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OCTOBER 2, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

We cover DIII lacrosse like no other publication. #d3lax #whyD3

🎃 Hello October

🗞️ In Today’s Edition. What Does It Cost to Have a Top 25 Men’s Lacrosse Program? More Colleges At Risk As Enrollment Falls and Financial Pressures Mount. Fed-Up NIL Collectives Are Bypassing NIL Deal Approval Process. Fall Ball Schedule

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TOP STORY

1. What Does It Cost to Have a Top 25 Men’s Lacrosse Program?

What does it cost to have a top 25 men’s lacrosse team in Division III?

If figures from the 2023-24 campaign tell us anything, it tells us that at least 6-7 percent of a school’s total operating expenditure for athletics is needed.

D3Lacrosse dove into the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) submissions that each college that receives federal student aid (Title IV) funding is required to provide to the government. And while each institution arrives at its totals using various accounting methods, it is apparent that schools would need to allocate at least 7 percent of its total team operating expenses to have a top 25 squad.

» Of Note. Sixteen of the top 25 teams have rosters of 50 or more players with four - Stevenson (63), Lynchburg (62), Babson (60) and Christopher Newport (60) - with 60 or more. Five of the top 25 allocated more than 10% of its total team expenses on men’s lacrosse, led by Stevenson (12.21%). While accounting procedures differ, CNU topped the individual student expense at $5,250 per player. (EADA)

2. ‘A Perfect Storm’ — More Colleges At Risk As Enrollment Falls and Financial Pressures Mount

“As college and university leaders returned to campus this fall, there were new signs that a long-building financial crisis may finally be reaching a breaking point.

Closures and mergers are looming “at a pace we haven’t seen since the Great Recession,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education.

Higher operating costs and limitations on tuition increases have restricted institutions’ ability to raise revenue, according to 2024 research by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Higher education as a whole is “facing serious financial headwinds,” the report said.”

» Driving The News. “now, international student enrollment is poised to drop off due to the Trump administration’s tougher visa rules and anti-immigrant policies, representing billions of dollars in lost tuition and stripping away one of higher ed’s most reliable financial lifelines. Add deep federal funding cuts, and the sector faces what Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, calls “a perfect storm.””

» Reality Check. “At Drew University in Madison, N.J., about one-third of new students from abroad either withdrew or deferred this semester due to visa denials or lack of appointments, according to Hilary Link, Drew’s president. International students — coming from 58 countries around the world — account for 14% of Drew’s total enrollment of roughly 2,200 students, according to the school.”

» The Key Stat. “Altogether, international students who studied in the U.S. contributed $46.1 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2024-25 academic year, according to the most recent data by NAFSA, including tuition revenue as well as student spending, which extends well beyond higher education. Those funds support colleges’ ability to provide financial aid, Mitchell said. “Full-paying international students pay scholarships for domestic students — it’s a 1-to-1 relationship.”

» What They’re Saying. “We are carefully monitoring all of our expenses, but we also know the next few years are going to be tough,” said Laura Trombley, president of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. In times of financial stress, the first cuts would be to the facilities budget, Trombley said, followed by under-enrolled academic programs — often in the humanities — and then reducing the number of faculty and staff. “You have levers to pull, but you don’t have that many levers,” Trombley said.” (CNBC) 

3. Fed-Up NIL Collectives Are Bypassing NIL Deal Approval Process

“Multiple major power conference collectives are giving up on trying to work through the NIL Go clearinghouse and within the bounds of the new rules set up by the House v. NCAA settlement, Front Office Sports has learned.

At least two collectives have begun to pay players before the submitted deals have been approved, and are aware of instances where players haven’t logged deals at all, sources tell FOS. The inefficiencies of the system have created an unsustainable landscape, they said.

“I have deep concerns as to the longevity of this system,” a source from an ACC collective said, adding that many across the industry desperately wanted the system to work but now feel like they have no choice but to violate the rules.”

» Title. “After the House settlement was approved in June, the power conferences launched the College Sports Commission to enforce the settlement’s new rules. Among them: Division I athletes would have to submit every NIL deal they receive valued over $600 for scrutiny and approval, to ensure it was for a “valid business purpose” and offered fair-market value and not pay-for-play in disguise. They partnered with Deloitte to create software—called NIL Go—to receive submissions, which must come from players themselves.”

» Title. “Since NIL Go launched in mid-June, however, players, agents, and NIL collective operators have told FOS they’ve waited weeks or longer to receive any feedback on submitted deals. (Last month, a group of collectives reported that about $11 million worth of deals were stuck in limbo.) As a result, many across the industry have begun to eschew NIL Go altogether.” (Front Office Sports)

4. Fall Ball Scrimmage Schedule

“This resource below catalogs the men’s events. Note that not all are open to the public, and times can fluctuate greatly given the informal and unofficial nature of fallball. Please confirm directly with an institution before attending any event. This only includes intercollegiate events and not alumni events.”

• Oct. 4: St. Anselm’s at Western New England

• Oct. 4: Eastern, Howard CC at McDaniel

• Oct. 11: Colorado College at Denver

• Oct. 11: Chatham, Denison, Mount Union, Seton Hill at Merychurst

• Oct. 12: Harford CC, Ursinus, Wilmington at Stevenson

• Oct. 16: Ohio Wesleyan at Ohio State

• Oct. 18: Canisius, Detroit Mercy, John Carroll at Western Reserve Academy

• Oct. 18: Baldwin Wallace, Trine at Wooster

• Oct. 18: Arcadia, DeSales, Franklin & Marshall, Washington College, Widener, Drew, Alvernia, Kean and Oberlin at WSFS Bank Sportsplex (Chester PA)

• Oct. 18: Hood vs. Mary Washington

• Oct. 18: Goucher, Howard CC and Notre Dame (Md.)

• Oct. 18: Assumption, Bentley, Coast Guard, New Hampshire, Vassar at Springfield

• Oct. 19: Lynchburg. Queens at Wingate

• Oct. 24: Bridgewater vs. Southern Virginia

• Oct. 25: Rivier, UMass-Boston at Roger Williams

• Oct. 25: Salisbury, Washington and Lee at VMI

• Oct. 25: Kean at Haverford

• Nov. 7: Thomas More at Spalding

Want your scrimmage listed here? Email us at [email protected]

5. Comings and Goings 

• MORAVIAN - Morgan Graham named head women’s lacrosse coach

• NEUMANN - Marc Poust stepped down as head men’s lacrosse coach

• SPRINGFIELD - Chris Piatelli named assistant men’s lacrosse coach

• WABASH - Nate Webber named head men’s lacrosse coach

Want your transaction listed here? Email us at [email protected]

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