Messiah plays Susquehanna this evening.

Most of the mileage timed running tests are done in one run. 

I have never heard of stopping between miles, but you never know....

I can only comment on the study abroad part of the question.  My son spoke with several D3 coaches who all indicated that he could participate in soccer and study abroad.  While they preferred for him to get in the spring training, they were supportive of his pursuit of other opportunities.  I imagine that most coaches would support athletes' desire to study abroad, although clearly some might not. 

My son plays in the Landmark and I can say the level of competition is high.  Each year there are several teams moving in and out of the top 25, most notably (the last 2-3 seasons): Elizabethtown, Scranton and Drew.  Susquehanna and Catholic have also had very good teams, but have been a bit "down" by the their lofty standards the past 2-3 years.  If you look at the Massey rankings, the Landmark is generally one of the top conferences each year; using that ranking system, it generally falls between 8-15 depending on the year.  Another strength to life in the Landmark is the proximity to other strong non-conference D3 teams such as teams from the Centennial, NJAC, MAC and, for some teams, SUNYAC.  So Landmark teams can choose to schedule some very strong non-conference competition.

My son was also a D1 recruit but wanted to be able to have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester as well as get playing time immediately. What he has found is that he needs to work hard for playing time - players are just as hungry and skilled at D3.  While his level of play has not slipped, the type of play has changed.  While he came form a program that liked to build from the back and retain possession, he has found that sometimes teams need to play a bit more direct.  He also encountered, what every coach said he would, a faster more physical game...and he learned to play accordingly. 

He has a lot of off-season training as they lift and do speed and agility work.   As the coach cannot directly train players during the off-season, the players get together to do specific ball work and small-sided play.  Generally the older players "coach" the younger players if needed; but all of these guys came from strong programs so the "coaching" is along the lines of pointers for how to improve certain aspects of play. Participating in  strength and conditioning work as well as individual work-outs and time on the ball are expectations of the program and all of the players participate in order to prepare for spring ball and take a high level of fitness into summer (where they also follow a rigorous training program of weights and ball work).

So if academics (and other curricular options) are more important to your son he will find a strong, physical conference in a geographical region surrounded by other strong teams.  He and his team will also have the legitimate opportunity to make it to the Landmark play-offs (top 4 teams) where the winner earns a berth to the NCAA tournament. This is an exciting opportunity (and the goal for most teams) for any soccer student-athlete.  I wish him luck in his college decisions.  Let us know where he commits.

You can add the Landmark to the list on conferences playing a semi-final game mid-week.

For those of you interested, tomorrow's games feature....

#3 Drew at #2 Scranton:  Scranton hosts a semi-final for the second year and has an opportunity to avenge the home field 2-1 loss to Drew earlier in the season. 

#4 Susquehanna at #1 Elizabethtown: This one played to a 2-2 draw on Susquehanna's turf just 10 days ago, so it could be tighter than a #1 vs. #4 seed suggests.

Final score for the pre-season scrimmage:  Messiah 0 - Susquehanna 0

Messiah will scrimmage Susquehanna tomorrow at Messiah.

With less than a week of pre-season training, both teams should use a lot of players as they look to shake off the summer rust.

Apparently the Liberty could look a bit different next year as Ithaca has been offered and accepted a bid to join the league.  Their membership and schedule might be in place as early as next academic year. 

An Ithaca/Hobart rivalry could be great for both programs.  It might take a few years for Ithaca to gain traction in the league, but LL membership can surely help with recruiting.

Regarding Lyco's defense, what makes it all that more impressive is they lost last year's All-American sophomore center back, Bill Kerr, as he transferred to UMBC.

A gap that big can be hard to fill, but Gibboney just reloaded and has that back line playing well.