In NCAA Division I, academic eligibility standards are national in scope and are the same for all institutions. In NCAA Division III, there are no national standards; rather each member institution establishes its own academic eligibility standards. However, information on these standards has never been collected and published, leaving a significant hole in the research in this area. The problem addressed by this study was to collect this academic eligibility information on the members of one Division III conference. A number of questions were addressed in the study. One was, how do Division III eligibility standards compare to Division I standards? Another was, how do eligibility standards in the Division III institutions studied compare to each other? Since differences were found, a final question addressed was, do the differences in academic eligibility standards between the Division III institutions lead to competitive equity issues. Data on academic eligibility standards from 15 members of one Division III conference were collected through interviews of Compliance Officers at each institution. The data were compared to the NCAA national standards for Division I. The data were also analyzed for differences among the Division III institutions studied. A correlation analysis was used to determine if a relationship existed between academic eligibility standards and competitive equity. The findings of the study were that on most of the academic eligibility variables, the Division III institutions studied had lower standards than the national standards for Division I. In the comparison of Division III institutions to each other, differences were found for high school core course requirements, transfer and continuing student credit hour requirements, and exceptions to the rules. While the study found pronounced differences in competitive equity among the Division III institutions studied, there was no clear indication of any relationship between eligibility requirements and competitive equity. This study provided some interesting information about the institutions in one Division III conference. However, the study raised as many questions as it answered. More work needs to be done to determine whether the policies followed by NCAA Division III institutions are truly different from those followed by Division I institutions. / text

This qualitative study seeks to assess the effectiveness of homeschool collegiate preparation through the eyes of homeschool alumni. Four alumni who are current college students participated in the study. A triangulation of methods, which included surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews, ensured reliability and validity. Although the students represented a wide range of varied homeschool experiences, the perceptions of all the students were that their environments prepared them for collegiate-level work at levels that are above average.

Research specific to the agriculture literacy of adult learners and, more specifically, college students, is warranted (Kovar & Ball, 2013). In the current study, I analyze the sources of knowledge that are dispersed across formal, non-formal, and informal learning settings that college students rely on to understand the various components of food systems. More specifically, I ask here, "How do college students learn about food systems?" Data were collected using a convenience sample of undergraduate students at a large research-intensive university who responded to an authentic questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Findings indicate that there is little variation between the three learning settings with respect to food system knowledge. This indicates that education with respect to food system knowledge is lacking. Implications of the study include recommendations for the development and refinement of formal and non-formal food systems curricula specific to the needs, backgrounds, and experiences of undergraduate college students.

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the physical and technical demands of the women’s college soccer game through a case study approach. With advancements in technology, motion analysis has become commonplace in most professional environments. However, the literature on amateur soccer is quite scarce and warrants more attention. The aims of this dissertation were: 1) to describe the physical demands of each position for a women’s college soccer player as they relate to total distance covered, efforts, and distance covered in high-speed velocity bands, 2) explore the variation in physical performance during a competitive season, and 3) compare the physical and technical performance of college soccer players to see if there are correlates in performance between variables. Eleven female collegiate soccer players from a single National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institution were tracked with Global Position System devices during a competitive season. Physical variables and technical variables were analyzed to gain further insight into the specific events that occur during a women’s college soccer match. Significant differences exist between positions for total distance covered during a match, with the forward and central defensive midfielder position covering the greatest distance during a match on average. The central defender position covered a significantly less amount of distance during a match than the other five positional subcategories. Outside players (forward, outside midfielder, and fullback) covered the greatest distance at high-speed velocity bands and perform the highest volume of high-speed efforts. The only significantly different technical variable found was the pass completion percentage of the central defensive midfielder compared with other positions. The current investigation highlights the unique characteristics of female collegiate soccer players when separated and analyzed by the positional subcategories. With uniqueness present in a once thought to be homogenous population the demand for individualized training protocols becomes paramount to increase chance of optimal performance while simultaneously decreasing risk of injury.

The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand position specific physical qualities and how they relate to high speed running performance throughout the course of a competitive collegiate soccer season. The amount of literature devoted to female soccer players is scarce when compared to the vast amount of literature associated with male soccer players. The objectives of this dissertation were: 1) to determine if playing position has an influence on physical qualities such as speed, change of direction ability, countermovement jump performance, relative strength, rate of force development, and intermittent endurance capacity, 2) investigate the differences between high and lower caliber players as defined by minutes played per match when considering the physical qualities mentioned previously, 3) and finally to assess the influence of physical qualities and playing position on high speed running performance throughout the course of a competitive season. Data from 57 Division I Women’s Collegiate soccer players from a single institution were used. The influence of playing position and caliber of play on physical qualities were assessed using both laboratory and field based testing assessments. It appears that attacking based players (forward, wide midfielder, and attacking midfielder) were faster compared to defensive based players (central defensive midfielder, central defender, and goalkeeper) when assessed during 20 m sprint assessments and change of direction ability assessments. The only variable to differentiate between caliber of play was the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test – Level 1 (YYIRT1), indicating that higher caliber players possess greater intermittent endurance capacity compared to lower caliber players. Playing position was the major contributor when assessing high speed running performance during competition, explaining almost 70% of the variance. These findings highlight the impact of tactical factors on physical performance during competition and the need for position based assessments to better identify relevant physical qualities with respect to playing position in Division I Women’s Collegiate Soccer players. Further research is needed with a wider range of players from various levels to determine if these findings exist across all levels or are unique to the institution used during these investigations.

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the goalkeeper position in order to prepare goalkeepers for competition. The objectives of this study were to characterize the technical and physical demands of an NCAA Division I collegiate goalkeeper over three seasons and examine trends from season to season. Count and frequency for each definition were analyzed. Results show that although the goalkeeper’s technical demands were characterized by engaging in play without action and being in the goal area, the gradually increased use of the feet over three season’s hints on the importance of skills performed with the lower body. Findings suggest that most shots faced by the goalkeeper were from direct attacks, outside the box and from central positions. Foot skills may be relied on with increasing experience. Over the course of three seasons, forward and lateral movements were the most common and second most common.

abstract: The purpose of this research was to determine if students who are enrolled in a professional flight program exhibit significantly higher rates of depression, stress, and anxiety. This study compared professional flight students to non-professional flight students to determine whether professional flight students have higher rates of depression and anxiety. In addition, this study sought to determine if there were higher depression, anxiety, and stress levels in upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) than in lowerclassmen (freshman and sophomore). Finally, upperclassmen and underclassmen within professional flight programs were compared to test if upperclassmen professional flight students exhibit higher rates for depression, anxiety and stress. These groups were compared to each other by using a survey that measures depression, anxiety, and stress. There were no statistically significant results. No singular group is more or less prone to depression, anxiety, or stress. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2019

Introduction: Conceptually, it is important to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms of any training program model. This understanding aids the coach/sport scientist in making better choices in manipulating variables in formulating the training model. These underlying mechanisms can be associated with training variable manipulation, fatigue management aspects and the overall health of the athlete. Hormone and cytokine concentrations can be linked to alterations resulting from the manipulation of training variables and to subsequent alterations in performance. For example, alterations in the testosterone: cortisol ratio (T:C) has been associated with alterations in training volume as well as physiological aspects such as lean body mass, fat content and strength/power performance. Although cytokine production is part of the adaptive process, markedly increased/excessive cytokine production has been related poor fatigue management and over training. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the alterations and relationships among training variables, and physiological variables. Subjects: Nine (9) D-1 collegiate throwers and 4 control subjects participated in the study. Methods: The throwers participated in an 11- week periodized resistance training and throws program. Volume load was recorded throughout the study. Hormone (testosterone and cortisol (C), and adipokine (adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) measurements were taken at weeks 1, 7, and 11 for the throwers. Results: Hormone values did not exhibit statistically significant changes across time; however, there were trends across time for C, the T:C ratio and adiponectin. Conclusions: Based on the hormonal and adipokine data, it appears that the training program produced some positive effects. These effects indicate a reasonable degree of fatigue management in that C decreased and the T:C ratio was increased as volume load decreased. Literature supports the idea that increases in adiponectin may be a positive outcome of a sound training protocol (Smith et al., 2000). The present observation indicates that adiponectin increased in concert with decreases in C and increases in the T:C. ratio. Considering the effects of these hormones and cytokines, these alterations over time indicate a lesser degree of obesity related inflammation and a higher degree of “fitness” and preparedness

Abstract available in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Modern educational administration demands that all departments be conducted on a business-like basis. Because of the amount of money taken in and spent, the financial management of his department is one of the most important duties of the director of athletics. Lack of knowledge or ability in this area may well handicap the whole program.