Conference changes

[Caz Bombers]

Well, it's been a while since we had something to put in here... a year after Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian) left D3 to join the NAIA, Lyon (AR) is making the opposite move. No indication of what conference they'll end up in, but the ASC seems most likely since I don't think they meet the SAA or SCAC academic standards. On the other hand, if the USA South keeps moving westward...

https://www.d3sports.com/notables/2022/02/lyon-college-applying-to-d3

"Lyon Applyin'" - that headline made me laugh, well done to the author and editor

[gordonmann]

Please tell me they are the Lyon Lions.

[Caz Bombers]

Please tell me they are the Lyon Lions.

Lyon Scots, evidently.

[huskereddy]

Well, it's been a while since we had something to put in here... a year after Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian) left D3 to join the NAIA, Lyon (AR) is making the opposite move. No indication of what conference they'll end up in, but the ASC seems most likely since I don't think they meet the SAA or SCAC academic standards. On the other hand, if the USA South keeps moving westward...

https://www.d3sports.com/notables/2022/02/lyon-college-applying-to-d3

ASC might be handy to give Ozarks a travel partner. Wouldn't count SLIAC out as they're currently in a St. Louis-centric NAIA conference and could pair with MUW for travel...trip to Spalding would be a bear, but who's to say that trip doesn't disappear altogether with the shifting landscape. Or - as Inkblot mentions - we could also see the USA South finally figure out an E/W split and the western schools pull in both Lyon and MUW...football could be an outlier/affiliate situation.

[Pat Coleman]

I had half a thought about the SLIAC as well. It's a long trip for Lyon to go up to the UMAC like the other SLIAC teams but yes, Lyon could affiliate elsewhere for football.

Even a USAC-West conference still doesn't really fit Lyon in its footprint. That would be something like:

Belhaven, Berea, Covenant, Huntingdon, LaGrange, Maryville, Piedmont. And yes, MUW could fit that as well.

[Inkblot]

I had half a thought about the SLIAC as well. It's a long trip for Lyon to go up to the UMAC like the other SLIAC teams but yes, Lyon could affiliate elsewhere for football.

It is true that Lyon is used to playing in a Missouri-based conference in non-football sports and an Oklahoma/Texas/Arizona conference for football.

[Gregory Sager]

Please tell me they are the Lyon Lions.

Lyon Scots, evidently.

That's not a college sports team, that's an ethnic slur.

[Ralph Turner]

Please tell me they are the Lyon Lions.

Lyon Scots, evidently.

That's not a college sports team, that's an ethnic slur.

ROTFL

[hickory_cornhusker]

Please tell me they are the Lyon Lions.

Lyon Township High School in the Chicago suburbs is the Lyon Lions.

[Ralph Turner]

Well, it's been a while since we had something to put in here... a year after Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian) left D3 to join the NAIA, Lyon (AR) is making the opposite move. No indication of what conference they'll end up in, but the ASC seems most likely since I don't think they meet the SAA or SCAC academic standards. On the other hand, if the USA South keeps moving westward...

https://www.d3sports.com/notables/2022/02/lyon-college-applying-to-d3

Lyons, in Batesville AR, is 6+ hours away from Dallas but 4.5 hours from St Louis.
Univ of Ozarks, in Clarksville AR, is roughly equidistant to St Louis and Dallas, 5.5 hours.

UTD, LeTourneau and ETBU are all about 5.5 hours away from Clarksville.

In the ASC, beyond Dallas, it is another 2 hours to UMHB, 3 hours to Concordia TX, HPU, HSU, and McMurry and 7+ hours to Alpine.

Might Lyons pull Ozarks as a travel partner and both join the SLIAC?

IMHO, Ozarks would be more competitive in the SLIAC than in the ASC.

[Inkblot]

Provisional Pipeline for 2021-22
Full membership fall 2021: SUNY-Delhi
*3rd year provisional members (full membership fall 2022): Pratt, University of St Thomas (Texas)
2nd year provisional members (full membership fall 2023): Bob Jones, Mississippi University for Women, Warren Wilson
1st year provisional members: Asbury
Exploratory: Johnson & Wales (Charlotte)

* Games against Year 3 provisional members count the same as games against full-members for regional-ranking and tournament selection purposes

Lyon applying for exploratory membership and expedited provisional membership in 2022

Becker College closed, leaves the NECC
Wesley athletic programs discontinued in merger with Delaware State, leaves AEC

Conference Changes Starting in 2021-2022
Bay Path leaves the NECC and NCAA for the USCAA
Centenary (NJ) leaves the CSAC for the AEC
Elms leaves the NECC for the GNAC
Emory & Henry leaves ODAC for Division II
Iowa Wesleyan leaves SLIAC and NCAA for NAIA
Louisiana College leaves ASC and NCAA for NAIA
Mary Baldwin will add men's program, begin play in the USA South
Southern Virginia leaves the C2C for the USA South
St. Mary's (Md.) leaves the C2C for the UEC
St. Norbert leaves the MWC for the NACC
St. Thomas involuntarily removed from MIAC, will join Division I (Summit League)
St. Scholastica leaves the UMAC for the MIAC

Conference Changes Starting in 2022-2023
Allegheny leaves the NCAC for the PAC
Averett leaves the USAC for the ODAC
Mississippi University for Women (MUW) will join the SLIAC
Medaille leaves the AMCC for the Empire 8
Belhaven leaves the ASC for the USAC

Conference Changes Starting in 2023-2024
Lycoming leaves the MAC Freedom for the Landmark
Wilkes leaves the MAC Freedom for the Landmark

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

https://d3sports.com/notables/2022/02/usa-south-to-split-in-two

[Greek Tragedy]

https://d3sports.com/notables/2022/02/usa-south-to-split-in-two

So, the members not moving to the CCS will still be in the USAS and still have the automatic bid, but the members moving to the CCS will not?

[gordonmann]

Correct, because new conferences have a two-year waiting period for AQs, even if all members come from a conference that has an AQ.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Also important to remember, by the current access ratio, you need 10 eligible teams for Pool B to have a bid.  Unless the landscape changes, this new conference will only have Pool C access to the tournament - at least for the men.  The women have a better shot at it.