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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 15, 2020 15:48:34 GMT -5
St. Thomas (MN) is moving up from D-3 to D-1 in 2021-2022 season...Could Atlantic Hockey be a home for them?
A historic decision has officially cleared the path for Minnesota's largest private university – the University of St. Thomas – to become the first program in the NCAA's modern era to reclassify directly from Division III to Division I college athletics.
At its meetings today, the NCAA's Division I Council approved a motion granting St. Thomas the ability to make the unprecedented jump. With the decision, the Tommies officially accepted invitations to join the Summit League athletics league, as well as the Pioneer Football League and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Women's League.
"Our St. Thomas community is excited to embark on this journey of building Minnesota's first private D-I collegiate athletics program and the second D-I program in the state," said Julie Sullivan, president, University of St. Thomas. "St. Thomas has a long history of academic and athletic excellence and embracing change with an entrepreneurial spirit. This move continues that trajectory."
Following their final year in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Tommies will begin competing in their new conferences in the 2021-22 academic year. A conference decision is pending for men's hockey.
"Today, as much as ever, I'm proud to be a Tommie as we look to our university's future," said Dr. Phil Esten, St. Thomas vice president and director of athletics. "I thank the leadership at the NCAA, the Summit League, Pioneer Football League, WCHA and all who have supported our efforts. This decision aligns with our university's bold vision to ever press forward. I am excited to compete in Division I, while ensuring conditions for our student-athletes to pursue comprehensive excellence."
St. Thomas is a comprehensive, Catholic university that provides holistic and personalized education for more than 10,000 students. Its mission is to educate students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good. The Tommies have won 15 NCAA team championships since 1982. They also have top-five national team finishes in 21 different sports. Of the NCAA's more than 1,000 institutions, St. Thomas is the only to have secured at least one NCAA team championship in baseball, softball, volleyball and men's and women's basketball.
"St. Thomas brings the full package – an excellent academic reputation, experienced leadership, a massive alumni network and a winning culture," said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple. "With their values-based mission and status as Minnesota's largest private university, we know the Tommies will represent the Summit League well and we're proud to welcome them."
In the past six seasons, the school's women's hockey program has made two Women's Hockey Championship appearances, won nine MIAC regular-season or playoff titles, and was ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in 2018-19. The Tommies have gone 19 years without a losing season and are 202-87-36 overall over the last 12 seasons.
"The addition of St. Thomas enhances the WCHA regional footprint and further diversifies our incredible league," said Jennifer Flowers, WCHA Women's League commissioner. "We look forward to expanding our Twin Cities fan base by welcoming the passionate Tommie fans. The WCHA is proud to be the women's hockey home for the University of St. Thomas."
In the last decade alone, St. Thomas football has finished NCAA runner-up twice, won seven MIAC championships and had 11 Academic All-Americans. The program has won 19 NCAA playoff games in the last 11 years and regularly graduates over 90% of its players. For each of the past five years, the team has also been recognized as the top fundraiser among 3,500-plus national student groups that support the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"The Tommies were one of the NCAA's most successful football programs at any level over the past decade and they live their university mission off the field, which makes them an outstanding institutional fit for us," said Patty Viverito, Pioneer Football League commissioner. "We are thrilled to expand to the Twin Cities, and proud to welcome a program with a track record for graduating players, winning conference titles and playoff games, and serving its community."
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jul 15, 2020 15:51:52 GMT -5
Pretty misleading thread title, Foley.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 16, 2020 13:53:37 GMT -5
Not even a mention of Men's Hockey in this article.
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Post by Tom on Jul 16, 2020 14:24:25 GMT -5
If they needed a home for hockey and wound up in Atlantic Hockey, that would make little sense to me. Imagine a team from Minnesota being on the Atlantic. Next thing you'll be telling me is that a team from Nebraska could be in the Big East. Of course Minnesota is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than Colorado
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Post by timholycross on Jul 16, 2020 14:44:54 GMT -5
WCHA* and NCHC are much better fits, each has at least two conference members from Minnesota.
*the league's breaking up, apparently, but there 7 schools NOT in Alaska that have to go somewhere.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 16, 2020 14:46:56 GMT -5
I can't keep track of all the hockey conference deck shuffling out west. CCHA is coming back beginning 2021-2022 with a number of schools defecting the WCHA. My guess is St. Thomas lands there alongside Bemidji State and Minnesota State.
I'm guessing the NCHC and remaining WCHA are combining? I could use a crash course. I still have no idea why Air Force stays in the AHA as opposed to playing in a league with Denver and Colorado College, not to mention the upstart Arizona State.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 16, 2020 18:09:21 GMT -5
WCHA* and NCHC are much better fits, each has at least two conference members from Minnesota. *the league's breaking up, apparently, but there 7 schools NOT in Alaska that have to go somewhere. The seven schools are making the CCHA....
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 16, 2020 18:10:50 GMT -5
I can't keep track of all the hockey conference deck shuffling out west. CCHA is coming back beginning 2021-2022 with a number of schools defecting the WCHA. My guess is St. Thomas lands there alongside Bemidji State and Minnesota State. I'm guessing the NCHC and remaining WCHA are combining? I could use a crash course. I still have no idea why Air Force stays in the AHA as opposed to playing in a league with Denver and Colorado College, not to mention the upstart Arizona State. Basically, the WCHA schools are kicking the Alaska schools and Alabama Huntsville out of the league and playing as the CCHA. The NCHC isn't changing at all.
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Post by crusader12 on Jul 17, 2020 7:01:59 GMT -5
If they join they need to rename the conference. Perhaps "The Everyone Else Who Can't Get Into A Good Conference Hockey Association"
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Post by JRGNYR on Jul 17, 2020 11:00:20 GMT -5
They're going to the (league soon to be formerly known as the) WCHA.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 17, 2020 18:33:40 GMT -5
WCHA is a goner. No possible way you can start a DI hockey conference with the two Alaska schools and UAH as your foundation. I hope the Alaska schools find a way to get into NCHC. Would be a shame to see the state lose its only DI college sport.
As far as UAH, its either back to its independent days or hope for a handout from Atlantic Hockey.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 17, 2020 20:13:05 GMT -5
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 18, 2020 8:23:44 GMT -5
Unfortunately I'm not a subscriber to the Bemidji Pioneer so I can't read the article. Would be sad to see the Alaska schools drop. One would think that if they drop hockey, would the Alaska schools even continue to have an athletic department? Can't imagine their D-II basketball programs are keeping them afloat financially. Is the Great Alaska Shootout still a thing? Hawaii has the same travel issues but at least they have FBS football revenue and 8 home games/year to provide somewhat of a windfall.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 18, 2020 21:11:41 GMT -5
Unfortunately I'm not a subscriber to the Bemidji Pioneer so I can't read the article. Would be sad to see the Alaska schools drop. One would think that if they drop hockey, would the Alaska schools even continue to have an athletic department? Can't imagine their D-II basketball programs are keeping them afloat financially. Is the Great Alaska Shootout still a thing? Hawaii has the same travel issues but at least they have FBS football revenue and 8 home games/year to provide somewhat of a windfall. Anchorage hoops has a 5k seat on campus arena which blows away Holy Cross...I don’t think you will see them cutting basketball www.athleticbusiness.com/project-1112.html
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 18, 2020 21:31:14 GMT -5
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jul 19, 2020 7:06:21 GMT -5
Unfortunately I'm not a subscriber to the Bemidji Pioneer so I can't read the article. Would be sad to see the Alaska schools drop. One would think that if they drop hockey, would the Alaska schools even continue to have an athletic department? Can't imagine their D-II basketball programs are keeping them afloat financially. Is the Great Alaska Shootout still a thing? Hawaii has the same travel issues but at least they have FBS football revenue and 8 home games/year to provide somewhat of a windfall. Anchorage hoops has a 5k seat on campus arena which blows away Holy Cross...I don’t think you will see them cutting basketball www.athleticbusiness.com/project-1112.htmlBut will the Alaska taxpayer continue to want to fund travel to the mainland for D-II athletics? That's the bigger question. With a guy named Mike Dunleavy in office as governor, one would hope college sports will survive at least for now... Looking at Men's Basketball attendance for this past year, UAA drew flies for a team that finished 20-14. Biggest draw by a landslide was 5,100 for an Armed Forced Classic double session that included UAA-Coast Guard and Baylor-Washington. The rest of their home games appear to draw in the 900-1,100 range -- or slightly less than the typical turnout for awful Holy Cross teams. The intra-state rivalry with Fairbanks didn't even draw more than that. Not good for being the only game in town in an isolated city of almost 300,000 -- Anchorage is bigger than Worcester. So unless the Great Alaska Shootout comes back and the proceeds pay for the season expenses, it doesn't appear that Alaska-Anchorage hoops is a cash cow for the university system by any means.
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 19, 2020 10:35:58 GMT -5
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 19, 2020 12:43:52 GMT -5
The Alaska Airlines Center appears to be a gorgeous 5,000 seat facility. For an approximate 18,000 student population, it seems undersized regarding usage other than basketball as noted. While the Arena itself is larger than HC, as it should be considering student population, as well as design is better, because it was built in 2014, and not a 1975 original footprint that has limited ability for change short of blowing out the original walls. The Alaska Airlines Center uses current design and technology concepts not available in 1975. However, the overall Alaska Airlines Center, does not “blow away” the overall Luth Athletic complex for an institution regardless of size. Facilities not shown in the link below are the new coaching offices, and conference facilities, dedicated basketball video auditorium, 11 brand new lockerooms, and athletic administration offfices. goholycross.com/news/2020/5/12/athletics-hart-center-at-the-luth-athletic-complex.aspx goholycross.com/facilitiesGranted, the dining facility at the Alaska Airlines Center is a nice luxury, but the dining “in game” concept is part of the current 21st Century arena design. The proposed facility at Fairfield Univ, also has similar features as the Alaska Airlines Center with in game dining availability. Alaska Airlines also sponsors the Arena at the Univ of Washington, which is a 9,268 facility, at the Hec Edmudson Pavilion. It is a facility built in 1927, with major upgrades in 1999-2000. It does not incorporate a dining facility, which seems to be a design feature for new on campus facilities in the 21st century.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 19, 2020 12:44:54 GMT -5
But will the Alaska taxpayer continue to want to fund travel to the mainland for D-II athletics? That's the bigger question. With a guy named Mike Dunleavy in office as governor, one would hope college sports will survive at least for now... Looking at Men's Basketball attendance for this past year, UAA drew flies for a team that finished 20-14. Biggest draw by a landslide was 5,100 for an Armed Forced Classic double session that included UAA-Coast Guard and Baylor-Washington. The rest of their home games appear to draw in the 900-1,100 range -- or slightly less than the typical turnout for awful Holy Cross teams. The intra-state rivalry with Fairbanks didn't even draw more than that. Not good for being the only game in town in an isolated city of almost 300,000 -- Anchorage is bigger than Worcester. So unless the Great Alaska Shootout comes back and the proceeds pay for the season expenses, it doesn't appear that Alaska-Anchorage hoops is a cash cow for the university system by any means. The women averaged 1,028 while going 31-2 last year while Holy Cross a d-1 program drew only 891.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 19, 2020 12:51:54 GMT -5
The comparison is apples to oranges. A large state flagship multi campus university six times the size of a a private institution. Approximately 18,000 students at UAA, vs 3,000 students at HC. The comparison regarding attendance is not logical.
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Post by longsuffering on Jul 19, 2020 13:31:27 GMT -5
31-2 with the huge travel distances to away games in unbelievable. I wonder if ADMB considered UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy. He is the same age as Coach Magarity but is 221-36 (.860) in his eight years at UAA. The majority of the roster is from the lower 48 and Hawaii but with as many or more home staters as UMass M&W hoops typically has, and includes four transfers. So it seems Coach McCarthy has mastered the new transfer portal reality in NCAA hoops.
Perhaps Alaska sports writers pen columns that describe Coach McCarthy like Boston columnists have described Red Auerbach and Bill Belichick for decades: "He's playing chess while others are playing checkers?"
Not to obsess about Coach McCarthy because I never heard about him before reading this thread and then going to the UAA website to investigate more about a 29-2 team, but his coaching background would be somewhat similar to Coach Chesney's before he came to HC. He was head coach for one year at another college before UAA and had a winning record there also. I certainly don't know if there is any reason to think Coach McCarthy would be interested in leaving his hometown of Anchorage or if so, HC would hold any attraction. I just like the Chesney model when HC hires new head coaches.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 19, 2020 14:40:42 GMT -5
I read the bio about Ryan McCarthy as well. He is use to the Crusader mascot, as he played at Northern Nazarene.
As an Anchorage native, movingly to the lower 48, may not be that enticing. However the Benjamins could change his mind.
In reviewing his team roster, he seems not to have been encumbered regarding his recruiting demographic with players from the lower 48 and Hawaii, The recruiting impediment was apparent with our previous Women’s coach. Hopefully Coach Magarity will search far and wide beyond the previous boundaries in bring in new players on Mt. St. James.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jul 20, 2020 0:44:27 GMT -5
31-2 with the huge travel distances to away games in unbelievable. I wonder if ADMB considered UAA head coach Ryan McCarthy. He is the same age as Coach Magarity but is 221-36 (.860) in his eight years at UAA. The majority of the roster is from the lower 48 and Hawaii but with as many or more home staters as UMass M&W hoops typically has, and includes four transfers. So it seems Coach McCarthy has mastered the new transfer portal reality in NCAA hoops. Perhaps Alaska sports writers pen columns that describe Coach McCarthy like Boston columnists have described Red Auerbach and Bill Belichick for decades: "He's playing chess while others are playing checkers?" Not to obsess about Coach McCarthy because I never heard about him before reading this thread and then going to the UAA website to investigate more about a 29-2 team, but his coaching background would be somewhat similar to Coach Chesney's before he came to HC. He was head coach for one year at another college before UAA and had a winning record there also. I certainly don't know if there is any reason to think Coach McCarthy would be interested in leaving his hometown of Anchorage or if so, HC would hold any attraction. I just like the Chesney model when HC hires new head coaches. Lost a D-2 national title game a few years back...another D-2 coach that would have been a better hire than a D-1 coach who has struggled lately with zero NCAA appearances in a conference on par with the Patriot League.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jul 20, 2020 1:44:57 GMT -5
One cannot argue that Coach McCarthy’s record is a solid body of work, that certainly would have merited strong consideration by ADMB.
Again, being an Anchorage native, with a very young family, maybe he did want to relocate to the lower 48 and move 4,515 miles away from home in the middle of a global pandemic. Certainly extremely difficult to make a key coaching hire, when neither party can have a face to face interview, as well as the prospective coaching candidate cannot officially visit the campus. We should all keep an eye on Coach McCathy’s career.
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Jul 20, 2020 8:12:23 GMT -5
One cannot argue that Coach McCarthy’s record is a solid body of work, that certainly would have merited strong consideration by ADMB. Again, being an Anchorage native, with a very young family, maybe he did want to relocate to the lower 48 and move 4,515 miles away from home in the middle of a global pandemic. Certainly extremely difficult to make a key coaching hire, when neither party can have a face to face interview, as well as the prospective coaching candidate cannot officially visit the campus. We should all keep an eye on Coach McCathy’s career.I don't think too many here are going to pay attention to the career path of D2 WBB coach from AK Crucis.
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