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**89rabbit** · 09-05-2007, 07:04 AM

Re: Summit League Series

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...709050323/1002

The Summit League - Who are these guys?
SDSU's new conference home has gone through many changes

By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: September 5, 2007

Conferences are generally centered on commonalities, but good luck connecting the dots between the 10 NCAA Division I schools making up the Summit League.

Add newcomers South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne to the mix with existing members and the conference spans 1,850 miles, nine states and three time zones. The schools have enrollments between 29,953 and 905 and athletic budgets ranging from $8.7 million to $3.8 million. They are public and private, regional and flagship universities, new and old, metropolitan and rural.

Diversity, maybe more than similarity, is what defines the Elmhurst, Ill., based Summit League, commissioner Tom Douple said, and also what makes it appealing.
"Barring the travel issue, having diverse groups from different regions of the country and different areas and different missions is healthy, just like diversity is healthy for our country," said Douple, the former Southern Utah athletic director in his second year as the conference's commissioner. "Whether it's in your community, whether it's in your school, it provides different perspectives on how they operate, different goals of the university and what athletics does. What the league does is form a commonality."

Such diversity in a league is not unprecedented. Conference USA, for example, operates under a similar premise - but the casual fan is at least familiar with that conference because of its broadly successful programs. . . . (read more)

Go State!

**89rabbit** · 09-05-2007, 07:27 AM

Re: Summit League Series

Meet the Summit League members:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...24/1002/SPORTS

Go State!

**Jacks-D1** · 09-05-2007, 04:06 PM

Re: Summit League Series

To me, Terry V's article simply reinforces my feeling that it would be a good thing to have both UND and USD in the Summit League. It would mean there would be at least 3 regional teams in the conference instead of one, and I believe it would do wonders for attendance, fan support, and raise the excitement level. I just don't believe Dakotans are going to be exited about Centenary, Oakland, Southern Utah, IUPUI, IPFW, etc., but if you add USD and UND into the mix I think people would be a lot more excited. I know I would be. If this were to happen I dont think it would be long before all 4 schools were the dominant force in the Summit.

I picture your average Joker sitting around and saying "hey lets go to the State game, who are they playing tonight? IUPUI? - no thanks". But if the same conversation were "hey lets go to the State game, who are they playing tonight? USD? Lets go"

**89rabbit** · 09-05-2007, 05:58 PM

Re: Summit League Series

Two thoughts for you:

1. How excited where you for MSU-Mankato or UM-Duluth? Conference games always mattered to me no matter who the Jacks were playing (for that matter it really never mattered who they were playing I was there to watch the Rabbits).

2. It doesn't matter if USD and UND is a "good thing" for us here in the Dakotas, what matters is would those two schools be a "good thing" in the eyes of the majority of the 10 Presidents of the Summit League. Centenary has just as many votes as SDSU on a matter like this (one).

Assuming that the Summit League wants to expand some day I am sure USD and UND will be strong candidates once they have established themselves in D-I. I am also sure their will be other strong candidates who they will compete with for a conference invite, and I say best of luck to them.

In the meantime once they are a counter and once our schedules open up some we can play them as a non-conference opponent.

With all that said I don't want to turn this thread into a debate of the merits of having USD and UND in the Summit League, as the focus (for the most part) of Terry's story is about the Summit League as we find it today.

Go State!

**JackJD** · 09-05-2007, 06:16 PM

Re: Summit League Series

I hope this thread doesn't bog down in whether USD and UND should be in the Summit league. That's being chewed on elsewhere.

I printed Terry V's meet the Summit League. Good information to have in mind.

I think one of SDSU's marquee sports is Cross Country. While it doesn't attract the attention of some other sports, it is the one sport SDSU can be said to have dominated the old NCC (on the men's side, more NCC titles than all of the other schools COMBINED) and we have more national championships in Cross Country than other sports.

(JackJD, unabashed lobbyist for cross country, track and field).

**89rabbit** · 09-06-2007, 05:12 PM

Re: Summit League Series

Here is Part 2 (yea, I thought that little "meet the Summit League Members" was part 2, but I was wrong

):

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...45/1002/SPORTS

Affiliation advantages differ
Not all SDSU teams gain scheduling, playoff edge

By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: September 6, 2007

For South Dakota State's basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball teams, the benefits of gaining entry into the Summit League after three seasons as Independents are marked and obvious.
Conference affiliation means round-robin schedules with up to 18 league contests during the regular season, routine travel and automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA championships for teams that win the league's postseason tournaments.
As a result, "We can start (recruiting) kids that are even more competitive," Jackrabbits volleyball coach Andrew Palileo said. "We had to take a couple chances on kids that didn't care much other than getting that (Division I) scholarship."
But what about the school's other programs? Limited budgets and geographical diversity within the 10-team conference mean that SDSU's runners, golfers, swimmers and tennis players might not encounter Summit League competition until the year-end conference tournaments - some of which do not guarantee NCAA postseason advancement for the winners.
Nonetheless, Rod DeHaven, head coach of the Jacks' cross country and track and field teams, called gaining conference affiliation - even before earning wholesale postseason eligibility - a great thing.
"It can't be overstated enough what it does for the entire athletic department," he said. . . . (read more)

Go State!

**89rabbit** · 09-07-2007, 10:03 AM

Re: Summit League Series

Part 3:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...34/1002/SPORTS

Summit turnover could threaten bids
Automatic qualifiers uncertain if colleges leave

By Terry Vandrovec
tvandrovec@argusleader.com
Published: September 7, 2007

Perhaps this latest batch of moves - losing Valparaiso and the addition of South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne - will be the last, and the Summit League will take on the characteristics of its mountainous new logo: stable and pointed skyward.

But history says otherwise.

Since it was founded 25 years ago, the former Mid-Continent Conference has housed 26 members, with its lineup changing in 13 of the past 18 years.
The turnover is more than a matter of inconvenience; it could cost the 10-team conference its status as an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and the corresponding financial windfall.

It's happened before - in 1995, following the departure of four schools - and could happen again if any two of the Summit League's seven established members were to leave prior to 2010-11.
And two Summit schools, Centenary and Southern Utah, could be facing decisions about staying or going.

"I think every conference has some doubts and worries about its changing membership," Jackrabbits athletic director Fred Oien said. "It isn't something we worry about every day because looking eye to eye, everything we've been told by the commissioner as well as in our conference meetings is we're a stable conference and that the presidents are committed to it." . . . (read more)

Go State!

**BTownJack** · 09-07-2007, 12:01 PM

Re: Summit League Series

While Part 3 of Terry's article paints a rather grim scenario, it goes to show how much research he puts into his articles. I've always known losing the auto-bid was a possibility but Terry does a great job explaining all the fine details. Hopefully this is not something we have to worry about in the coming years but it certainly might be.

**NorCalJack** · 09-07-2007, 12:05 PM

Re: Summit League Series

Another informative article by Terry. He talks about the Summit League being vulnerable if a core member leaves, but I was wondering about Chicago State. I know they left because of recruiting issues with the NCAA, but since they have been a member of the Summit League (former Mid-Con member) for 12 years, would they be considered a core member in they joined the league again? I don't know all of the rules in qualifying as a core member, but was curious. Maybe someone with more knowledge about this issue could comment.

Go State!!!

**1stRowFANatic** · 09-07-2007, 01:24 PM

Re: Summit League Series

I believe they would have to be in the conference in two years again before they would be a counter, as they have been a full D-1 school long enough. From the above referenced article:

The rules

For a multi-sport NCAA conference to receive automatic berths into national tournaments it must consist of six or more core members - schools that have been full Division I members the previous eight years - that have been together at least the preceding two years .

**NorCalJack** · 09-07-2007, 01:51 PM

Re: Summit League Series

Originally posted by 1stRowFANatic View Post

I believe they would have to be in the conference in two years again before they would be a counter, as they have been a full D-1 school long enough. From the above referenced article:

The rules

For a multi-sport NCAA conference to receive automatic berths into national tournaments it must consist of six or more core members - schools that have been full Division I members the previous eight years - that have been together at least the preceding two years .

Thanks for the info. In Terry's article he quotes Tom Douple stating that the Summit League would have good grounds to appeal to the NCAA for continuation of the auto-bid if it was lost. He is probably talking about Chicago State. The Mid-Con threw them out of the league because the NCAA was considering giving them the death penalty (i.e. SMU football) for rules violations relating to recruiting in women's basketball. If that had not happened, Chicago St. would still be in the league and would not be as vulnerable to losing the Auto-bid as it is today.

Go State!!!

**rabidrabbit** · 09-07-2007, 02:52 PM

Re: Summit League Series

Chicago St., Savannah St., UT-Pan America are 3 schools that after playing in league for two years, satisfy the CORE Div. I status. All move ups from D-II or NAIA would need to have 13 years of D-I experience prior to being CORE members.

For SDSU and NDSU that 13 years started 2003.

For UND/USD that 13 years starts now, 2007.

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