Centennial Conference likely to stay together after panel listens to members
By Rachel Hooper, Features Co-Editor
The NCAA website posted the news on March 28, 2008, that the Division III working group is ending its discussion of creating new divisions in response to preliminary results of a survey.
Responding to the degree of opposition to restructuring, the panel is giving membership more time to explore options and planning future Division III Town Hall Meetings beginning in May. According to the website, the results of the survey will not be released until April 9, 2008.
Over the past month, when asked about their concerns for the future of the Centennial Conference and with restructuring still being considered, McDaniel and Centennial Conference officials shared their concerns and explained the background of the current problem. McDaniel participates in the 11 member NCAA Division III Centennial Conference which could be affected by any future changes.
Steve Ulrich, executive director of the Centennial Conference since 1993, thinks the conference that McDaniel is part of could join a new grouping because something has to be done about the increasing number of schools in Division III.
“The plan is to stay together; I don’t think we’d let an issue like this split us up,” said Ulrich. “The conference has been together for 16 years?I think as a whole, myself, along with the [college] presidents, we’d like to stand by the original philosophy of Division III.”
McDaniel President Joan Develin Coley agrees with Ulrich. “The conference will remain united; I do not anticipate that we will split apart.”
“All schools in the conference have been sent a survey?I will not send it back until I get the input of many others at the college,” said Coley. “I am filling out this form with input from my athletic director, coaches, faculty representative to athletics, and this meeting has not taken place. In the end, we will go with the will of the Centennial Conference, I am sure.”
Jamie Smith, McDaniel’s athletic director for the past eight years, is keeping an open mind. The current discussions are at the higher end of the division structures. “They are looking at whether one division has become essentially too large and should they form another division,” said Smith.
According to Smith, over 100 schools have joined the Division in the last 15 years. Currently Division III consists of approximately 420 members and is expected to grow to 448 members by the year 2012-2013.
One difference between the divisions is that Division I and II offers athletic scholarships and Division III does not. With the current discussions, Smith does not anticipate a change in that policy.
McDaniel Vice President for Administration and Finance Ethan Seidel explained that the NCAA does not yet have any plans. “It’s more of a discussion, and the discussion has been going on for a number of years now,” said Seidel.
He explains several factors that are driving the talks. One factor is the size of Division III and the logistical problems with championships and playoffs.
“You can only invite so many schools to a playoff; it just leaves a huge number out,” said Seidel.
Over time, with the increased size of Division III, a disparity has developed in the types of schools, according to Seidel. “So you have everything from very small liberal arts colleges, some are even smaller than us, to state universities?in Division III.” Seidel placed McDaniel in the middle between smaller schools like Bryn Mawr and Washington College and larger Division III schools such as University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.
Asked if a split in Division III would impact the Centennial Conference, Seidel said he felt there would be no impact. “One hundred percent of the schools in this conference have the same philosophy as we do, and we chose the same thing,” said Seidel. “We’re trying to look out for the students, not just their academic life but their social [life]?we want athletics to be an important part, but not at all a consuming part,” said Seidel.
Could a split into Division III and IV affect recruiting?
“I wish they’d get away from numbers,” said Seidel. He does not believe McDaniel will see that much of a difference.
“A person looking for our type of school and our type of athletic program is still going to come here,” said Seidel.
McDaniel coaches are unsure what changes may occur. “I think right now nobody has the crystal ball,” said Rebecca Martin, who has been coaching the women’s basketball team for 27 years. She feels the NCAA is looking towards the future and trying to come up with a strategic plan.
When Martin was asked if she thought the Centennial Conference would split up, she said she did not know, but felt that the shared philosophy about academics would hold the schools together.
Martin described a survey that she knows was sent out by the conference requesting input from coaches and the athletic administration, “so they can get a sense of everybody’s feeling regarding the program as it stands now.”
“It’s not my decision to make, it’s the presidents decision to make,” said Martin. “And the president will make the decision once she’s gathered pertinent information from all the sources to make the best decision for this institution.”
Martin would not like to see the conference become more restrictive. “I think in general at McDaniel, we do a great job for a well-rounded opportunity for our students,” said Martin. “Our students do well, and they also have the opportunity to excel on the playing field if they choose to.”
David Seibert, head coach of McDaniel’s baseball team, is heading into his 28th season this year. He has two concerns if Division III would be split. “My take on that is that it depends on how they call it; name it, if you don’t do a numerical ranking ?where it would appear as though one part of the division is higher status then the other.”
“That would affect recruiting I think; that’s my biggest concern,” said Seibert. “Yeah, I don’t want to be [in] Division IV and have Division III that’s non-scholarship like we are?.kids and parents are all going to sit there and say?I would rather have my kid go to division III,” laughed Seibert. “That’s a little more suited to the ego.”
Seibert would like the Centennial Conference to stay the way it is and doesn’t care if they add more schools. “I really don’t want to see a split, and if we do see a split, I want it to be equal naming, something where you don’t differentiate between divisions,” said Seibert.
The assistant coach of men’s basketball, Kevin Selby, said he does not know enough about the NCAA’s future plans to say if a change would benefit McDaniel. Similar to Seidel’s description of size disparities, Selby said in Division III, “here are big universities with huge numbers of students and money going into athletics. I think it would be a separation between those two kinds of schools?putting them on a more equal playing field,” said Selby.
However, Selby is referring more to recruitment when he compares big and small. “Look at our men’s basketball team, we won the Division III Pride of Maryland basketball championship,” said Selby. “We beat state universities like Salisbury on our way to that championship and they’re much bigger schools than we are.”
Several other McDaniel coaches and assistant coaches who were asked for interviews about any of their concerns declined, stating they did not yet know much about the proposed changes and that it was being handled at an administrative level.
McDaniel student athletes openly shared their opinions. Sophomore Sally Grace has been playing point guard for the women’s basketball team for two years. She admits that sports were the major reason she chose McDaniel. Grace feels the Centennial Conference has a good reputation for several sports and is very competitive. She does not know anything about the NCAA’s plans but thinks that a split could help Division III athletics to be more competitive.
Junior Shawn Weaver has been on the men’s soccer team for three years at midfield and forward. “I love soccer but I wasn’t into playing all the time every second of the day,” said Weaver, who did not want to play Division I sports like his sister. He prefers Division III.
“I think it’s a very competitive conference in pretty much all sports,” said Weaver who also appreciated the academic standing of the schools.
Asked about a split in the conference, Weaver felt it would make it easier to get into the NCAA tournament. Another benefit, “You have more time for yourself to get your academics under control, all that. I like having the free time,” said Weaver.
There is a lot at stake with the possible changes and how the changes might take place. Joe Drzonsc, a sophomore pitcher on the baseball team, feels there is a big difference if the Division is split and ranked as Division III and IV or even A and B.
“It would probably make me leave if we were to go down to the lower division,” said Drzonsc. “I would definitely be looking at better schools if that were the case.”