The movement to subdivide Division III or create a Division IV was halted after Division III members' survey responses reflected a lack of interest, according to an article in the NCAA News.

Division III's anticipated growth, projected to be to 480 overall members by 2020, prompted a small group of Division III institutions to call for breaking the division in two. However, the movement apparently failed to draw enough interest.

The full survey results will be announced April 9. However, the preliminary results were, according to the NCAA News piece, "consistent with the level of opposition that was expressed during an NCAA Convention discussion of the working group's proposal."

The debate has featured a great deal of rhetoric, but lacked solid proposals. Southwestern University president Jake Schrumm wrote in a newspaper editorial in January: "Those of us who espouse the concept of Division III got here first, and this division was created for us. If some in our division can't abide by the structured guidelines demanded by a scholar-athlete, then they should leave Division III and be comfortable in a newly created Division IV."

The Capital Athletic Conference put a statement out in February asking the Division IV faction for details. "The Capital Athletic Conference asks that those who desire change come forward and help us understand your vision. Provide the membership an opportunity to decide its future from a position of intellectual strength rather than from assumptions and possible miscommunication. The landscape we develop for our future student-athletes deserves much thoughtful and honest consideration of the facts and issues."

Division III went through a reform process at the 2004 NCAA Convention which eliminated the so-called routine redshirt, aimed at bringing the increasingly diverse population of D-III schools closer together.

A new division or subgrouping would have needed 150 overall members in order to be viable, according to the NCAA's initial research. The NCAA's research identified more than 10 conferences which would be candidates to join a division with more restrictions, including, surprisingly, the WIAC.

Washington U. athletics director John Schael named Jim Conlon as the Bears' new women's soccer coach. Conlon spent eight seasons as the head women's and men's soccer coach at Wartburg and is the third women's soccer coach in Washington U. history.

Conlon replaces Wendy Dillinger, who spent six years as the head coach at Wash U, before resigning to take the same position at Division I Iowa State.

"I am excited to be a part of the next chapter of the Washington University women's soccer program," Conlon said. "Washington University is nationally recognized not only for its accomplishments on the field, but also for its academic endeavors, and I look forward to being able to graduate scholar champions. My family and I are excited about the move to the St. Louis area, and I hope to bring a women's soccer national championship to Washington University."

The Bears advanced to the sectional semifinals this past season before falling 1-0 to then-unbeaten The College of New Jersey.

As the first full-time soccer coach in Wartburg history, Conlon posted a 108-48-10 overall record with the men's team and 96-57-5 with the women's team. He led the men's squad to five NCAA appearances, advancing to the sectional semifinals in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and to the sectional final in 2004. In 2007, the Wartburg women's team won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA sectional round, the squad's first NCAA berth in school history.
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Wheaton (Ill.) won its third Division III women's soccer title in four seasons while Middlebury won its first men's soccer title by 1-0 scores that were hardly identical.

The Thunder, who defeated Messiah, finished 27-0 and end the 2007 season with 45 consecutive wins. Jami Hermann picked up a loose ball 42:50 into the match and bended it past Messiah goalie Brindley Beckwith for the 1-0 lead. Middlebury (18-2-2) defeated Trinity (Texas) on penalty kicks and dealt the Tigers (23-1) their only loss of the season.

Wheaton outshot the Falcons 18-9 and held a 9-4 edge in corner kicks, but goalkeeper Kristin Eggert, an all-tournament selection, made the save of the match with a diving stop in the final five minutes. "I was focused pretty intensely on that ball. I knew that all of the girls around me had worked so hard to keep that zero on the scoreboard, so I really wanted to keep it as well."

The Thunder join The College of New Jersey with three championships. UC-San Diego, which has since moved to Division II, won five Division III women's soccer titles.

The scoreless first half of the men's championship game was controlled by Trinity, as the Tigers outshot Middlebury 13-6 in the opening frame. Trinity's leading scorer, Patrick Floeck, had the first major opportunity, sailing a one-touch volley over the crossbar after a long throw-in from the left corner. Floeck went airborne later in the half, trying to put a head on a cross from the left sideline, but he collided with Bush and had to leave the game.
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