MDIA Teams Moving In/Up/Down/Out?

[camthrax]

Yeah UCSC and Fullerton both don't even have football. Santa Cruz is DIII and probably would be a perma-B division team while Fullerton is DI in all their varsity sports and depending on how things go could potentially grow to be an A team. I mean with 27,228 students, its entirely possible that 20 guys are experienced lacrosse players.

[TheLoo]

I had heard that the GRLC was adding the University of Arkansas and some schools in Illinois as well. On the GRLC chat board they are also discussing moving Nebraska up to A. I saw some of the A teams play in the GRLC and I think several of them ought to move down to B.

[Andy Sharp]

Ball State was approved to move from Division B to Division A (they have D-1A football at their school)
Carnegie Mellon was approved to join Division B, they are located in Pittsburgh, PA.
University of Dayton was approved to join Division B, they are the 1st B team located in Ohio.
Northern Michigan University was denied entry into Division B.

After a presentation by CCLA Secretary Owen Blank the coaches decided to segment both A and B divisions into a geographic regions, north and south. Teams from Michigan will make up the North division and teams from Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York will form the South division. For play-offs in A the top 3 teams from each region will make it, in B the top 2 teams from each region will make it.

[NCInDaPlaceTaBe]

Boise State is now a member of the PNCLL

[beckner11]

I had heard that the GRLC was adding the University of Arkansas and some schools in Illinois as well. On the GRLC chat board they are also discussing moving Nebraska up to A. I saw some of the A teams play in the GRLC and I think several of them ought to move down to B.

Every team in A in GRLC right now belong there. If they moved down they would kill the B teams so I'm not sure what specific teams your talking about but I think you might be mistaken in that judgement. There may be a large gap in talent between the top A teams and the bottom but that doesn't make justifications for teams to move down, because they wouldn't receive much challenge down there.

[TheLoo]

I'm sure the B teams disagree. Theres some B teams like Harding that can and did beat some A teams like SLU. Also, seems to me like some A teams enjoy having teams up at A that they can beat, so they dont look so bad against the rest of the conference. "at least we beat Iowa" or whatever. Anyway I got no say in it I'm just saying what i think. are most leagues like this or is it just ours. Seems to me like other leagues are more competitive up at A. We got a lot of cupcakes.

[PNWLaxer]

I think part of the reason is simply growing pains. The GRLC is the newest conference and is still discovering itself so to speak. One the conference has a chance to settle in after a few years I am sure a lot of this will sort itself out. The established teams will continue to develop and the newer teams will also grow and develop closing the gap.

[Jolly Roger]

Anyway I got no say in it I'm just saying what i think.

..and I think a lot of us know that you have an axe to grind with a particular GRLC coach.

In almost every conference the top B teams are capable of defeating lower level A teams. The variation between conferences could very well lead to some B teams defeating upper tier A teams from another conference.

[bste_lax]

I'm sure the B teams disagree. Theres some B teams like Harding that can and did beat some A teams like SLU. Also, seems to me like some A teams enjoy having teams up at A that they can beat, so they dont look so bad against the rest of the conference. "at least we beat Iowa" or whatever. Anyway I got no say in it I'm just saying what i think. are most leagues like this or is it just ours. Seems to me like other leagues are more competitive up at A. We got a lot of cupcakes.

There is more to being a Division A team than talent. You also have to be organizationally strong. Not saying Harding is not but I bet there are Division B teams out there that can beat Division A teams but they are not organized off the field at all.

Since you used Iowa as an example of a Division A team that has sucked in recent years and I went to Iowa, I will continue on this example.

I will be the first to tell you Iowa has not played that well in recent years but they have the resources to be a decent Division A team. The USL MDIA decided that those schools who have a NCAA Division I-A football team should be Division A as they are big enough, they should have the resourves/potential to be a Divison A team. Iowa is a large enough school where they should be able to field a decent time, especially when a large chunk of the students (25%, just a rough guess) come from the Chicago-land and other areas where high school lacrosse is played. They also have decent field access and a decent weight room which they can use.

Other factors have held Iowa back in recent year (not everyone being 100% committed, some would rather party or be in a frat then take lacrosse as serious as CSU or a USCB would). Things are starting to turn around as Iowa has had the same coach for 3 straight years now. When I was at Iowa, we had 4 different coaches during my 4 years. The past 2 year's freshmen classes have been a lot more committed than past classes and they have added an assistant coach who has played at the NCAA level (making it both coaches have played "the real deal").

With that said, Iowa has been pretty strong organization wise off the field in the last couple years which is needed to be a successful Division A team, especially with all the growth the USL MDIA and GRLC have experienced in the last couple years.

If you went by talent, I would guess the GRLC would only have 5-6 teams in Division A by your standards. GRLC is growing, it has been exciting to see how teams have grown since my freshmen year. Iowa, Kansas State and Illinois State were Division B teams and some what un-organized my freshmen year and all have improved since that time in 2000. The same could be said about Missouri State (old-SMS) and Kansas which weren't even in the USL MDIA back then. Even Wash U went from an unorganized team who turned a bottom feeder in the old CCLA days to a team that went to Nationals two years later (many thanks to Troy Hood and John Bifulco).

Finally, looking at other conferences, there are teams that you could call "cupcakes" and that's sports for you. Not going to call out other teams from other leagues as I don't know them that well to make a comment but GRLC is not the only conference that has teams that could be Division A that could play in B and vice-versa. Teams just need to improve on AND off the field to be a successful team that grows along with the USL MDIA.

[/end rant]

[Andy Sharp]

Took info from GRLC press release into account.

http://www.uslia.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=263

Any other determinations?

[Gregg Pathiakis]

I'm wondering what changes are being lobbied for at the conference meetings? Any moves on the radar?

CCLA
Carnegie Mellon - accepected into B division
Dayton - accepected into B division
Ball State - moved approved from division B to A
Northern Michigan - denied entry into B, encouraged to apply next year
Slippery Rock - reportedly interested in entry, but not currently applying

GRLC
University of Arkansas - accepected into B division
University of Memphis - accepected into B division
Monmouth College - accepected into B division
University of Nebraska-Omaha - accepected
Truman State University - re-accepected into B division
University of Nebraska - moved from B to A
St. Louis University - moved from A to B

LSA
Oklahoma University - reportedly petitioning for entry

PCLL
Coast Guard - petitioning to move to from Division B to A
Salem State - applying for admission
UMass-Lowell - applying for admission

PNCLL
Willamette University - possibly leaving
Boise State - accepted as transfer from RMLC

RMLC
Weber State - applying for reinstatement
Boise State - transfered to PNCLL
New Mexico - preparing for application next year

SELC
Eckerd College - applying for entry in B division

UMLL
St. Mary's - accepted for (re) admission to Div B
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - interested in joining
Northern Michigan - reportedly interested in entry

WCLL
UC Santa Cruz - applying for admission
Cal State Fullerton - applying for admission
San Jose State - applying for admission
University of Nevada, Las Vegas - applying for admission


Post any updates or corrections and I'll try to keep this post updated.

Andy, our press release isn't out yet, but here is the PCLL info:
Coast Guard: moved from B to A
University of Rochester, University of Maine, Salem State College - accepted into B

[NELAX21]

I'm sure the B teams disagree. Theres some B teams like Harding that can and did beat some A teams like SLU. .

ya and SLU is now a B team so i guess they really didn't belong in A, since they are a B sized school they were playing up. Using Nebraska as an example an A sized school cannot play in the B playoffs, it violates the by-laws, so saying that some of these teams should be in divison B is actually not possible unless they are A sized schools that just joined the conference and need time to get organized OFF the field so they will have the resources to play at the A level and travel and budget correctly.

[beckner11]

Northern Illinois University is also out of the GRLC since their appeal for playoff contension at the B level (they are an A size school) was denied by league vote.

[TexOle]

I did hear DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana is adding a team for not this school year, but the following year. I have heard a rumor that this team would be varsity, but I am not sure. I also heard this school was wanting to make a conference involving just their normal athletic conference. I would assume all this is a rumor or if they do add a team it would be women's lacrosse. This makes no sense to me, but it is coming from students at DePauw.

[Andy Sharp]

I can add another leg to this type of rumor. The MIAA, a DIII conference mainly in Michigan containing current USL-WDIA teams of Calvin, Hope, and Saint Mary's is looking into making women's lacrosse varsity. One reason I've heard is to help schools with football teams with Title IX compliance. (Calvin's been undefeated in football since 1876, which someday might help men's lacrosse go varsity before others)

One action by the conference that I can confirm is that this fall they've asked the Calvin women's coach to put on a clinic for other MIAA coaches/players.

Here is a list of other schools in the conference: Adrian College, Albion College, Alma College, Kalamazoo College, Olivet College, Tri-State University, and Wisconsin Lutheran College.