



After only four days as chancellor, Jim Petro stood before the House Finance and Appropriations Committee on Tuesday to testify on the Board of Regents' portion within HB 153, the State Operating Budget. He was very brief in his comments to allow for questions from the committee members, who took full advantage of the extra time. Questions ranged from asking what other states, who are competing for Ohio's high school students, do to rein in costs and attract students, to the possibility of attracting more Ohio institutions to compete for Third Frontier dollars, to the possibility of consolidation of Wilberforce University and Central State University.
The chancellor will have his hands full while learning higher education policy during a budget year, but committee members were impressed and ready to work with him as this portion of the budget develops.
For a copy of his testimony, click here.
Walsh’s women’s basketball team plays undefeated Davenport (Mich.) in the NAIA Division III basketball semifinal game, Monday at 6 p.m. Central time in Sioux Falls, Iowa.
Torrid second-half shooting led Walsh to victory in its quarterfinal game over Black Hills State (S.D.) 83-73, while Davenport reached the semifinal by defeating Cedarville 81-58 on Saturday.
NCAA Division III Men
A 76-66 win Saturday over No. 1-ranked Whitworth (Wash.) brought Wooster to its third NCAA Division III men’s basketball semifinal, to be played against Williams (Mass.) Friday night at Salem, Va.
The previous night, Wooster dumped Cabrini (Pa.) 94-77 to set up the quarterfinal against Whitworth, which defeated AICUO member Marietta 93-77.
Wooster and Williams met in the semifinal in 2007, with Wooster falling in overtime. The other final four schools are Middlebury (Vt.) and St. Thomas (Minn.), setting up an all-independent Division III final.
Ozarks Ousts Walsh Men from NAIA Tourney
Home court had its advantage Saturday in the NAIA Division II men’s championship, as No. 1-ranked Walsh fell to the host school, the College of the Ozarks (Mo.), 71-66.
The Denison women’s basketball team, undefeated champion of the North Coast Athletic Conference, still has to travel six hours for its first NCAA tournament game tonight at twice-beaten Hope College in Holland, Mich. Hope, which has hosted the finals of this tournament in the recent past, received favorable treatment from the committee, as did tournament perennial Washington (Mo.), which picked up one of the few at-large bids to play Denison in tonight’s first-round doubleheader. DePauw (Ind.) faces Hope in the second game.
Also in the women’s tournament, Mount Union, which dominated the Ohio Athletic Conference, has a road trip just 90 minutes shorter than Denison’s, to the Cincinnati suburb of Crestview Hills, Ky., where Thomas More hosts another first- and second-round weekend. In a rematch of colleges that have played for the last six Division III football titles, Mount Union faces Wisconsin-Whitewater Friday night. The travel award goes to Piedmont (Ga.), which plays Thomas More in the nightcap.
In men’s play, in contrast to the women, the two AICUO members who are conference champions get to stay home, and the third member participating does not have to leave the state. At Ohio Athletic Conference champion Marietta, Wittenberg faces LaRoche (Pa.) Friday night, after which Marietta plays Centre (Ky.). Wooster, North Coast Athletic Conference champion, faces Benedictine (Ill.) at home Friday night, after a game featuring Manchester (Ind.) and Bethany (W. Va.).
Winners in all Friday action continue to second-round play Saturday at the host sites.
Schedule
NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship
March 4
First Round
At Marietta, Ohio
Marietta vs. Centre (Ky.)
Wittenberg vs. La Roche (Pa.)
At Wooster, Ohio
Wooster vs. Benedictine (Ill.)
Second Round
March 5
At Marietta, Ohio
Centre-Marietta winner vs. Wittenberg-La Roche winner
At Wooster, Ohio
Benedictine-Wooster winner vs. Manchester (Ind.)-Bethany (W. Va.) winner
NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round
March 4
At Holland, Mich.
Denison vs. Washington (Mo.)
At Crestview Hills, Ky.
Mount Union vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater
Second Round
March 5
At Holland, Mich.
Denison-Washington winner vs. Hope (Mich)-DePauw (Ind.) winner
At Crestview Hills, Ky.
Mount Union-Wisconsin-Whitewater winner vs. Thomas More (Ky.)-Piedmont (Ga.) winner