Montclair State upended NCAC football champion Allegheny Nov. 22 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Allegheny finished the season at 7-4, while Montclair State (9-1) went on to face Ithaca Nov. 29, losing 33-13.

The Gators had hoped to extend their noteworthy turnaround to postseason play. By racking up seven straight victories in conference play, they became just the second team ever to make the NCAA playoffs after an 0-3 start.

One highlight in the game for the Gators was senior wide receiver Brian Woods’ special teams play. Woods set three Allegheny playoff records with four punt returns for 105 yards.

Allegheny in All-Sports lead

With two fall sports titles and three second-place finishes, Allegheny came out in front in the race for the 2003-04 NCAC All-Sports championship.

The Gators, who won championships in women’s soccer and football, earned 54 points to pace the conference.

Wooster and last year’s champion Denison follow closely behind with 52.5 and 52 points, respectively. The Fighting Scots captured co-championships in field hockey and men’s soccer while Denison claimed the women’s cross country crown and a share of the men’s soccer title.

After capturing a co-championship in field hockey and a share of second place in football, Oberlin could lay claim to one of its best seasons since joining the NCAC in 1984. Oberlin sits in fourth place with 43 points.

Rounding out the conference All-Sport standings are Wittenberg (41), Ohio Wesleyan (38.5), Kenyon (38), Earlham (22), Hiram (17) and Wabash (17).

Teams earn ten points for a first place finish, nine for second and so on. The points are tallied over the fall, winter and spring seasons to determine the overall champion.

National Roundup

Big Ten poses no challenge for ACC

The ACC won seven of nine contests in the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge earlier this week to assert its status as a dominant college basketball conference.

Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan State were the worst of the bunch, losing by a combined 75 points to Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke respectively.

Purdue and the University of Michigan supplied the Big Ten with its two victories over Clemson and N.C. State.

Purdue in particular has been a surprising bright spot for the confernece so far this season. The win against Clemson put the Boilermakers at 2-0 versus the ACC, having defeated Duke already in the Great Alaska Shootout.

Compiled by Laurie Stein