"HURST OUT OF PSAC?

[Ship69]

If I find the time I will figure calculate all the travel (I probably won't). I think it would make sense for my school. I also think it would make sense for your school, too. Especially when you figure in the crossover games. Travel-wise, it would make less sense for WCU, Kutztown, and Millersville.

There would be a few more long trips but I think it would be worth it because there would be better competitive realignment.of the programs.

Under your proposed alignment, Ship would pick up trips of over 200 miles to Slippery Rock and 164 miles to California while losing trips of 83 miles to Millersville and 111 to Bloomsburg. Seton Hill would be 140-plus miles. Currently, East Stroud is our only division trip over 125 miles. IUP is about the same distance from us 159 miles as East Stroud (161). East Stroud to Gannon is about 350 miles and Edinboro would be another 300-plus mile trip. It makes no sense for them.

[IUPNation]

Is the phone ringing in Frostburg MD ?

They might be the ones calling The Home Office in Lovk Haven. It’s their best shot for a quick invite to the Pee Sack and leave the MEC in the dust.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

But they went from 1700 seats to 1100

True, but they don't fill it anyway aside from maybe once a season.

Playing these new teams isn't going to suddenly excite locals. Most would have probably rather seen Mercyhurst vs Gannon than Mercyhurst vs Merrimack.

Now, they could keep Gannon on the schedule in football and basketball, but, I doubt they will. Losing to a D2 is never a good look.

Gannon would also have to agree to always be the road team. It's very rare to see a D1 play a true road game at a D2. Even in this instance (3 miles apart) it would be a status thing for the D1 not not play a D2 road game.

[iupgroundhog]

From the Northeast Conference press release:

The Lakers will participate in 18 of the NEC’s 25 championship sports in 2024-25, the exceptions being men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving.

Mercyhurst will be integrated into NEC athletic schedules beginning with the 2024-25 season. During its reclassification, Mercyhurst will immediately be able to participate in NEC championships in NCAA non-automatic qualifier sports (cross country, swimming and diving, and indoor and outdoor track and field). Beginning in 2026-27, all Mercyhurst athletic programs will be eligible to compete in the NEC postseason but will remain ineligible for NCAA competition until the 2028-29 academic year.

They will need to find a new Wrestling conference, or drop the sport. There is only 1 NEC school that has wrestling (LIU) and they are a member of the EIWA. I guess the EIWA can integrate more schools because the Ivy League schools are dropping out to form their own NCAA qualifier.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

They might be the ones calling The Home Office in Lovk Haven. It’s their best shot for a quick invite to the Pee Sack and leave the MEC in the dust.

It's a great look for the conference when the school has a press conference before the commissioner knows they are leaving. Lol. Good Lord.

[Fightingscot82]

https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/50...-will-join-nec

In a third tier city like Erie, this is huge news.

[ctrabs74]

Mileage-wise, it's a massive jump for Mercyhurst comparing the PSAC West with the NEC:

PSAC West

Cal: 174 miles/2:40
Clarion: 115 miles/1:46
Edinboro: 23 miles/0:30
Gannon: 3 miles/0:10
IUP: 149 miles/2:30
Seton Hill: 156 miles/2:25
Slippery Rock: 82 miles/1:20
UPJ: 193 miles/3:10

NEC (Football)

Central Connecticut: 492 miles/7:20
Duquesne: 127 miles/2:00
Long Island (Post Campus): 463 miles/7:30
Robert Morris: 126 miles/2:00
St Francis (PA): 182 miles/3:05
Stonehill: 551 miles/8:15
Wagner: 441 miles/6:45

NEC (Basketball)

Central Connecticut: 492 miles/7:20
Chicago State: 436 miles/6:40
Farleigh Dickinson (Teaneck): 427 miles/6:30
Le Moyne: 240 miles/3:40
Long Island (Brooklyn Campus): 463 miles/7:30
St Francis (PA): 182 miles/3:05
Stonehill: 551 miles/8:15
Wagner: 441 miles/6:45

Mercyhurst's average distance between PSAC West rivals is 100.3 miles (111.9 miles if you add UPJ); even when to remove Edinboro and Gannon from the averages, it's still a 135.2 mile average distance for PSAC West football rivals outside of Erie County and 144.8 for basketball (excluding Edinboro/Gannon, but adding UPJ).

Contrast that with the NEC football footprint, which at least gives Mercyhurst three (sort of) regional rivals in St Francis (Loretto), Duquesne (Pittsburgh) and Robert Morris (Moon Township). The average distance between football rivals is 297.8 miles (this factors in that LIU plays their football games at the Post campus in Nassau County) and 400 miles for basketball rivals (factoring in LIU's basketball program hosting their games in Brooklyn).

Short of the NEC attempting to pluck Canisius and Niagara (two Buffalo area schools in a conference centered around the I-95 and I-87 corridors in the Northeast) away from the MAAC, I don't see to many long-term benefits for Mercyhurst being a part of D1 instead of D2. Maybe there's a payoff from NCAA postseason play which might make the move worth it, but I'm highly skeptical.

[Ship69]

True, but they don't fill it anyway aside from maybe once a season.

Playing these new teams isn't going to suddenly excite locals. Most would have probably rather seen Mercyhurst vs Gannon than Mercyhurst vs Merrimack.

Now, they could keep Gannon on the schedule in football and basketball, but, I doubt they will. Losing to a D2 is never a good look.

Gannon would also have to agree to always be the road team. It's very rare to see a D1 play a true road game at a D2. Even in this instance (3 miles apart) it would be a status thing for the D1 not not play a D2 road game.

I've thought for a while now that there probably should be another Division between what is now D3 and D2. Have a D2a or something (probably with another designation) with a limit of about 20 football schoolies, 7-8 basketball schollies, etc. I would bet most D2 schools are nowhere near fully funded. There's a reason you see the same actors in the playoffs year after year. Let the schools who have more assets play in a new D2 or move up as they like.

[Fightingscot82]

Using ctrabs74 data,

Average trip to PSAC West school: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Average trip to NEC basketball school: 6 hours, 13 minutes

Plus all but a handful are overnight trips now. Some in pricey locations.

[SRU 88]

Unless Chicago St is adding football the NEC with Hurst now has 7 teams. It is losing Sacred Heart and Merrimack. Also could someone answer a large question that nobody has discussed is Hurst playing PSAC football THIS Fall???

NO


They are already off THE ROCK's schedule. Was a home game for THE ROCK.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

NO


They are already off THE ROCK's schedule. Was a home game for THE ROCK.

If Steve Murray really didn't know about this he should be fired tonight.

[cwfenn]

At what point does the NEC reclassify as a D2 conference? First all the NE10 movers and now this?

[jrshooter]

I'm puzzled.

Flummoxed, even.

[WarriorVoice]

It's a great look for the conference when the school has a press conference before the commissioner knows they are leaving. Lol. Good Lord.

To be fair, the PSAC put out a statement at 10:30 this morning, before the Mercyhurst announcement. It ended like a firing: "...The PSAC wishes Mercyhurst’s student-athletes and coaches all the best in their future endeavors."

[RocknTheSnackBar]

Under your proposed alignment, Ship would pick up trips of over 200 miles to Slippery Rock and 164 miles to California while losing trips of 83 miles to Millersville and 111 to Bloomsburg. Seton Hill would be 140-plus miles. Currently, East Stroud is our only division trip over 125 miles. IUP is about the same distance from us 159 miles as East Stroud (161). East Stroud to Gannon is about 350 miles and Edinboro would be another 300-plus mile trip. It makes no sense for them.

Was it in 2020 that there was an idea to play all games at Beaver Stadium or something? I recall talk of a bubble format.

Seems obvious to just put Frostburg in the West. Unless they come east and the west gets Ship or LHU