Northland athletics photo

The Northland College Board of Trustees today voted unanimously to close the college at the end of the 2024–25 academic year. 

“Despite the collaborative efforts of the entire Northland family, we no longer have the resources needed to navigate the economic and demographic storms endangering small, liberal arts institutions today,” said Ted Bristol, Chair of the Northland College Board of Trustees. “With declining enrollment and soaring costs, it takes more to operate the college than we raise in tuition. Even after enacting aggressive measures to cut costs and raise revenues, Northland College has no sustainable path forward.”

Northland’s capacity to finance itself had been in jeopardy since March 2024, when its board declared financial exigency. More than one thousand donors responded to a spring 2024 fundraising appeal and the college reduced costs by streamlining its academic offerings and cutting staff. Northland began the fall 2024 semester with a smaller student body and a focus on nine majors.

The college is located in Ashland, Wisconsin, which is on Lake Superior.

Northland is the second Division III school to announce that it will close at the end of 2024-25, following Fontbonne. In the previous academic year, Birmingham-Southern, Cabrini, Clarks Summit, Eastern Nazarene and Wells all closed.

Keystone is also expected to close, as it had its accreditation revoked and cannot enroll new students while its appeal process is ongoing.

Pomona-Pitzer athletics photo

Alexandra Turvey, a 21-time All-American Pomona-Pitzer swimmer who majored in biology at Pomona College, is the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Turvey was announced as the winner Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, during a celebration of the Top 30 honorees. 

The Woman of the Year award was created in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in athletics, academics, leadership and community service. Turvey is Pomona-Pitzer's first NCAA Woman of the Year honoree.

"This is truly such an honor. I stand here tonight not just as a single person but as someone who represents thousands of other female student-athletes across the country. Today was such an inspiration, getting to spend time and hang out with 30 inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, powerful women," Turvey said in her acceptance speech for the award. "When I really think about my NCAA experience, I'm struck by how it can bridge so many divides and really create community in the most unexpected places."

Swimmer Alexandra Turvey — a 21-time All-American who is now pursuing a dual medical degree and PhD — is the @NCAA’s 2024 Woman of the Year.

Turvey, who competed for the @Sagehens in her undergraduate years, shares what the recognition means to her and why she says the “NCAA… pic.twitter.com/jq2N4Xt8TR

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 16, 2025

Over the course of her four-year career at Pomona, Turvey led her swimming and diving team to immense success. Yet this evolution did not start in the pool. It began out of the water under the fluorescent lights of the weight room.

"When I came (on the team), I think a lot of the women didn't really view the weight room as a space that was really safe or welcoming for them," she recalled. "I made it my personal mission to make the weight room a place where we felt that we owned, and we were in charge and we were welcome."

To start, Turvey took over the aux cord in the weight room, playing music that motivated her and her teammates. She encouraged her teammates to ask someone to step aside when they needed to finish a rep. Soon, her teammates' timidness grew into comfort and then complete confidence.

"Those small, minute changes really became a big tangible force in that four-year period," she said. "Seeing my final year, how we walked in like we owned the place — we'd play our loud music, we'd sometimes be a little bit obnoxious — but seeing that transformation in the span of just four years and sort of cultural shift was really motivating and inspiring."

Read the full NCAA.org story on sagehens.com.

Johnson & Wales-Charlotte will join the C2C next fall but won't be a full Division III member until three years after that. JWU-Charlotte athletics photo

The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference is excited to welcome Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Charlotte as its newest member institution following unanimous support from the C2C Board of Directors. JWU-Charlotte will become the conference's seventh core member and begin competition during the 2025-2026 academic year.

"The C2C is thrilled to welcome JWU Charlotte as the newest member of the conference," said Mary Washington President Dr. Troy Paino, Chair of the C2C Board of Directors. "We look forward to the Wildcats' continued growth and success in the years to come."

• More moves in Conference Shuffle

JWU Charlotte is a private institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. JWU Charlotte is currently in its exploratory year with the NCAA prior to submitting an application for the NCAA Division III provisional membership process later this month. The Wildcats will be immediately eligible to compete in all C2C championships and are on pace to become a full NCAA Division III member for the 2028-29 academic year. 

Another JWU branch, in Providence, Rhode Island, is already in Division III. A third, JWU-Denver, was in the provisional pipeline to join D-III before closing after the 2020-21 academic year.

"Joining the C2C will elevate JWU-Charlotte by giving our student-athletes the opportunity to compete against teams nationwide, excel in academics and leadership, and strengthen our impact while reflecting our core values," said Richard Mathieu, Ph.D., president, Charlotte Campus, Johnson & Wales University.

JWU-Charlotte will sponsor the following C2C sports: men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's baseball, women's softball and women's outdoor track and field. The Wildcats currently compete as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) where they have won the last two Director's Cup titles.

"We are excited to join the Coast-to-Coast Conference, a top-notch NCAA Division III athletic conference. Not only will membership provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to compete for championships, but it also demonstrates how the philosophies of the other member universities align closely with JWU's values," said Trudi Lacey, director of JWU Charlotte athletics.

The C2C will consist of seven full-time members in 2025-26: UC Santa Cruz, Christopher Newport, JWU-Charlotte, Mary Washington, Regent, Salisbury and Warren Wilson.

"We are delighted to welcome JWU Charlotte to the C2C family," said C2C Commissioner Chris Roekle. "President Mathieu and Trudi Lacey are dedicated to advancing athletics on campus, and I am confident the Wildcats have a promising future ahead."