There will be two new schools playing soccer next year in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Wednesday that Maryville University and the University of Illinois at Springfield have been admitted to the Conference bringing the league’s membership to 15 institutions. The addition of the two members was unanimously approved by the GLVC Council of Presidents at their Oct. 7 meeting.
Maryville and University of Illinois-Springfield will officially become members of the GLVC upon receipt of initiation fees entitling both institutions to voting privileges at the GLVC Winter Meeting on Jan. 16, 2009. Maryville is located in St. Louis, and along with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will be one of two GLVC institutions in the St. Louis area. UIS resides in Springfield, Ill., the capital of the state of Illinois, and will be centrally located in the GLVC.
According the the Evansville Courier & Press, while the move would add “Divisions” to the GLVC, soccer would not be included in that breakdown:
The league scheduling committee devised the three-division format to cut back on those trips. Teams would play an 18-game league schedule, including two against each in-division team and one each against everyone else, alternating home and away by season.
In the three-division format, there would be a North Division of Quincy, Springfield, Wisconsin-Parkside, Lewis, and St. Joseph’s. The West Division would be Drury, Rockhurst, Missouri Science & Technology, Missouri-St. Louis and Maryville. Illinois-Springfield does not play baseball yet, so USI would stay in the West in that sport. Soccer and softball do not have divisions.
There are also rumors of moves, the same article above noting Northern Kentucky has discussed a move to DI and the latest Drury rumor I’ve heard is that they would move to the MIAA. Hmmm…
One Comment
From an athletics perspective, the only difference between the GLVC and the MIAA is that the MIAA has football (and very good football at that). SBU has football, but does not participate in the MIAA in football.
From a travel perspective (cost and keeping athletes in class), moving from GLVC to the MIAA makes a lot of sense.
Not all of the MIAA schools have soccer.
Post a Comment