Summit League's Future

[Western_101]

I could also see UMSL making the leap as well as Lindenwood University.

[sealhall74]

I could also see UMSL making the leap as well as Lindenwood University.

Lindenwood is an interesting school. In addition to the NCAA scholarship sports, they seem to cater to a lot of students by offering what they call "Student Life Sports" like bowling, rugby, table tennis, billiards, ... and it looks like they sell it very well.

Lindenwood's Student Life Sports department was created in 2010 to oversee the school's athletics programs that are not participating in the NCAA. The majority of these programs compete at the highest national club level for their respective sport.

The Student Life Sports are: billiards, men's and women's bowling, men's and women's cheerleading, sideline cheerleading, ice hockey cheerleading, debate, men's and women's shotgun sports, men's and women's cycling, Lion Line (dance), men's ice hockey, men's and women's Olympic weightlifting, roller hockey, men's and women's rugby, synchronized skating, synchronized swimming, men's and women's table tennis, men's and women's water polo, and women's wrestling.

Lindenwood has one of the most successful Student Life Sports departments in the country. Since 2002, Lindenwood Student Life Sports programs have won 36 varsity national championships. The roller hockey team has won eight of the last 11 titles in its sport and once had a 109-game winning streak. Shotgun Sports has won nine straight clay target shooting national titles and had a team member participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Other national titles have come from cheerleading, Lion Line dance (3), men's ice hockey (2), men’s rugby, men's water polo (3), men's bowling, women's bowling, and women's table tennis (2). Women's ice hockey (4) and men's volleyball also won national titles before moving to the NCAA level.

http://www.lindenwoodlionssls.com/index.aspx

I know it takes money to make something like this happen, but this is a great example of doing something to position your school apart from the others around you.

[wiu712]

What about UMKC coming back to the league. Makes more since than where they are now.

UMKC might be looking for a new conference. A new Chancellor will take office in June.

UMKC’s Move To Travel-Heavy Conference Strains Athletics Department Budget.
From KCUR Radio, Kansas City:
http://kcur.org/post/umkc-s-move-travel ... t#stream/0

[OldHare]

What about UMKC coming back to the league. Makes more since than where they are now.

UMKC might be looking for a new conference. A new Chancellor will take office in June.

UMKC’s Move To Travel-Heavy Conference Strains Athletics Department Budget.
From KCUR Radio, Kansas City:
http://kcur.org/post/umkc-s-move-travel ... t#stream/0

It would be nice to catch a team with baseball. They are in the footprint which is good. The people responsible for the move to the WAC left very quickly after that chaos was created for the travel requirements. It would take some pressure off the schedule for basketball.

[ST_Lawson]

It would be nice to catch a team with baseball. They are in the footprint which is good. The people responsible for the move to the WAC left very quickly after that chaos was created for the travel requirements. It would take some pressure off the schedule for basketball.

Yeah, it'd give ORU a nice travel partner. It's a bit of a drive, but pretty much a straight shot down I-29 for you Dakota folks, or probably a fairly easy flight. KC is within "bus drive distance" for us too, so that helps us as well.

I wouldn't mind having them back in the conference, although as you said...another non-baseball school.

[Western_101]

I could also see UMSL making the leap as well as Lindenwood University.

Lindenwood is an interesting school. In addition to the NCAA scholarship sports, they seem to cater to a lot of students by offering what they call "Student Life Sports" like bowling, rugby, table tennis, billiards, ... and it looks like they sell it very well.

Lindenwood's Student Life Sports department was created in 2010 to oversee the school's athletics programs that are not participating in the NCAA. The majority of these programs compete at the highest national club level for their respective sport.

The Student Life Sports are: billiards, men's and women's bowling, men's and women's cheerleading, sideline cheerleading, ice hockey cheerleading, debate, men's and women's shotgun sports, men's and women's cycling, Lion Line (dance), men's ice hockey, men's and women's Olympic weightlifting, roller hockey, men's and women's rugby, synchronized skating, synchronized swimming, men's and women's table tennis, men's and women's water polo, and women's wrestling.

Lindenwood has one of the most successful Student Life Sports departments in the country. Since 2002, Lindenwood Student Life Sports programs have won 36 varsity national championships. The roller hockey team has won eight of the last 11 titles in its sport and once had a 109-game winning streak. Shotgun Sports has won nine straight clay target shooting national titles and had a team member participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Other national titles have come from cheerleading, Lion Line dance (3), men's ice hockey (2), men’s rugby, men's water polo (3), men's bowling, women's bowling, and women's table tennis (2). Women's ice hockey (4) and men's volleyball also won national titles before moving to the NCAA level.

http://www.lindenwoodlionssls.com/index.aspx

I know it takes money to make something like this happen, but this is a great example of doing something to position your school apart from the others around you.

Not directly related to my advocation for Lindenwood to join the Summit but Lindenwood Belleville which used to be a satellite campus of Lindenwood (St. Charles) are now fully autonomous and participate in NAIA as well as club. They have one of the most competitive rugby teams in the nation. My niece plays softball there and I was astounded by the amount of sports opportunities they provide. I was against her going there because I thought it was second rate (she had a roster spot already secured at Millikin and they were going to do some creative scholarship work for her ). I have since changed my mind about Lindenwood B. they travel in a charter coach and last night they were eating at Logan's steakhouse guess Lindenwood in general has a lot of money.

[Western_101]

Could SIUe ever be enticed to leave the OVC for Summit? Summit is a stronger BB league than OVC. I suspect their travel expenses would increase as opposed to their current OVC footprint. Also added bonus for Summit that we don't have to find SIUe a home for football.

EIU, will never join, as they will never drop football, and they want no part of MVFC (check out the last four contests they had against Western). Not good.

[wiu712]

With a stable present, Summit looks for bigger future.

From today's McDonough County Voice:
http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/sports/20 ... ger-future

[wiu712]

The addition of UND to the Summit and MVFC will bring parity to the football conference. Both the Summit League and the Missouri Valley Conference will each have 5 teams in the MVFC. Youngstown State will be the other member.

If either the Summit or MVC were to add a 6th football member to their existing conference, they would be able to break off from the MVFC and go their separate way.

In an ideal world, the Summit League and Missouri Valley Conference would merge into one super conference. That new conference could be broken-down into two divisions: either North/South or East/West.

[Western_101]

Interesting,

MVFC could become like the Big Sky and have way too many teams or the Summit could go it on its own. Part of me would like the Summit to form its own football league, have Y-town move to CAA and have the the MVC members reeling. Well because they are so much better than the Summit members ya know.