Utica

[Inkblot]

https://wibx950.com/could-the-utica-...as-division-i/)

If they go D2, I'd guess the ECC might be the most likely landing spot, given that the conference has recently been recruiting new members from D3; but Utica has football, which would have to be independent or a NE10 affiliate.

[Tech Boys]

I saw that and I feel they fit better as a full NE10 member.

[Inkblot]

I saw that and I feel they fit better as a full NE10 member.

Perhaps, although the NE10 has basically zero history of inviting non-D2 schools.

[CALUPA69]

I saw that and I feel they fit better as a full NE10 member.

That's the best D2 fit but aside from non-fb Lemoyne and St Rose the rest of the league is about 200 mile road trips and in upstate NY and NE those roads can be treacherous for 4 months of the school year. For one sport it strikes me as a bad decision.

[Tech Boys]

Utica has 6 sports not sponsored by the ECC of the sports that would be in D2. Those sports span all 3 seasons that would most likely end up in the NE10. I'm fairly confident Utica knows how to handle the roads up there and it's no different from what the other schools in the NE10 deal with.

[cwfenn]

[Inkblot]

They'll be full D2 in the fall; so far I've seen them on the schedule for Franklin Pierce (the only NE10 team that's released a schedule) and Northern Michigan.

[cwfenn]

They'll be full D2 in the fall; so far I've seen them on the schedule for Franklin Pierce (the only NE10 team that's released a schedule) and Northern Michigan.

Nice find, thank you - you're a wizard when it comes to finding this stuff!

[ctrabs74]

https://wibx950.com/could-the-utica-...as-division-i/)

If they go D2, I'd guess the ECC might be the most likely landing spot, given that the conference has recently been recruiting new members from D3; but Utica has football, which would have to be independent or a NE10 affiliate.

There are a handful of D3 schools who compete in D1 ice hockey - Rochester Institute of Technology, RPI (no, I'm not going to try and spell the entire name of the school out), St. Lawrence, Union (NY) and Colorado College - though I believe those schools were grandfathered in to where they could remain in D1 for hockey and D3 in other sports.

That said, with the rumors about New Haven considering a move to D1, Utica and Post (Conn.) might be potential future candidates for the NE-10, at least in football.

[ctrabs74]

They'll be full D2 in the fall; so far I've seen them on the schedule for Franklin Pierce (the only NE10 team that's released a schedule) and Northern Michigan.

They're also on St. Anselm's schedule:

https://saintanselmhawks.com/sports/...?path=football

October 24 in Waterbury.

If a few more NE-10 schedules come out and Post appears on them, then that might tell us that Post will become a NE-10 affiliate member in football as early as next season, if not 2023.

[ctrabs74]

Perhaps, although the NE10 has basically zero history of inviting non-D2 schools.

True, but you can't help but wonder if some of the NE-10 football schools might be interested in adding Utica, should they make the move to D2, so they don't have to play a conference opponent twice in a season.

EDIT: I forgot there are already nine football schools in the NE-10; presuming Post is in fact on track to become an affiliate in football, adding Utica would push the NE-10 to 11 football schools.

[Inkblot]

Update on this: https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ne...-Votes-to-.php

It appears that Utica has a D2 conference ready to invite them (no indication of which) and is just waiting for a hockey conference invitation. If they get that, sounds like they'll apply to D2 next year.

(Also, that same article corroborates the rumors of Stonehill moving up.)

[ctrabs74]

Update on this: https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ne...-Votes-to-.php

It appears that Utica has a D2 conference ready to invite them (no indication of which) and is just waiting for a hockey conference invitation. If they get that, sounds like they'll apply to D2 next year.

(Also, that same article corroborates the rumors of Stonehill moving up.)

So, if Stonehill is indeed making the move to D1 and the NEC, then maybe Post and Utica become NE-10 affiliate members to give the league 10 football teams (I know this contradicts what I posted the other day, but this is actually the first I heard about a potential Stonehill move to D1).

[Tech Boys]

Much has been made about travel for Utica in the NE10. I did this out of pure curiosity. Comparing mileage for Utica with the 2022 versions of the ECC and NE10. Based on miles with shortest travel time from Google.

UDC is an obvious outlier skewing the ECC higher. ECC calculation without UDC is 217.4 Avg and 258 Long.

D'Youville	196	Adelphi	261
Daemen College	188	American International College	185
District of Columbia	385	Assumption	230
Mercy College	229	Bentley	259
Molloy College	258	Franklin Pierce	208
Queens College	246	Le Moyne College	48
Roberts Wesleyan College	143	New Haven	248
St. Thomas Aquinas College	224	Pace	245
College of Staten Island	255	Saint Anselm College	298
		Saint Michael's College	188
		College of Saint Rose	95
		Southern Connecticut State	242
		Southern New Hampshire	255
Avg	236.0		212.5
Long	385		298

[cwfenn]

So, if Stonehill is indeed making the move to D1 and the NEC, then maybe Post and Utica become NE-10 affiliate members to give the league 10 football teams (I know this contradicts what I posted the other day, but this is actually the first I heard about a potential Stonehill move to D1).