Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

[BlueBlood]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Understood. The G-MAC in 2012 was in pure survival mode. It was blindsided by WVIAC/MEC situation and needed to get its # of schools up to NCAA minimums. It was more of a "where is my next meal coming from" situation than one conducive to long range strategic planning.

[timbertopper]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

What is so great about West Liberty? Why knock other schools? West Liberty's enrollment has dropped by 22% over the past five years. West Liberty went to the NCAA in men's basketball. Congratulations. In baseball, they go 21-28. In football, they went 3-8. In men's soccer, they go 5-5-2. Men's tennis goes 10-9. In wrestling, they go 6-7. In women's basketball, they go 13-16. In women's soccer, they 4-11-2. In softball, they go 21-23. In women's tennis, they go 12-8. In volleyball, they go 20-14. I count four sports up there with a winning record. Are we setting the world on fire up there? I am not happy with our athletic department. It stinks right now. But I am not running down other schools.

Ohio Valley had two separate programs earn NCAA bids this past school year. Two. That is more than the following current MEC athletic departments:

West Liberty....1 NCAA bid
Concord......0
Glenville State 1 NCAA bid
Fairmont State 1 NCAA bid that being tennis and lost to Bluefield State ( a school you knock) in the NCAAs
Urbana 0
Notre Dame 1 NCAA bid
And it appears had the same amount of bids that Charleston, WV Weselyan and WV State had. I am not saying OVU is better athletically than any one. But to constantly knock schools makes no sense. D&E had a team earn a NCAA bid. Some of these schools I see get knocked have high academic ratings I might add.

And by the way, do you think Frostburg State is going to come in and make an immediate impact right away transitioning from D3 to D2?

Not to nit-pick and clearly WLU needs to do better but 3 West Liberty teams earned NCAA bids in 2017-18 and have been ranked among the top teams in the Atlantic Region for several years:
- Men's Basketball (9th straight year)
- Men's Golf (5th straight year)
- Women's Tennis (6th in last 8 years)

[boatcapt]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

What is so great about West Liberty? Why knock other schools? West Liberty's enrollment has dropped by 22% over the past five years.

Yeeaaa...Not QUITE correct. The official stats from the WV Higher Education policy Commission show WLU's enrolment dropped 12% over the last five years. Enrolment climbed 5% last year from the previous year. Shepherd, on the other hand has seen a 16% decline in enrolment including a 4% decline between 2016 and 2017 enrolment. That makes them one of the better performing PSAC schools!

WLU's 12% decline between 12 and 17 would have slotted them in between Cal (10% decline) and Bloom (15% decline). Shepherd 16% decline ties them with Kutztown 8th lowest decline in the PSAC.

WLU's 5% enrolment increase from 16 to 17 would be tops in the PSAC. Shepherds 4% decline 16 to 17 ties it at #6 with Bloom and IUP.

Besides Cheyney, the back markers for the PSAC is Mansfield at a 40% decline in enrolment from 12 to 17 and a 14% enrolment decline 16 to 17. Back marker for the MEC is Concord with a 22% 12-17 decline and a 10% 16-17 decline

[CALUPA69]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Understood. The G-MAC in 2012 was in pure survival mode. It was blindsided by WVIAC/MEC situation and needed to get its # of schools up to NCAA minimums. It was more of a "where is my next meal coming from" situation than one conducive to long range strategic planning.

It's odd but both OHIO and WV have 12 D2 schools. Minus SALEM in WV and CENTRAL STATE in OHIO it seems if rational minds were in play both states could have very stable 9, 10, 11 team leagues with no worry about the other. Travel budgets would be more in line, natural rivalries could be fostered and they could have something akin to the atmosphere of the PSAC in terms of a geographically logical set up. But if they continue to go after one another it's going to get bloody.

[boatcapt]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

It's odd but both OHIO and WV have 12 D2 schools. Minus SALEM in WV and CENTRAL STATE in OHIO it seems if rational minds were in play both states could have very stable 9, 10, 11 team leagues with no worry about the other. Travel budgets would be more in line, natural rivalries could be fostered and they could have something akin to the atmosphere of the PSAC in terms of a geographically logical set up. But if they continue to go after one another it's going to get bloody.

Says the man who's conference just "went after" a member from the MEC as opposed to the DII Lincoln (PA).

Seems like the PSAC as well could have a "very stable 9, 10, 11 team league with no worry" that fostered "natural rivalries"...Yet they chose not to.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Yeeaaa...Not QUITE correct. The official stats from the WV Higher Education policy Commission show WLU's enrolment dropped 12% over the last five years. Enrolment climbed 5% last year from the previous year. Shepherd, on the other hand has seen a 16% decline in enrolment including a 4% decline between 2016 and 2017 enrolment. That makes them one of the better performing PSAC schools!

WLU's 12% decline between 12 and 17 would have slotted them in between Cal (10% decline) and Bloom (15% decline). Shepherd 16% decline ties them with Kutztown 8th lowest decline in the PSAC.

WLU's 5% enrolment increase from 16 to 17 would be tops in the PSAC. Shepherds 4% decline 16 to 17 ties it at #6 with Bloom and IUP.

Besides Cheyney, the back markers for the PSAC is Mansfield at a 40% decline in enrolment from 12 to 17 and a 14% enrolment decline 16 to 17. Back marker for the MEC is Concord with a 22% 12-17 decline and a 10% 16-17 decline

Not just a PA and WV problem ... nationwide problem.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Says the man who's conference just went after a member from the MEC as opposed to the DII Lincoln (PA).

Takes two to tango. They didn't have to accept.

If you're going to 'poach' as you say ... poach the big dog.

[boatcapt]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Not just a PA and WV problem ... nationwide problem.

MEC problems are miniscule compared to the PSAC. The worst performing MEC school would be in the middle of the PSAC pack right there with IUP.

[BlueBlood]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

It's odd but both OHIO and WV have 12 D2 schools. Minus SALEM in WV and CENTRAL STATE in OHIO it seems if rational minds were in play both states could have very stable 9, 10, 11 team leagues with no worry about the other. Travel budgets would be more in line, natural rivalries could be fostered and they could have something akin to the atmosphere of the PSAC in terms of a geographically logical set up. But if they continue to go after one another it's going to get bloody.

BTW - the WV schools in the G-MAC weren't stolen from the MEC. They were the WV schools that the MEC didn't want.*

*And I'm not saying that as a put down to our WV conferencemates. Its just that truth. For what its worth, the original OH schools in the G-MAC (including mine) were ones that the GLIAC didn't want. Its why we get along so well.

[boatcapt]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

BTW - the WV schools in the G-MAC weren't stolen from the MEC. They were the WV schools that the MEC didn't want.*

*And I'm not saying that as a put down to our WV conferencemates. Its just that truth. For what its worth, the original OH schools in the G-MAC (including mine) were ones that the GLIAC didn't want. Its why we get along so well.

I've got no beef with how the schools shook out when the MEC and GMAC were getting going. Now that they are both up and running and have been for a number of years, I would.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

This certainly doesn't help persuade kids to spend a fortune and go to school for 4-5 years ....

http://wccsradio.com/earnings-rankin...-ed-graduates/

[boatcapt]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

This certainly doesn't help persuade kids to spend a fortune and go to school for 4-5 years ....

http://wccsradio.com/earnings-rankin...-ed-graduates/

Wonder were Penn State, Pitt and Temple rank? Also doesn't help when you heap on a mountain of debt!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Yeah ... to be 10 years out ... those aren't very good earnings.

[JDonAB92]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

I got my data from here:

http://www.wvhepc.edu/wp-content/upl...inal-Draft.pdf

[Ram Tough]

Re: Derek Redd reports Shepherd is leaving the MEC after next year

Name one thing that the MEC did to take care of Shepherd. Meanwhile, Daddy Reid made sure that his friends at West Liberty were taken care of. WJU should've never been in the conference. They were only there because West Liberty wanted them there. The MEC basketball tournaments were moved to Wheeling. And when no one was near Shepherd or UVA-Wise, there was no movement toward conference expansion. You either move forward or cease to exist. Also, everyone tosses in the two Ohio schools together, but it isn't like they're next door to each other. Most of the schools were taken care of with geography. And the only school on the fringe that was taken care of was West Liberty.