Notre Dame College Update

[boatcapt]

I was very surprised when D and E was admitted without any plans to add football. I keep thinking what do they bring to the conference? It seems like they are average at best in most sports. Plus didn’t wheeling have to add football to join, if so why not D and E too?

as for the psac, I would love to see Westminster and W and J added. I think they would be great additions to the conference. I didn’t know Westminster went d2, how long and why did they drop back down?

D&E joined the MEC in 2018. This was right after Frostburg joined the conference as a replacement for UVA Wise and at the same time UNCP was added as an affiliate to replace Shepherd. I guess D&E was added to replace Shepherd in the sports that UNCP did not affiliate. D&E is a perfect example of making a decision in haste. They are a pretty middling athletic program at a school that seems to be struggling to get students. Only saving grace is that they appear to be financial stable.

[Finchwidget]

as for the psac, I would love to see Westminster and W and J added. I think they would be great additions to the conference. I didn’t know Westminster went d2, how long and why did they drop back down?

Westminster was D2 from 1997 to 2000 I believe. They played in the GLIAC back when that conferences footprint stretched all the way to Western Pennsylvania. As for why they went back, I'm not entirely sure why

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Westminster was D2 from 1997 to 2000 I believe. They played in the GLIAC back when that conferences footprint stretched all the way to Western Pennsylvania. As for why they went back, I'm not entirely sure why

The travel was much worse than they anticipated. They also got clobbered in the main sports.

[Tdobson]

Westminster was D2 and didn’t try and join the PSAC?

Has W and J ever toyed with d2?

[crixus]

MAN...You are beating the Salem drum for sure!! Given the situation with recently added and now closed AB and now the closing of NDC, we REALLY don't need to take on a life-support school like Salem!

Now WVU Tech? A real case can be made for them. Yes they were circling the drain in the past but they are now effectively a completely new school from those days. Heck, the school actually picked up and moved 50 miles from it's old WV Tech location! They appear to be very stable now at 1,500+ students. Previous president talked about starting football back a couple of years ago but don't know if that is still the plan.

I agree. And I doubt the MEC schools want Salem.

[Sportsnut]

Have any of the coaches at NDC moved on and got new jobs yet?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Heavy indications Frostburg State will join the PSAC (to fill the spot vacated by Mercyhurst's jump to D1).

This may happen very quickly.

[cwfenn]

Heavy indications Frostburg State will join the PSAC (to fill the spot vacated by Mercyhurst's jump to D1).

This may happen very quickly.

I know Cherleston made the playoffs last year, but it’s mainly been NDC and Frostburg at the top. MEC has gotten seriously hammered the last couple years if this is true.

[ctrabs74]

I agree. And I doubt the MEC schools want Salem.

If Frostburg ends up bolting for the PSAC, it wouldn't shock me if WVIAC 2.0 reaches out to Salem to invite them back into the league. Remember, there was a scheduling agreement in basketball (and maybe a couple of other sports as well) between Salem and the remaining MEC schools after Alderson-Broaddus closed last season.

At this rate, the MEC might as well consider merging with the GMAC.

[Uindy18]

I've said it for awhile. There is probably some support within the MEC to rebuild the old WVIAC with Salem, WV Tech, and Bluefield State.

When you clearly have cash strapped schools like Wheeling, WVWC and D & E, having more local opponents just makes fiscal sense over trying to shoehorn a school in from further outside the footprint.

[Stea1th]

If Frostburg ends up bolting for the PSAC, it wouldn't shock me if WVIAC 2.0 reaches out to Salem to invite them back into the league. Remember, there was a scheduling agreement in basketball (and maybe a couple of other sports as well) between Salem and the remaining MEC schools after Alderson-Broaddus closed last season.

At this rate, the MEC might as well consider merging with the GMAC.

I highly doubt the GMAC is thinking about a merger. Maybe a scheduling agreement. The GMAC is a pretty cohesive group of private, faith-based schools.

I think the obvious choices are Salem (no football) and/or Bluefield St. (football).

[EastStroud13]

Would Bluefield St. even want to leave the CIAA? They just got back in.

[Finchwidget]

The MEC was formed in large part to kick Bluefield State (and others) to the curb, and they languished as an independent for almost a decade. Now that they're finally doing pretty good for themselves and found a new conference home elsewhere, I'd be skeptical they'd want to go back to the same schools that turned their noses up at them for the better part of 10 years. Especially now that they're really leaning into their HBCU status-- their new HC was on the staff of the Florida A&M team that won the HBCU championship last season, which sort of tells me they're all in on the CIAA and establishing an HBCU culture.

Salem wouldn't be a bad choice if you're just looking for warm bodies to add, same with WV Tech, now that their football plans seem to be on indefinite hiatus. Someone on here mentioned Pikeville once, and I think they would be a great choice if they're interested.

[ctrabs74]

I highly doubt the GMAC is thinking about a merger. Maybe a scheduling agreement. The GMAC is a pretty cohesive group of private, faith-based schools.

I think the obvious choices are Salem (no football) and/or Bluefield St. (football).

I was being somewhat sarcastic about a theoretical GMAC-MEC merger. And I thought the GMAC had a scheduling agreement with the GLVC.

[ctrabs74]

Would Bluefield St. even want to leave the CIAA? They just got back in.

All things being equal, I'd suspect that if Bluefield State would've wanted to get back in the MEC, then they would've have joined the MEC instead of the CIAA. Although, with St Augustine's seemingly on the verge of permanent closure, it would really depend on what the CIAA wanted to do if they were committed to having an even number of football teams in the league.

Then again, the MEC might be in such desperation, they might take a chance and try to bring Bluefield State back.

The point is: nobody really knows until the next domino falls. if that even happens.