Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

[Hornetfan]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Anybody know how many sport's teams the MIAA requires each member to sponsor? Must be a low bar since Lincoln sponsors just four men's sports and only three of those are played in the MIAA (track, basketball, and golf).

I think you need to have four men's sports and six women's sports but remember that indoor track & field and outdoor track & field count as two sports since you can win a championship in each. I think that is the bare minimum to be a D2 school.

[ctrabs74]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

I think you need to have four men's sports and six women's sports but remember that indoor track & field and outdoor track & field count as two sports since you can win a championship in each. I think that is the bare minimum to be a D2 school.

Correct. The NCAA requires a total of 10 sports - five men's/five women's or four men's/six women's - to maintain good standing as a D2 member. Lincoln has five men's sports - basketball, football, golf, indoor track and outdoor track - and seven women's sports - basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, softball, indoor track and outdoor track - so, they're above the NCAA requirements in that regard. Whether or not that is sufficient to meet specific conference requirements for sponsored core sports is a different story; it appears to be enough for the MIAA, but not so much for the GLVC.

[Randy]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Uggghhh... hate to see the hate on Lindenwood. I know football hasn't held up it's end of the bargain, but everywhere else, Lindenwood is competing just fine in the MIAA. Last year they had the highest point total of any MIAA team in the Director's cup standing, and this year they're second only to UCM.

Give football some time. They've got a proven head coach that is doing some great things around the program right now.

I know the GLVC makes more geographic sense, but the MIAA is where it's at in terms of nationally recognized programs. I don't want them to go anywhere.

I don't know that it's hate as much as recognition that Lindenwood is a good fit for the GLVC. The geography is obvious and the Lions are the only MIAA school (other than Baptist) that offers all 7 of the GLVC core sports (M&W Basketball & Soccer, Baseball, Softball & Volleyball). With the exception of football, the GLVC is a fine conference that has produced many nationally competitive teams and several national champions.

[GoCatsGo5]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

The Wood going to the GLVC makes obvious sense geographically and academically...and it would likely be a much quicker way to a Football Conf. Championship and making the play-offs on a mostly repetitive basis :-)

I hope they stick with the MIAA though...they're definitely not the door mat of the future and I think they can mimic USF and be a top competitor soon enough.

[Shanghai Mule]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....LINDENWOOD is a great university and a big asset for the MIAA.

SBU, LIncoln, and (wtf) Newman all suck and bring zero to the MIAA. The MIAA commish is a total moron for letting Lincoln stay and bringing Newman into the conference.

It's time for the big boys (Northwest, Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, Central Oklahoma, and everybody else) to flex their muscles and put a stop to this crap.

[laker]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....LINDENWOOD is a great university and a big asset for the MIAA.

SBU, LIncoln, and (wtf) Newman all suck and bring zero to the MIAA. The MIAA commish is a total moron for letting Lincoln stay and bringing Newman into the conference.

It's time for the big boys (Northwest, Central Missouri, Pittsburg State, Central Oklahoma, and everybody else) to flex their muscles and put a stop to this crap.

Why in the world did they bring non-football Newman into the MIAA? It makes no sense to me.

[ctrabs74]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Why in the world did they bring non-football Newman into the MIAA? It makes no sense to me.

Newman needed a conference once the Heartland Conference is absorbed into the Lone Star Conference in the fall of 2019. I've said before, it's more of a case of Newman needed the MIAA more than the MIAA needed Newman.

[Kiss My Ass]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Newman needed a conference once the Heartland Conference is absorbed into the Lone Star Conference in the fall of 2019. I've said before, it's more of a case of Newman needed the MIAA more than the MIAA needed Newman.

Ya, we got your point the first time, but we're still waiting for the answer to the million dollar question....why the hell does the MIAA need (non football) Newman?

[NWHoops]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Newman needed a conference once the Heartland Conference is absorbed into the Lone Star Conference in the fall of 2019. I've said before, it's more of a case of Newman needed the MIAA more than the MIAA needed Newman.

Ya, we got your point the first time, but we're still waiting for the answer to the million dollar question....why the hell does the MIAA need (non football) Newman?

As was said by KMA, I think everyone in the miaa knows Newman needed us more than them. However, to say it in a different way, what makes it the miaa responsibility to take them in just because they lost their conference?

Not sure if others were available but I would have looked and inquired about 2-3 other basketball only schools before Newman.

(Edit: if we were looking for basketball only schools which I do not agree with).

[ctrabs74]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

As was said by KMA, I think everyone in the miaa knows Newman needed us more than them. However, to say it in a different way, what makes it the miaa responsibility to take them in just because they lost their conference?

Not sure if others were available but I would have looked and inquired about 2-3 other basketball only schools before Newman.

(Edit: if we were looking for basketball only schools which I do not agree with).

What other realistic options were there for Newman? The newly constituted LSC wasn't going to be a good fit for the private school from Wichita, especially now that the combined Heartland-LSC footprint stretches further west into New Mexico, and the only other remotely viable options outside of the MIAA were likely the RMAC (Wichita to Denver travel alone would've made that a non-starter, plus Dixie State joining the RMAC from the PacWest puts the RMAC at 16 schools) or the GLVC (not only will they be at 16 with the additions of Benedictine (Ill.) and SBU, but that conference stretches as far east as Indianapolis and Louisville, despite several schools in Western Missouri being in relatively close proximity to Wichita).

If I had to guess, I'd suggest that the Kansas schools (or, at least, Pitt State, Washburn, Emporia) aren't too upset about having a shorter trip to Wichita to face Newman as opposed to travelling to Bolivar to face SBU, but that's not to say it was a factor in bringing Newman on board (or maybe it was, who knows?).

The other thing I was thinking of was possible prior league (NAIA) history between Newman and current MIAA members, specifically the Kansas schools. Newman has only been in D2 since 2006 after they transitioned from the NAIA, so I don't know if they had any prior history with any current MIAA schools which were previously NAIA in, say, the early 1980s, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Unless I'm misreading things, it appears Newman relaunched their athletic programs in 1999-2000 (don't quote me on that; I can only do so much research online).

[NWHoops]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

What other realistic options were there for Newman? The newly constituted LSC wasn't going to be a good fit for the private school from Wichita, especially now that the combined Heartland-LSC footprint stretches further west into New Mexico, and the only other remotely viable options outside of the MIAA were likely the RMAC (Wichita to Denver travel alone would've made that a non-starter, plus Dixie State joining the RMAC from the PacWest puts the RMAC at 16 schools) or the GLVC (not only will they be at 16 with the additions of Benedictine (Ill.) and SBU, but that conference stretches as far east as Indianapolis and Louisville, despite several schools in Western Missouri being in relatively close proximity to Wichita).

If I had to guess, I'd suggest that the Kansas schools (or, at least, Pitt State, Washburn, Emporia) aren't too upset about having a shorter trip to Wichita to face Newman as opposed to travelling to Bolivar to face SBU, but that's not to say it was a factor in bringing Newman on board (or maybe it was, who knows?).

The other thing I was thinking of was possible prior league (NAIA) history between Newman and current MIAA members, specifically the Kansas schools. Newman has only been in D2 since 2006 after they transitioned from the NAIA, so I don't know if they had any prior history with any current MIAA schools which were previously NAIA in, say, the early 1980s, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Unless I'm misreading things, it appears Newman relaunched their athletic programs in 1999-2000 (don't quote me on that; I can only do so much research online).

Again, how is Newman not having options the MIAA's problem to fix?

[Thepeman]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

What other realistic options were there for Newman? The newly constituted LSC wasn't going to be a good fit for the private school from Wichita, especially now that the combined Heartland-LSC footprint stretches further west into New Mexico, and the only other remotely viable options outside of the MIAA were likely the RMAC (Wichita to Denver travel alone would've made that a non-starter, plus Dixie State joining the RMAC from the PacWest puts the RMAC at 16 schools) or the GLVC (not only will they be at 16 with the additions of Benedictine (Ill.) and SBU, but that conference stretches as far east as Indianapolis and Louisville, despite several schools in Western Missouri being in relatively close proximity to Wichita).

If I had to guess, I'd suggest that the Kansas schools (or, at least, Pitt State, Washburn, Emporia) aren't too upset about having a shorter trip to Wichita to face Newman as opposed to travelling to Bolivar to face SBU, but that's not to say it was a factor in bringing Newman on board (or maybe it was, who knows?).

The other thing I was thinking of was possible prior league (NAIA) history between Newman and current MIAA members, specifically the Kansas schools. Newman has only been in D2 since 2006 after they transitioned from the NAIA, so I don't know if they had any prior history with any current MIAA schools which were previously NAIA in, say, the early 1980s, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Unless I'm misreading things, it appears Newman relaunched their athletic programs in 1999-2000 (don't quote me on that; I can only do so much research online).

Actually, Pitt State is closer to SBU than Wichita. So only 2 Kansas schools would have shorter trips.

[Techster88]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

The Jets mascot for Newman was just to cool for MIAA commish to pass on.

[ctrabs74]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Again, how is Newman not having options the MIAA's problem to fix?

Why don't you ask the commissioner of the MIAA? I don't have the answer to that; I'm simply offering my opinion as to how and why Newman ended up in the MIAA. Some of my thoughts were speculation, but I can't answer that question.

[NWHoops]

Re: Southwest Baptist leaving MIAA

Why don't you ask the commissioner of the MIAA? I don't have the answer to that; I'm simply offering my opinion as to how and why Newman ended up in the MIAA. Some of my thoughts were speculation, but I can't answer that question.

But that's the question most MIAA fans have. We all understand why and how it benefits Newman.