Who chose Division II? We had a chance to catch Division II in primetime on Saturday night, as two-time defending national champion Grand Valley State took on Northwest Missouri State in a semifinal match-up on the gridiron. Xavier Omon may have forced the ESPN networks to put on more D-II games in future seasons, as the Northwest Missouri State tailback ran for 292 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bearcats over the Lakers, 34-16. It was the first loss in more than three seasons for Grand Valley State, which had won 40 consecutive games entering Saturday’s contest. Northwest Missouri State will play Valdosta State for the national championship on Saturday.

Surprise! North Carolina didn’t win the Division I Women’s Soccer Championship this fall. In fact, when USC beat Florida State 2-0 yesterday to win the national title, the Trojans became just the seventh program to win the championship since its inception in 1982. Marihelen Tomer and Janessa Currier scored for USC.

Military presence. For fans of the East Carolina football program, a trip to Hawaii may not be in the cards for the team’s game against Boise State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu on December 23. But in order to fill some seats, East Carolina has asked fans to purchase and donate tickets to active military members stationed in Hawaii who can go to the game and cheer on the Pirates. In exchange for their donations, fans will receive a commemorative bowl ticket.

A lot of dimes. Grinnell guard David Arseneault had a pretty good game on Saturday, setting an NCAA record with 34 assists in his team’s 151-112 win over North Central. Grinnell presses the entire game and shoots more three-pointers that any team in the land, so Arsenault had opportunities to throw a lot of passes. The 34 dimes easily shattered the previous record of 26, established by Kean’s Robert James in 1989. John Grotberg was the beneficiary of many Arseneault passes, hitting 14-of-38 three-point shots and scoring 49 points.

Go Judges! In a big early-season match-up, the Brandeis men’s basketball team made a statement to the Division III community on Saturday, beating defending national champion and top-seeded Amherst, 72-62. Nearly 2,000 people packed the Red Auerbach Arena in Waltham, Massachusetts, as Joe Coppens led the No. 3 Judges with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Big W. There’s an interesting legal dispute happening in Madison, Wisconsin. It seems the Badger faithful believe that Washburn University is infringing upon the trademark of its “W” logo.