SDSU is in!

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: SDSU is in!

Also, just noted on the home page that record numbers for users and guests online at one time for this site in the last 24 hours.

I think interest in SDSU Athletics just went through the roof!!!

SUPERBUNNY

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: SDSU is in!

I haven't had a chance to post my thoughts about the press conference. So quickly here goes...what a great event to put a big exclamation point on a great day for SDSU and SD in general. I know I got a goose bumps more than once during the press conference (as I usually do when I hear the pride belting out ring the bells). Gov Rounds, President Miller, Commissioner Douple, and Dr. Oien all had great comments. I especially liked Dr. Oien's comments about our current student athletes and athletic staff - i was sitting near the back of the room but i think you could see his emotions coming through as he was talking about these individuals. It was nice to see so many student athletes there from football, vball, MBB and WBB, soccer, wrestling, etc. Coach Nagy and his boys were sitting all together about three rows ahead of me. Just a great day and a great event, the room looked awesome for such short notice, it was nicely planned, and turned out well. And the Volstorff was pretty full with people from all groups - students, alumni, administration, faculy, community folks, etc. I would encourage you all to watch the conference on the website.

[89rabbit]

Re: SDSU is in!

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...609010325/1001

SDSU's joy at joining conference spills over
All but three sports in for '07-'08 title run

STU WHITNEY
swhitney@argusleader.com
September 1, 2006


South Dakota State University president Peggy Miller right and Mid-Continent Conference Commissioner Tom Douple share a laugh Thursday during the news conference to announce SDSU joining the conference.


BROOKINGS - From the moment the school band kicked in and the standing ovations started, it was clear that South Dakota State University was not staging a low-key press conference.

The state's largest university, emerging from a long and troublesome trek in the land of NCAA Division I athletics, formally accepted an invitation Thursday to join the Mid-Continent Conference beginning in the 2007-08 school year.

North Dakota State joined earlier in the day, following Wednesday's addition of Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne. Those three schools - two of them former members of the Division II North Central Conference - brought the new-look Mid-Con's membership to 10 schools.

Voted in unanimously by the Mid-Con Presidents Council, SDSU will have teams in 18 of its 21 sports eligible for league titles in 2007-08. The conference doesn't sponsor football, wrestling or equestrian.

SDSU is already in leagues for football (Great West Football Conference) and wrestling (Western Wrestling Conference).

The Jackrabbits will be eligible for automatic postseason berths in all sports - including NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments - beginning in 2008-09.

"This is probably the best news I've had in two and a half years," said SDSU men's basketball coach Scott Nagy, watching the festivities with his players. "This was by far the biggest piece of the puzzle, and it will open doors for us - particularly in recruiting. It's going to change things a ton." . . . (read more)


Go State!

[89rabbit]

Re: SDSU is in!

Ya know, I just had a chance to watch the Press Conference and it gave me the same rush as it did yesterday when I listening to it.  I must say Gov. Rounds was especially good.  What a great time to be a Jackrabbit!!!!  8-)


Go State!  


In case you haven't seen it here is a link:

http://www3.sdstate.edu/ClassLibrary..._31_Aug_06.wmv

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: SDSU is in!

JackPHD,
From you journalistic perspective, did you find it odd that none of the press asked any questions at the tail end of the official press conference? I am sure many asked after the group had came down from the stage, but it still seemed a little wierd.

[filbert]

Re: SDSU is in!

The Brookings Register's article is now on the web:
http://www.brookingsregister.com/mai...46&page=23

It was a festival-like atmosphere in the Volstorff Ballroom Thursday afternoon.
There were cheers and hats, the Pride of the Dakotas marching band played, and there was even the promise of free ice cream.
And amidst all the hoopla, a dais full of dignataries managed to disclose the worst-kept secret in town: SDSU will join the Mid-Continent Conference beginning with the 2007-08 school year.

[90Jackrabbit]

Re: SDSU is in!

Nice editorial in today's argus.

http://argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll...609030316/1006

All the hoopla, cheering and clapping at South Dakota State University's announcement Thursday was justified.

Since 2002, when the school made the leap from Division II to Division I athletics, a critical piece has been missing - a conference.

No more. SDSU will join the Mid-Continent Conference beginning in the 2007-08 school year, giving the Jackrabbits a conference year under their belts before becoming eligible for NCAA post-season tournaments the next year.

 

[NorCalJack]

Re: SDSU is in!

That is a great article and really puts the move to D-1 into its proper perspective. The move to D-1 is more than athletics. It is about making the univeristity more desireable for future students. With the pool of available students shrinking from SD, the university needs to become more attractive to students from outside the state. I know that SDSU has increased its enrollment each year since the move to D-1 was announced and I hear that the enrollment has gone up again for 2006. UND's enrollment went down last year, while NDSU went up. Douple said during the press conference that the university has been D-1 academically for a long time, we just recently moved the athletic department to D-1. The future is bright for this university and with SDSU moving to the Mid-Con, it will only be brighter with each passing day.

Go State!!! 8-) 8-) 8-)

[jackphd]

Re: SDSU is in!

That is a great article and really puts the move to D-1 into its proper perspective. The move to D-1 is more than athletics. It is about making the univeristity more desireable for future students. With the pool of available students shrinking from SD, the university needs to become more attractive to students from outside the state. I know that SDSU has increased its enrollment each year since the move to D-1 was announced and I hear that the enrollment has gone up again for 2006. UND's enrollment went down last year, while NDSU went up. Douple said during the press conference that the university has been D-1 academically for a long time, we just recently moved the athletic department to D-1. The future is bright for this university and with SDSU moving to the Mid-Con, it will only be brighter with each passing day.

Go State!!! 8-) 8-) 8-)

It has already paid off. The expectations for research and academics were raised along with the athletics classification. It's an intangible thing, but there is a lot going on here with new programs/PhDs, etc. You'll see what I'm talking about as all of these new things are rolled out over the next couple of years.

[89rabbit]

Re: SDSU is in!

More praise from outside sources:

http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/sp4_0904.html

Mid–Con makes right expansion decisions

IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State added to conference.

The restructuring of the Mid–Continent Conference is complete, and the names weren't exactly a surprise. But they were good choices.

Since last May, the conference has gone from nine schools to seven schools, then to 10 with the addition of Indiana–Purdue–Fort Wayne, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

The worries whether the conference would lose its automatic bid into the NCAA basketball tournament are gone.

"We're glad this is taken care of," Western Illinois University athletics director Tim Van Alstine said Thursday night, after the final offers to North Dakota State and South Dakota State were accepted. "We think we have made three excellent choices. . . . (read more)


Go State!

[filbert]

Re: SDSU is in!

More praise from outside sources:

http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/sp4_0904.html

Mid–Con makes right expansion decisions

IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State added to conference.

The restructuring of the Mid–Continent Conference is complete, and the names weren't exactly a surprise. But they were good choices.

Since last May, the conference has gone from nine schools to seven schools, then to 10 with the addition of Indiana–Purdue–Fort Wayne, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

The worries whether the conference would lose its automatic bid into the NCAA basketball tournament are gone.

"We're glad this is taken care of," Western Illinois University athletics director Tim Van Alstine said Thursday night, after the final offers to North Dakota State and South Dakota State were accepted. "We think we have made three excellent choices. . . . (read more)


Go State!

The really interesting part of the article is at the end where Van Alstine says that the Mid-Con is looking at adding more schools. "I think we need to grow more" is the exact quote.

Let the speculation begin!!! Utah Valley State? UND? USD? Oklahoma City? Denver? Penn State? (OK, kidding about the last one, and not really serious about Denver, either . . . )

[89rabbit]

Re: SDSU is in!

Here are a couple of Collegian story on this BIG event:

http://media.www.sdsucollegian.com/m...epublisher.com

With big blast of Pride, SDSU joins Mid-Con
Mid-Continent Conference hailed as huge sports boost.

Heather Mangan

As the band played "Ring the Bell," a thunderous applause, punctuated with cowbells, filled the Volstorff Ballroom during a press conference to tell the world SDSU was

After three years of anxious waiting and wondering, SDSU proudly announced Aug. 31 it was joining the Mid-Continent Conference.

"It's a great day to be a Jackrabbit," said President Peggy Miller with an ear-to-ear grin during the press conference.

SDSU was the third school in two days to announce its acceptance into the conference. Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne announced the day prior, and North Dakota State University announced just hours before SDSU's press conference.

"The Presidents Council unanimously wanted to invite South Dakota State into the Mid-Con Conference," said Tom Douple, Mid-Con commissioner. "We wanted an institution that has a lot of character and commitment to Division-I athletics."  .  .  .  (read more)


http://media.www.sdsucollegian.com/m...epublisher.com

Sports programs boosted by Mid-Continent

Brian Kimmes

The conference question has been answered. SDSU athletic teams can now safely call the Mid-Continent Conference home.

The move will provide direction for the Athletic Department in the next few years, said SDSU Athletic Director Fred Oien.

"Now you know how you are going to operate as a program," he said.

In addition to adding direction and stability to the Athletic Department, joining the Mid-Con benefits the teams in a number of other ways. The move will give teams a better chance at post-season play, allow players to receive awards and make scheduling easier.

The most important reason for joining a conference is a "shot at postseason play because of the automatic qualifier," said Oien. Conference winners receive automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. All SDSU sports will be eligible for post-season play starting in the 2008-2009 school year, the second year in the conference. . . . (read more)




Go State!