FB: American Rivers Conference

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National Champs boast IIAC connection

https://www.radioiowa.com/2019/04/08/former-loras-coach-bids-for-ncaa-crown/

"Former Loras College head basketball coach Brad Soderberg will be coaching in tonight's NCAA National Title game in Minneapolis. He is a top assistant coach at Virginia for Tony Bennett. Soderberg was head coach at Loras in Dubuque from 1988 through 1993..."

[edolee]

Have you all been following the St. Thomas situation in the MIAC?  If the MIAC does expel St. Thomas, I think it could be a huge win to invite them to the ARC.  The conference re-name was to allow for expansion I understand... 

I understand that they will be a bear in football, and a few other sports, but it would certainly make the ARC a stronger conference. 

Anyone think it is worth pursuing?  Or is the idea too stupid to live?

Ed

[doolittledog]

Have you all been following the St. Thomas situation in the MIAC?  If the MIAC does expel St. Thomas, I think it could be a huge win to invite them to the ARC.  The conference re-name was to allow for expansion I understand... 

I understand that they will be a bear in football, and a few other sports, but it would certainly make the ARC a stronger conference. 

Anyone think it is worth pursuing?  Or is the idea too stupid to live?

Ed

Probably depends on who you are talking to.  Old farts like me liked our conference with easy road trips and surrounded by neighbors from all of the conference schools.  The ARC does have a recent national champion in basketball, is the deepest wrestling conference in the nation, you could argue softball is a top tier conference with 3 programs often nationally ranked.  The addition of St Thomas might bring us football headlines, but at the same time would sour conference schools that put less emphasis on sports. 

I would vote no.

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MIAC won't expel the Tommies

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MIAC Presidents meet May 29th
https://www.miacathletics.com/about/resources/administrators/calendar

[edolee]

MIAC won't expel the Tommies

Reporters in Minneapolis including Patrick Reusse are reporting it is probable.  Seems completely nuts to me...

They are also saying St. Thomas would maybe go DII if it happens... That seems nuts to me too...  The ARC has 9 schools (10 is better) including one from Nebraska that recently won a championship in Basketball... They renamed the conference so it might be more attractive to schools outside Iowa....

The argument being reported is that St. Thomas is too big enrollment-wise (according to presidents in the MIAC)...  they have over 6000 undergrads, which is a lot bigger than the other MIAC (and ARC) schools...  but the ARC schools regularly compete against St. Thomas, and the WIAC schools which are larger still.

Seems like an idea worth considering... might even help in D3 recruiting for Iowa schools in Minnesota.  It isn't THAT far for travel, in fact for Luther and Wartburg at least it is a lot closer than NWU.  Imagine every ARC school competing in the highest profile D3 college in the Twin Cities many times per year.  If I were the presidents of the ARC schools I would be sending roses and canned ham to every important person at St. Thomas.  The CCIW and MWC seem like poor fits to me for various reasons...

I'd do it.  (As a Wartburg fan my fear is that football would be impossible most years, but as a Wartburg alum I think the demographics of the upper Midwest are such that any advantage in recruiting students... ALL students, not just athletes, is an opportunity too good to miss.)

The big problem is that I expect St. Thomas would not be overly excited...  but if they DO get kicked out of the MIAC, none of the alternatives are perfect. 

Ed

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St. Thomas' 2018 football scores

W, 76-7 - Trinity Int'l
W, 62-0 - Hamline *
W, 49-0 - Wis.-Eau Claire
W, 46-7 - at Concordia *
W, 73-14 - Augsburg *
L, 40-20 - at Saint John's *
W, 68-0 - Carleton *
W, 60-0 - St. Olaf *
W, 14-13 - at Gustavus *
L, 21-15 - at Bethel *   

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OK - so what's your point?  St. Thomas man handled Hamline, St. Olaf and Carleton 190-0.  Lopsided football scores happen from time to time but that shouldn't warrant exclusion from a league that they help create. 

Sincerely yours,
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How'd you get my password?

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Nevermind that ... I've had it for a while but there hasn't been anything worthwhile to chirp about on this board for a very long time.  All you seem to be interested in is announcing institutional financial news.  This is a football board for Pete's sake.  And now that we've got our Irish friend (Edward O'Lee) from Wartburg providing a rational argument for conference expansion I thought it was high time to respond!

Sincerely yours,
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2017 St. Thomas football scores

W, 47-13 - Wis.-Eau Claire
L, 25-22 - at Wis.-Stout
W, 63-0 - at Carleton *
W, 20-17 - Saint John's *
W, 57-25 - at Augsburg *
W, 21-0 - Concordia *
W, 84-0 - at Hamline *
W, 58-13 - Bethel*
W, 58-7 - Gustavus *
W, 97-0 - at St. Olaf *

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OK - so if you look at the scores for Hamline, St. Olaf and Carleton in 2017, St. Thomas won by a combined score of 244-0 versus the combined 2018 differential of 190-0 ... which just goes to show that Hamline, St. Olaf and Carleton are getting better at football.  It's just a matter of time before they score.  All kidding aside, all athletic programs ride waves of success for a period of time before they fade.  UCLA's basketball program was out-of-this-world under John Wooden but returned earth after he retired. The same holds true for Iowa wrestling under Dan Gable or North Carolina Women's Soccer under Anson Dorrance.  Glen Caruso just has the Tommies playing at a high level.

Sincerely yours,
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It's Glenn.

Dorrance still coaches.

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You're so friggin' constipated.  My point about NC women soccer is that they won 21 NCAA National Championships from 1982 to 2012.  The other NCAA D1 schools didn't ask them to leave D1 for the pros.  In fact, other ACC schools stepped up their game, so that NC has won only 2 ACC tournament titles in the last decade. 

St. Thomas was mediocre in the decade before Caruso and will the program's current success will eventually wane.  It makes no sense for MIAC to expel the Tommies based on the recent success of the football program.

Also, spell check doesn't allow a double 'n' in Glenn.

Sincerely yours,
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Drubbings drop enrollment and donations