FB: American Rivers Conference

[coocooforcoekohawk]

what is the hardest thing about playing soccer?

Telling your parents that you're gay.

Is that typical Coe humor?

NO! it is Rugby humor.

It is also typical Wartburg humor

[doolittledog]

Very good question.  I know one of Coach Z's stated goals is to not let recruits from the tri-state area leave the area without taking a look at UD.  If they start pulling more kids in from the Dubuque area, I think that will effect Loras and Clarke first and foremost.  That said, neither of those schools deal exclusively with local students, so I'm not sure how big an impact will be felt.  My prediction is that more and more students around here will see the value of a D3 education and will choose UD over going the state school or community college-to-state school route.  Additionally, other D3s that have traditionally done well with recruiting efforts in Dubuque (Wartburg, Luther, St. Ambrose, UW-P, etc) might take a bit of a hit as well.

That being said, you can't run a 1,500 student college on Dubuque kids alone.  If we're talking specifically about football, Z's recruiting contacts in Wisconsin and Minnesota should help bring in more players from those areas.  I honestly don't know how UD's admissions dept. stacks up to others in the IIAC, but that would be a good place for their next big investment.  Having a beautiful campus, brand new facilities, and everything else that Dubuque has isn't worth very much if you don't have an admissions staff that can sell it to prospective students.

Well said sportsknight.  

My first thoughts when the economy took its downturn is we would see an exodus of kids from private D3 schools for state schools.  Now I think what we will see is families taking a closer look at all options out there and playing schools off one another.  If D3 schools can be competitive with their aid I think we could see D3 schools starting to pick up kids that in the past would have only considered state schools.  This might turn into a good thing for our small schools. 

I think last year UD had a roster size of about 110.  With approximately 15 from Iowa, 20 from Illinois, 5 from Wisconsin.  With some more effort I don't think it would be too hard to woo another 10 kids from Iowa, another 5 from Illinois...should be easy for Coach Z to add another 20 from Wisky to get 25 kids each from Iowa, Illinois and Wiscsonsin.  With Zweifels contacts in Minny, if he could add 10 or so kids from Minnesota you would have a pretty nice base of 85 kids from right in the area for UD.  Then fill out the roster with another 15-20 good student-athletes from around the country...maybe even a prospect from North Tijuana that has a brother currently playing for an IIAC rival   and there you go, the makings of a pretty good team.

[sportsknight]

Coe's Harrison and Dubuque's Zwiefel named D3football.com Preseason All-Americans.

http://www.d3football.com/tow/09/preallamericans.htm

[warthog]

Mrs. Warthog and I attended the Quad-Cities Wartburg Outfly picnic last night.  We had a good time meeting other area alumni, current students and some incoming first year students.  It looks like Coach Miller and his staff did a good job gathering together a van load of wrestlers out of the area.  I hope they all have successful careers with the Knights.  On paper it seems they should do well.

We have all heard at various times about some jock who arrives at some campus or other and is going to be some sort of super stud.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.  You just never know until the kids takes the field, the mat, the court etc.

I assume the same thing applies to coaches.  Until their teams perform and win consistantly, how can we say how good they are going to be?  That brings me to Coach Z. at Dubuque.  Not only Spartan fans, but many others on this board have been annointing him as the second coming of Knute Rockne.  Perhaps he is, but he has yet to win he first game as a college head coach.  As a closet Spartan fan I hope UD is sucessful under his coaching. (2nd place successful)  I just think I'm going to wait and see before I add him to the list of people who are the coaching legends in the IIAC.

[Willie University]

That being said, you can't run a 1,500 student college on Dubuque kids alone.  If we're talking specifically about football, Z's recruiting contacts in Wisconsin and Minnesota should help bring in more players from those areas.  I honestly don't know how UD's admissions dept. stacks up to others in the IIAC, but that would be a good place for their next big investment.  Having a beautiful campus, brand new facilities, and everything else that Dubuque has isn't worth very much if you don't have an admissions staff that can sell it to prospective students.

The UD admission dept has helped UD survive and thrive over the past decade. From the time of transformation in just helping keep UD's doors open to steady increases in enrollment that UD has experienced EVERY year since. UD has also had history record breaking enrollments each of the past 5 years in a row at least. At the time of transformation in 98, UD's UNDERGRADUATE enrollment was roughly 600 some odd undergrad students. A decade later, it is nearly 1400.

Considering only about 35% of the student body plays intercollegiate athletics, I would say the admission department not only stacks up but is probably among the best of private colleges in the country considering the circumstances over the years. Not to even mention how difficult it had to be recruiting all those years with every athletic team being near the bottom of the conference and not having the facilities or educational advantages of it's competition.

Now, knowing some people in the admission dept, there is also a longevity that most colleges don't enjoy in admissions with very low turnover and the majority of recruiters with 5-12 years experience.

As for all the talk about who will be affected most, I would say that as everything about UD continues to improve, UD will cherry pick from all colleges within 150 miles of the campus. Meaning, UD will draw more and more students that would have traditionally gone elsewhere. I also agree that Lorass and Clarke will also have to "fight" harder then they used to. To give a small example, my wife is from Bellevue, Iowa. When we met approx 6 years ago, I do not know if there was one student from bellevue at UD, now, there are probably more then a dozen at least. Sure, Robbie Sieverding and Tyler Daugherty being employed by UD helped some but I know many of those students could care less about sports and have no direct ties to either of those guys that is going to affect their decision on where to go to college.

Also, keep in mind UD has recruited nationally and internationally for a long time and that is why UD's campus is one of the more diverse among IIAC schools. In addition, having some very unique educational offerings such as Aviation, Computer Graphics/Interactive Media, Environmental Science, etc also draw from a longer distance. So, although UD will certainly draw more from local markets which will ultimately help all the athletic teams, UD will continue to recruit nationally and internationally as to not "waste" time and money solely on the same few Iowa graduating seniors that every other IIAC is trying to recruit. The key word there is SOLEY. Of course those kids are important but so is not putting all your eggs in the same basket!

Willie U

[Fannosaurus Rex]

Coe's Harrison and Dubuque's Zwiefel named D3football.com Preseason All-Americans.

http://www.d3football.com/tow/09/preallamericans.htm

Of course we all know better than to question anything produced by D3Football.com, but I am just a little suspicious of an All American list that has more players from MIT and Johns Hopkins than from Central.  Are we sure these aren't potential Nobel Prize winners rather than All American football players?

[Willie University]

 Having a beautiful campus, brand new facilities, and everything else that Dubuque has isn't worth very much if you don't have an admissions staff that can sell it to prospective students.

To put it another way, the UD admission dept was selling "Water in Soup Cans" for a LONG time. Now, they have some "good, wholesome chunky soup" to sell so recruiting is becoming MUCH easier! 

[DBQ1965]

Mrs. Warthog and I attended the Quad-Cities Wartburg Outfly picnic last night.  We had a good time meeting other area alumni, current students and some incoming first year students.  It looks like Coach Miller and his staff did a good job gathering together a van load of wrestlers out of the area.  I hope they all have successful careers with the Knights.  On paper it seems they should do well.

We have all heard at various times about some jock who arrives at some campus or other and is going to be some sort of super stud.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.  You just never know until the kids takes the field, the mat, the court etc.

I assume the same thing applies to coaches.  Until their teams perform and win consistantly, how can we say how good they are going to be?  That brings me to Coach Z. at Dubuque.  Not only Spartan fans, but many others on this board have been annointing him as the second coming of Knute Rockne.  Perhaps he is, but he has yet to win he first game as a college head coach.  As a closet Spartan fan I hope UD is sucessful under his coaching. (2nd place successful)  I just think I'm going to wait and see before I add him to the list of people who are the coaching legends in the IIAC.

You have the right perspective on the yet-to-be-experienced Zweifel era.  The challenge for Spartan faithful is that after being tantalized and teased by Coach B's teams ... and in light of last season's disappointing crash ... our hope for the future sometimes lives with an overdose of "what might be" ... and we are in a big hurry to see it happen.

REMEMBER THE SPARTANS!

[warthog]

I didn't write my previous post very well.  I should have said Coach Z hasn't won his first game at UD yet.  He was head coach at UM-Morris for four years and sported a 21-20 record with them.  I couldn't find his record at Yankton College which is now closed and the facilities are used as a state prison.

[Fannosaurus Rex]

The Princeton Review Party School ratings are out for this year.  And here is the surprise, the highest rated D3 school is...wait for it...THE DUTCHMEN!!!  It is the Union College Dutchmen at number 13, but what the heck.   Congratulations to Depauw at #15 and Sewanee at # 17 representing DIII.  I'd say getting 3 in the top 20 is pretty good considering there are no scholarships.

[Walston Hoover]

The Princeton Review Party School ratings are out for this year.  And here is the surprise, the highest rated D3 school is...wait for it...THE DUTCHMEN!!!  It is the Union College Dutchmen at number 13, but what the heck.   Congratulations to Depauw at #15 and Sewanee at # 17 representing DIII.  I'd say getting 3 in the top 20 is pretty good considering there are no scholarships.

Don't the Dutch have legalized pot? That may explain it.

[janesvilleflash]

what is the hardest thing about playing soccer?

Telling your parents that you're gay.

+k for a week.

[footballdaddy]

The Princeton Review Party School ratings are out for this year.  And here is the surprise, the highest rated D3 school is...wait for it...THE DUTCHMEN!!!  It is the Union College Dutchmen at number 13, but what the heck.   Congratulations to Depauw at #15 and Sewanee at # 17 representing DIII.  I'd say getting 3 in the top 20 is pretty good considering there are no scholarships.

Don't the Dutch have legalized pot? That may explain it.

And prostitution, don't ever forget the prostitution.

This is a joke for those who are PC.

[Kohawk Remedy]

Congrats to Tate Harrison on the pre-season all american d3football list.  well deserved!

[warthog]

Regarding the good things happening at UD: Beyond the generous gifts UD has been receiving that have allowed some wonderful facility upgrades, the good things happening in the city of Dubuque has to be a factor.  Dubuque and the three colleges have a wonderful opportunity to become a center for high tech jobs and training for the next thirty years.  It will be interesting to see which college becomes the community leader in high tech education.

Dubuque is on the move.  We saw tons of new construction when we were at the wine festival a couple weeks ago.  Dubuque is having a transformation in the midst of hard economic times when other cities are not enjoying similar results.  This bodes well for not only UD but also for LC and CC.