OT: EWL Merging with MAC

[Fightingscot82]

This was referenced elsewhere, but today its official:

https://gofightingscots.com/news/201...n-2019-20.aspx

[iupgroundhog]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

This was referenced elsewhere, but today its official:

https://gofightingscots.com/news/201...n-2019-20.aspx

The rumors have been floating around for awhile. I'll have to get back to this later today.

[Bart]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

I am no fan of the move, but the schools seem excited about it.

https://buhuskies.com/news/2019/3/5/...20-season.aspx

[iupgroundhog]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

It's interesting that the MAC release has it as adding 7 new affiliate members rather than the much rumored "merger.".Never mind that the 7 new members are a league.

As a Lock Haven fan I like it. The new league will have a higher profile than the EWL. However, the MAC has 23 qualifiers for the national tournament this year and the EWL has 17. I don't think the new league will have 40. The EWL has been benefitting from sort of an "earned access" rule i.e. there has to be at least one from every weight.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Travel costs are already an issue for wrestling. This move will really increase costs for Bloomsburg, Rider, and Old Dominion.

[Bart]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

The word from several programs is all positive. If it a 2 division league, travel cost will not be an issue. The EWL teams will still be wrestling each other.

https://www.centredaily.com/sports/a...227154729.html

[iupgroundhog]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

The word from several programs is all positive. If it a 2 division league, travel cost will not be an issue. The EWL teams will still be wrestling each other.

https://www.centredaily.com/sports/a...227154729.html

It has to be a 2 division conference. Otherwise, the PSAC (or should I say former PSAC) schools cannot do it. We haven't seen any schedules yet but if it's purely dual competition within an East and West division then the increased travel costs are only for the conference tournament and maybe a conference dual championship match. The alternative to that is to have a crossover arrangement and that does become expensive. FS82 is right there is already a lot of financial pressure on the PSAC schools. We are talking about the MAC, though. Could the league be helping with some costs? I would think Bloom had to be the least enthusiastic about this. There is no alternative, though, if the schools are to remain D1. The EWL is not viable, especially after what happened at Edinboro. League-wise, there is nowhere else for the EWL teams to go. The EIWA, which I think was the preference for LH and Bloom, will not take them based on academic snootiness. Likewise, there is no other place for the standard bearer Missouri to go. I am looking forward to a Missouri to New Jersey conference. Should be interesting.

It's important to note that LH, Bloom, Edinboro, and Clarion will no longer compete in the PSAC Championships in wrestling. An end of an era.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

It has to be a 2 division conference. Otherwise, the PSAC (or should I say former PSAC) schools cannot do it. We haven't seen any schedules yet but if it's purely dual competition within an East and West division then the increased travel costs are only for the conference tournament and maybe a conference dual championship match. The alternative to that is to have a crossover arrangement and that does become expensive. FS82 is right there is already a lot of financial pressure on the PSAC schools. We are talking about the MAC, though. Could the league be helping with some costs? I would think Bloom had to be the least enthusiastic about this. There is no alternative, though, if the schools are to remain D1. The EWL is not viable, especially after what happened at Edinboro. League-wise, there is nowhere else for the EWL teams to go. The EIWA, which I think was the preference for LH and Bloom, will not take them based on academic snootiness. Likewise, there is no other place for the standard bearer Missouri to go. I am looking forward to a Missouri to New Jersey conference. Should be interesting.

It's important to note that LH, Bloom, Edinboro, and Clarion will no longer compete in the PSAC Championships in wrestling. An end of an era.

The MAC schools are struggling too. They're also mostly regional public universities - just larger than us - but they all have the same problems with demographic shifts, enrollment declines, and rising costs. This hurts Kent State a little now that Cleveland State is in their conference. The big gain for the PSAC schools is the chance to get annual matches with Missouri. The MAC also gets to plug holes left by the losses of Northern Iowa and Eastern Michigan.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Is it fair to say wrestling at PSAC schools does a better gate than basketball at those schools? Just curious. I know the majority of schools in this league draw garbage in basketball (and football).


Also, what is the typical roster size? How many scholarship equivalencies? Is it like football and basketball where you have the rich teams and the poor teams?

Who is considered the PSAC power?

[Tech Boys]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Also, what is the typical roster size? How many scholarship equivalencies? Is it like football and basketball where you have the rich teams and the poor teams?

D1 has 9.9 scholarships and D2 has 9 scholarships.

In 2017-18; D1 had 76 teams with average roster size of 32 and D2 had 59 teams with average roster size of 33.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Edinboro has 26 on its roster. I'm not sure how that's affected by those wrestling "unattached" or in their developmental programs. But a men's team with a roster of that size and the travel costs its easy to see why it was a victim of gender equity.

For scholarships: Bloomsburg offers 2.24, Clarion 5.24, Edinboro 7.12, Lock Haven 7.16.

Division I wrestling is probably the rare exception that the local high school athletes have interest in attending on a casual basis. This is evident when the big boys come to down. This is Edinboro when they hosted Ohio State in 2018.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Is it fair to say wrestling at PSAC schools does a better gate than basketball at those schools? Just curious. I know the majority of schools in this league draw garbage in basketball (and football).
Also, what is the typical roster size? How many scholarship equivalencies? Is it like football and basketball where you have the rich teams and the poor teams?
Who is considered the PSAC power?

I can't compare BB attendance vs. wrestling attendance at Clarion, Boro, or Bloom. Lock Haven fills up The Thomas Fieldhouse (capacity 2500) for most of their home dual meets Close, anyway. Usually, it's about 2000-2300. I think BB only draws a few hundred. Lock Haven is the only one ranked right now. They have ranged from #14 to #23 in both dual and tournament rankings.

Roster size is 25-30. Max NCAA schollies is 9.9. I don't think any of them hit that but they are close.

Lock Haven is back to being a national phenomenon again (tiny school competing with the largest schools) like they were in earlier decades. Edinboro has been a top 10-15 team for the last 25 years but lost their coach and the AD last year, along with 4 highly ranked wrestlers who transferred. The new coach was an assistant at Kent State but is a Boro alum. They are rebuilding. Clarion is rebuilding but got hit with a rash of injuries this year. The Bloom program has been struggling and there has been speculation that they would drop to D2 (fair to say, Bart?).


All 4 programs are respected nationally in wrestling circles. The tradition is huge. Keep in mind that all 4 schools have finished in the top 5 at the NCAA tournament on the D1 level. Quite a few of the top American wrestlers have come out of these 4 schools from the early '60's to the present.

These PSAC wrestling programs represent one of the greatest David vs. Goliath stories in all of sports.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

So, the vast majority of that 26-man (or so) roster is paying their own tuition it sounds like. Even at D1 that limit seems low (roughly 1/3 of the roster). Why is that capped so low?

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

Edinboro lost the allure of wrestling for Flynn with Bruce watching from the doorway. Someone brought up an interesting point to me, from their research not many high school kids who came to attend Bruce & Flynn's camps enrolled. Mostly the local kids. But they're well represented in the MMA leagues (which has really grown its acceptance in the wrestling world) plus have two head coaches at Top 25 teams (Oklahoma, Virginia Tech) and assistants at Buffalo, Missouri, Purdue, WVU, VMI, etc.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: OT: EWL Merging with MAC

So, the vast majority of that 26-man (or so) roster is paying their own tuition it sounds like. Even at D1 that limit seems low (roughly 1/3 of the roster). Why is that capped so low?

There are 10 starters. Of course they split it up and get creative. On any team there are probably about 15 potential starters. The rest are considered workout partners. A lot of athletes just want to wrestle in college. The way it's structured there are a lot of "open" tournaments so everybody gets competition throughout the year even if the guy is down on the depth chart. As far as scholarships I don't think it's out of line with other "non-revenue" sports.