August 16, 2007
D-I For DWC: Division I Opponents Dartmouth, The Citadel Highlight 2007-08 Eagle Men’s Basketball Schedule
 

Nashua, N.H. -- Call it Daniel Webster’s return visit to his alma mater – in a way. The Daniel Webster College men’s basketball program will be returning to its namesake’s college this coming December.
 

The Eagle men’s basketball team will play its first ever NCAA Division I opponent when they travel to Hanover, N.H. to face the Big Green of Dartmouth College December 15th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting highlights DWC’s 2007-08 schedule which was announced this afternoon.

The Nashua, N.H. College’s namesake was an 1801 graduate of Dartmouth and as a statesman, lawyer, and orator, is considered by many historians as one of New Hampshire’s best known historical figures.

The December match up will be a first between the two programs.

As part of their schedule, the Eagles will also face another Division I opponent as DWC will travel to Charleston, S.C. to play the Citadel in a preseason exhibition. That meeting takes place Friday, November 9th at 7:00 p.m.

“As we continue to move forward with the revitalization of Daniel Webster College basketball, our program is extremely excited about the opportunity to play two NCAA Division I opponents,” said Head Coach Jeremy Currier. “If our coaching staff did not feel confident that this would not be a positive for our program we would not have accepted the opportunity to play these great programs. That being said, we are confident our program will be prepared for these great challenges as well as the challenges our entire 2007-08 schedule will provide.”

Further, Daniel Webster will be the only Division III team to meet a Division I opponent in New England this coming season. Nationally, the Eagles are one of only seven Division III programs scheduled to face a Division I opponent.

The Dartmouth tilt is a highlight of a 25-game regular season schedule that will also include the first season-opening home tournament for the program in mid-November. The Eagles will host the First Best Western Tip Off at Vagge Gymnasium on November 16th and 17th which will include Centenary of Hackettstown, N.J., Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts of North Adams, Mass., and Green Mountain of Poultney, Vermont.

In all, the Eagles will have a 13-game home schedule that also includes non-conference outings with Anna Maria and Newbury, along with Great Northeast Athletic Conference contests with Johnson & Wales, Emmanuel, Mount Ida, Emerson, Albertus Magnus, Norwich, Saint Joseph’s (Maine), Lasell, and a home-and-home set with cross town archrival Rivier. The Eagles host the defending GNAC tournament champion Raiders Tuesday, January 15th and travel to Muldoon Gymnasium in the regular season finale February 23rd.

“We have worked extremely hard in the off season to elevate our talent and we expect big things from our program in 2007-08,” added Currier. “We strongly believe this will be an exciting season for Daniel Webster men’s basketball for our players, alumni and fans alike.”

2007-08 marks the Eagles finals season in GNAC play. DWC will become a charter member of the recently formed New England Athletic Conference in 2008-09.

About Daniel Webster Athletics:
As a member of the NCAA Division III Great Northeast Athletic Conference, DWC sponsors 13 NCAA varsity programs including men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse. The college also sponsors club men’s ice hockey as a member of the Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA).

The last year has seen one the most remarkable stretches of growth in the College’s history as three new varsity programs – field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and men’s volleyball – have been established. The program has also created new brand identification, expanded full-time staff, and established the fast-growing Eagles Athletic Association, a financial support network for Eagle Athletics.