How do you know if a D-II school made the right decision to go D-I?

[SW_Mustang]

Le Moyne AD Beretta is a “huge proponent” of hockey and says the department will take a hard look at adding men’s and women’s programs as it transitions to DI. “I come from a hockey background at (Army). I was the executive chair of the Atlantic Hockey committee for several years. I sat a term on the NCAA rules committee. I’m a huge hockey person. If we had a rink that was on-campus, it would be a no-brainer. … There have been discussions about some development that might take place here in the area that would make it an absolute slam dunk for us.” Beretta and President LeMura have also identified women’s bowling, field hockey and men’s volleyball as potential additions, though football is not on the Dolphins’ radar.

Hockey is a different beast entirely. Nice to see another school add it, but it's such a strange sport in terms of how it's organized at the NCAA level.

[UNALions]

Interesting.

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[UFOILERFAN]

Would they be vetting if the schools hadn't expressed interest?

[UFOILERFAN]

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/stat...aqRUmjAEQ&s=19

[UNALions]

https://twitter.com/MattBrownEP/stat...aqRUmjAEQ&s=19

Yep, Matt Brown says false.

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[IUPNation]

It’s all about the money or at least the potential for money. For UNA, it’s meant record increases in enrollment with 15 consecutive terms of growth.

https://www.waaytv.com/news/una-expe...98752f664.html

IUP had 15000 a decade ago.

West Chester is at 17000 now.

[IUPNation]

Unless you can do what Villanova does..be competitive nationally in FCS foosball and be a power (not this past year)in D1 basketball…why bother.

Of course Villanova is located in one of the wealthiest suburban locations in the US and has an alumni base with cash to burn.

[bigmrg74]

Hockey is a different beast entirely. Nice to see another school add it, but it's such a strange sport in terms of how it's organized at the NCAA level.

That and currently I believe to add D1 hockey, you already have to be at least a FCS D1 school. About 12 years back, Adrian had taken the D3 hockey world by storm and was on their league to improve their quality of play so that they would have an autobid I believe it was for the playoffs. However one of the league's big problem was that they had Minnesota-Crookston in the league, a D2 school in a D3 league, and according to D3 rules and whatnot, even if they totally operated the hockey team as a D3 with no scholorships and whatnot, they still wouldn't count as a D3 program, so they couldn't make the D3 playoffs, and Adrian pretty much got the league to force Minnesota-Crookston out of the league, which then left them with no good options for them being like the last D2 hockey program in the west that wasn't already playing up as a D1. The powers that were there at Crookston opted to tell the guys that they would be shutting down the hockey program right as they got on the bus to go to Adrian to play them that year, and I guess Friday night was a total clown show with Crookston taking out a lot of frustration out on Adrian physically, but not on the scoreboard. the Saturday game that I did get to go see wasn't much better. Thought it was low class of Crookston for telling the guys that right before sending them to Adrian.

[Tech Boys]

Because D2 does not sponsor a national championship in ice hockey, any team added by a D2 school will be classified as National Collegiate Division which mistakenly get called D1. There is a D1 men's ice hockey but that is due to it's historical classification when all three divisions sponsored a championship; it really should have been reclassified to NC Division when D2 was dropped.

Three women's ice hockey teams from NE10 members were forced out of the D3 conference they were in. The three teams were not allowed to participate in the conference or D3 postseason tournaments since they offered scholarships. There was also a D1 school playing in the D3 conference with the same postseason ban. They were playing in the D3 conference because of the lack of D2/D1 teams in the area at the time. When the schools were forced out, it lead to the formation of the NEWHA.

[SW_Mustang]

That and currently I believe to add D1 hockey, you already have to be at least a FCS D1 school. About 12 years back, Adrian had taken the D3 hockey world by storm and was on their league to improve their quality of play so that they would have an autobid I believe it was for the playoffs. However one of the league's big problem was that they had Minnesota-Crookston in the league, a D2 school in a D3 league, and according to D3 rules and whatnot, even if they totally operated the hockey team as a D3 with no scholorships and whatnot, they still wouldn't count as a D3 program, so they couldn't make the D3 playoffs, and Adrian pretty much got the league to force Minnesota-Crookston out of the league, which then left them with no good options for them being like the last D2 hockey program in the west that wasn't already playing up as a D1. The powers that were there at Crookston opted to tell the guys that they would be shutting down the hockey program right as they got on the bus to go to Adrian to play them that year, and I guess Friday night was a total clown show with Crookston taking out a lot of frustration out on Adrian physically, but not on the scoreboard. the Saturday game that I did get to go see wasn't much better. Thought it was low class of Crookston for telling the guys that right before sending them to Adrian.

I always wondered what happened with Crookston's team. But yes, my understanding is a D2 team can sponsor a D3 hockey team, but they can't participate in the D3 NCAA tournament. I think there would be more D2 teams sponsoring down if that were not the case.

Another oddity to the Crookston situation, but UMC collaborated with the city (and school district?) to build a new arena in town that they would ultimately become the primary tenant of. They dropped hockey well into the process of the new arena. They honored their financial commitment to the venue even though they wouldn't be using it for varsity sports.

[Tdobson]

Is there any evidence of a d3 school moving up to d2 and being successful? I always imagine Washington and Jefferson moving to the PSAC and how they would do?

[Inkblot]

Is there any evidence of a d3 school moving up to d2 and being successful? I always imagine Washington and Jefferson moving to the PSAC and how they would do?

UT Tyler would be a recent example. Second year as a full D2 member and they've made regionals in baseball, softball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's tennis, and women's golf.

[LegalRam]

Is there any evidence of a d3 school moving up to d2 and being successful? I always imagine Washington and Jefferson moving to the PSAC and how they would do?

They haven't made the playoffs, but Frostburg State has been fielding a very competitive football team since moving up from D3 a few years ago.

[Gliac_fan10]

They haven't made the playoffs, but Frostburg State has been fielding a very competitive football team since moving up from D3 a few years ago.

If my memory severs me correctly they would have made the playoffs in 2021 but weren’t elegible yet.

[UNALions]

Was talking realignment on CSN and UCF was brought up.

They may be the biggest success story for a school coming from lower divisions to the P5. The Knights were D3 in the late 70s, D2 in the 80s (UNA played them several times), I-AA in the 90s, and into FBS as an Indy in the late 90s. Then, the MAC, to CUSA, to the AAC, and now to the Big 12. An interesting and impressive 45 years of transitions for them.