SiouxVolley

Conner Wnek made a visit to Wisconsin the other day. https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2019/4/19/18507531/wisconsin-football-recruiting-rylie-mills-nolan-rucci-bryan-sanborn

Cal Poly was put on two years probation because they handed out book stipends and some of their 265 athletes didn’t use it totally for books. The athletes ended up with an average of $176.57 cash, which isn’t allowable using a book stipend. http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/26554592/ncaa-comes-cal-poly-books-violation So guess UCLA and USC did something real bad, but Cal Poly took the punishment.

It looks like Larsen at NDSU is intending to put out their dumpster fire in their program. Four assistant DI coaches are finalists, including one at Kansas and Nebraska. https://www.inforum.com/sports/basketball/1007587-Four-Division-I-assistants-finalists-for-head-Bison-womens-basketball-coach

Am so excited for NDSU. They can add another women’s sport at low cost without building new facilities. https://news.theopenmat.com/womens-wrestling/augsburg-to-add-womens-wrestling-for-2019-20/72753 There are local teams at Jamestown, Augsburg, and Iowa teams now. Presbyterian has the sole DI program now so NDSU would be a trailblazer. Maybe they can even have a trans team, which don’t have a place to go now,

Apparently, Oakland U has given up on taking over The Palace of Auburn Hills. Presumably, hockey would have been played there, but The Palace is huge. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/local/livonia-developer-in-talks-to-buy-palace-of-auburn-hills/article_33b2060a-5c8b-11e9-ba3c-af58a6b71025.html

This article says the ASUN visited the Bellarmine campus and Bellarmine has until May 15 to make a decision.. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentuckiana/2019/04/18/bellarmine-university-considers-moving-athletics-division-i/3507480002/ Didn’t see a reference to Douple inviting them or even being interested. Adding Bellarmine and Southern Indiana would almost cement the eastern wing of PUFW and WIU in, but apparently they’re not interested.

The whole charade has been very useful for St Thomas. Expect them to unilaterally leave the MIAC as that supposed threat of expulsion still exists. Their fans are in a panic and will follow their leaders just as this board mostly followed Kelley obediently on the Sioux charade (ie Kelley arranged that the Summit and then the Big Sky issue threats if the name wasn’t changed). KARE’s story: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/are-st-thomas-days-in-the-miac-numbered/89-e23c702b-0197-434e-9a51-ea2ef59a4fc5

Yeah, Douple has talked about why PUFW wants out soon, Augie has talked with him, and he doesn’t know that name of the UMKC big wig, so hasn’t talked with them. Yeah, it really sounds like he is on the trail of Bellarmine on the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line..

The St Olaf student newspaper has made the claim that St Thomas has hired a consultant in the past about a move to DI. https://www.manitoumessenger.com/2019/st-thomas-may-be-booted-from-the-miac/

Another report that Bellarmine is considering DI. Since they are an old conference mate of PUFW, they would be a natural for the Summit says the trolls. Why isn’t Douple and the Presidents of the Summit pursuing them? https://www.wdrb.com/sports/crawford-is-bellarmine-heading-to-division-i-internal-discussions-are/article_be1586ba-61df-11e9-beac-3b28c11a2c11.html

UAH may build a new multipurpose arena on campus. If that happens, look for UAH to move all sports to DI (don’t have fb ). https://www.al.com/news/2019/04/uah-proposes-campus-expansion-new-hockey-facility.html The Von Braun Center is downtown.

A brain that actually works, unlike yours.

The Pioneer Press has a story about no one in the MIAC wants to talk. All the other schools don’t want to open their traps because the premise of kicking out UST is a lie. UST wants to advance in divisions. https://www.twincities.com/2019/04/17/somebody-in-the-miac-wants-st-thomas-out-nobody-in-the-miac-want-to-talk-about-it/ In the realignment world, only a few schools have been kicked out in the last 20 years: Chicago St out of the MidCon because there were several cheating scandals. UTPA (now UTRGV) out of the Sun Belt for cheating and lying. Denver out of the Sun Belt as the Belt changed the rules for sport requirements and Denver chose not to comply after several years. Associate members have been far more common in being kicked out.

McFooly wants Heidi Heitkamp as next president: :https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/1006322-McFeely-Heidi-Heitkamp-the-obvious-best-choice-for-next-UND-president

A story on why two NW Illinois recruits chose to take UND’s offers. Sewell will be filling in at setter and Damon will be switching to the Libero spot after being on OH. https://www.journalstandard.com/sports/20190415/volleyball-standouts-peyton-sewell-mckenzie-damon-to-team-up-for-d-i-north-dakota Sewell early graduated and is now enrolled at UND, and she set this spring in practice.

Kennedy has a very compelling story to tell: - was a CFO at a large corporation - was a Congressman with requisite political skills - Has Higher Ed admin capabilities at two schools Someone with that resume would be wanted at almost any University system. Being chancellor of a system is probably much more down his line. Most U’s, especially AAU ones like Boulder, require a PhD candidate. A system chancellor deals more with $’. Kennedy is always after more authority and responsibility, as most politicians and corporate people are. Money may be a factor, but far from the predominate one. Kelley and Kupchella weren’t actually ambitious and aspirational enough.

So obviously the then new Mid Con got UNI to join and Minot St quality schools like Eastern and Western Illinois as charter members, but didn’t consider any of the Dakotas for travel reasons. Only conferences with national TV impact like the Big Ten, Big East and A-10 include both Midwest and east of Ohio schools. Lower conferences in the Midwest avoiding the Dakota like a plague confirms the Summit is in trouble relying a schools east of the Mississippi. They want out now. The Summit has to have a solution to that conundrum or it won’t have an autobid.

Interesting quote by Ohio State’s AD: Rutgers and Maryland were added to the Big Ten so Penn St wasn’t so isolated and on an island. Well, Penn State was added in 1990 and those two added 24 years later. There was talk in the early 90’s that other schools like Syracuse could be added then, but it took 24 years for Penn State to get more local rivals. Penn St was very attrative to the ACC and Big East for years, but academics, research, name brands and money won out. The North Dakota schools with the Montana ones will be together in under that time frame from when they moved to DI. Patience is a virtue. https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2019/03/ohio-state-ad-gene-smith-says-part-of-big-ten-expansion-with-rutgers-maryland-was-to-protect-penn-state.html

Harris Corp with N Dakota partners has completed the initial validation of its ground control “vision” for UAS’s. https://www.suasnews.com/2019/04/north-dakota-partners-and-harris-corporation-complete-initial-field-testing-for-first-of-its-kind-c2-ground-radio-network-supporting-uas-bvlos-flights/

The scuttlebut an campus was that St Thomas was going to move up divisions nearly a month ago. https://www.tommiemedia.com/featured-news/opinion-st-thomas-athletics-should-remain-at-division-iii-level-to-continue-success/ The allure of Allianz Field May just be too much. https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/soccer/4598940-scarves-allianz-fields-grand-opening-packed-stands-super-fans-and-few-loons But UST would probably need to expand or build new for their basketball gym and more than double their hockey arena in Mendota Heights.

Tommiemedia .com is giving play by play of the MIAC action. https://www.tommiemedia.com/news/miac-schools-want-to-expel-st-thomas/ https://www.tommiemedia.com/news/miac-presidents-vote-to-amend-bylaws-april-18/comment-page-1/ Haven’t seen other sources that say the St Thomas admin is behind the move to expel, as St Thomas would have to move to DII and then DI later and expelling would get much more financial support from alumni than merely moving up, which would be divisive as many alumni would be opposed. Fake or merely UST supported news spun for St Thomas’ benefit.

Thought Brock Boltmann was a sure thing at QB. But he is switching to WR. https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/football/4597452-und-football-brock-boltmann-kyle-hietpas-switch-wide-receiver Freund must be really sold on Tommy Schuster.

So can the KKK era come a close at UND now, Kupchella-Kelley-Kennedy?

Translation: CSP can’t afford DI. UST can. CSP has added sports like lax recently, so they obviously want to expand their athletic program, but Lax also increases their enrollment because lax is a partial scholarship sport.

Augustana has a similar endowment to A-10 schools like Davidson, St Bonaventure and LaSalle. Didn’t think those eastern private schools had so little endowments. Richmond and St Louis hav enourmous ones. But Augustana has a sugar daddy who has promised them more, which CSP doesn’t have Never in a favor of Augustana, but some Presidents assuredly are, including USD, so the six Dakota/Nebraska schools can be hit in three plane rides.