division iii conference realignment

Division III Conference RealignmentBeau SchmitzGriffin WeiheTaylor Heinrichs

Introduction• Began the process by ranking all the Midwest D-III Schools

• Tactics for Rankings stemmed from:• Learfield Director’s Cup Rankings (Athletics)• U.S. News & World Report Rankings (Academics)

• Final decisions were based upon a variety of reasons:• Location• Academic Standing• Athletic Success• Type of Institution (Public or Private)

Midwest D-III Conferences• Missouri River Conference- 8 members• Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference- 10 members• North Woods Athletic Conference- 12 members• Iowa & Illinois Athletic Conference- 10 members• Northern Wisconsin Athletic Association- 8 members• Lake Michigan Athletic Conference- 9 members• Chicagoland Conference- 9 members• Heartland Athletic Conference- 12 members• Great Lakes Athletic Conference- 10 members• Grain Belt Conference- 12 members• Plains Superior Conference- 9 members

Missouri River Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Wanting to include these independents in a automatic

qualifying conference

• Travel Expenses may be high, but we feel the benefits these schools will receive outweigh that

• Weaker conference both academically and athletically

• Able to get exposure in 4 different markets

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Minnesota schools in the Minneapolis St. Paul Area

• Two all girls schools, but are still meet the requirements for an automatic bid

• Many compete already in the same conference and have similar academic and athletic profiles

North Woods Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Wanted to keep all of Wisconsin Public Schools together

• Added three large and athletically superior schools from Minnesota

• All rank in the top 120 in the Learfield Director’s Cup besides one school

• Powerhouse Conference to compete on a national level

Iowa & Illinois Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Majority of the schools are in Eastern Iowa

• Added the schools in Western Illinois• Knox College• Monmouth College• Augustana College

• Fit academically and athletically

Northern Wisconsin Athletic Association

Reasoning• Majority of these schools are better academically and

athletically than the LMAC

• Northland College was not included because it would be major traveling expense

Lake Michigan Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Too many Wisconsin schools to fit into one conference

• All schools based near the Milwaukee Area or within 2 hours

• Majority of schools are weaker both academically and athletically

• Two girl schools are included but there still is 7 boys schools meeting the standards for an automatic birth to postseason events

Chicagoland Conference

Reasoning• Large amount of schools in the Chicagoland Area

• Reduce on travel across Illinois

• Diverse athletically and academically

Heartland Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Schools in southern Illinois were separated from the

Chicagoland Area schools

• The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was spread out

• Decided to combine the two to create one conference with two division, East and West

Great Lakes Athletic Conference

Reasoning• Two schools in Indiana and Ohio seemed to be distant from

the others and closer to Michigan so they included into the conference

• Kept Findlandia College independent due to their lack of ranking in both of our tools

• Similar conference with two new additions

Grain Belt Conference

Reasoning• Wanted to combine southern Indiana and western Ohio into

one conference

• Many schools already compete in the same conference

• Similar academic and athletic success

Plains Superior Conference

Reasoning• Wanted to make a D-III conference that is recognized

nationwide for academic standards

• All of these schools are hard to get into • All have acceptance rates below 60% except one school

• All rank well in the Director’s Cup and include 4 schools ranking inside the Top 50

Conclusion• We did our best as D-III Commissioners to create competitive

conferences both academically and athletically

• There are some stretches that are going to be made by schools, but the benefits that they can receive are far greater