ithaca, Union, Rowan, W&J, etc. once upon a time are, these days, playing at UAlbany,Stony Brook, Wagner, Fordham, etc. (all former D3), Monmouth/Robert Morris type schools (new programs) or Lafayette/Lehigh-type schools (which used to be non-scholarship).  There was a little bit of this elsewhere - for example, the Pioneer League teams that moved up in the Midwest, but they're all non-scholarship.

As a data point, consider that three of the best QBs to play D3 in NY since 2000 - Jason Boltus, Joe Germinero, and Shane Sweeney - were all transfers from just one of those schools: UAlbany. (There's also Tyler Szalkowski, another UAlbany transfer currently tearing it up at Utica).

What proliferation of D1AA/FCS and D2? What programs have been added since 2000? The one-time d3 teams you mentioned left about three decades ago.

Mt Union started its championship run in 1993. They eliminated most teams from the East Region. UMHB started its playoff run in 2001. The WIAC moved from NAIA to NCAA and began winning championships in 1992. NWC (Linfield) moved to NCAA in 1996. The relevant proliferation of programs was in D3.

In 2000, Villanova stood as the only Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program in Pennsylvania offering athletic scholarships. During the 1990s and 2000s, non-scholarship FCS teams in the Patriot League and Northeast Conference (NEC) regularly struggled against top Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) programs, which utilized athletic scholarships to build deeper, more athletic rosters. The competitive landscape shifted in the 2010s when the Patriot League introduced athletic scholarships and NEC schools expanded their funding, bringing parity to cross-divisional matchups. Today, fully funded FCS scholarship advantages have created a substantial talent gap over most PSAC programs, making modern FCS transitions—such as Mercyhurst's move to the NEC—appear premature based on historical competitiveness.
While Mount Union established a historically dominant dynasty, Eastern Division III programs were once central forces in the national championship picture. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, teams such as Ithaca, Rowan, Washington & Jefferson, Allegheny, and Lycoming were regular participants in the Stagg Bowl. Over the last two decades, however, the national power center shifted firmly toward the Midwest which did not have such growth of FCS or D2 scholarship opportunities. Outside of SUNY Cortland's national championship victory in 2023, Eastern programs reaching the Division III title game have become a rarity compared to their former prominence.

None of this takes into account the demographics of less college age kids in the East.

Also, it was St. Mary's second exhibition, Trinity's first.

One of St. Mary's players, defender Jeth Flores, transferred in from St. Thomas.  The Celt captain started in 15 of the Celts' 16 gaes last season, scoring twice and tallying four assists. 

Based on the socials, Mount Union had their picture day today. Hopefully we'll get an updated roster soon.

Preseason thought on 1-5:  Tufts/Messiah

Here (again fwiw) I would put Messiah at #4 and Tufts at #5

The only reason I move Tufts below Messiah is because Tufts have such huge cleats to fill with Elsi Aires graduating!  She is a 3-time All American and led the Tufts in goals scored for the past three years (she was tied for 1st in goals last year with Reese Birch who is returning as a senior).

BUT, the exciting news here is that we will find out who should be ahead of who in the rankings in just 2 weeks!  On September 5th, Messiah will play Tufts at a neutral site (Purchase College in Purchase, NY).  It will be Messiah's second game of the season and Tufts first game of the season.  This is by far the must see game of week 1 in division 3 women's soccer!

Messiah is going to start their season with an away game against Penn State – Harrisburg (too many interesting story lines to this game to list here) who made it to the sweet 16 last year, then they face Tufts at a neutral site, and then go to Shoemaker field for their home opener against Johns Hopkins.  Talk about having to come out the gate fast!