NCC Breakup

NCC Breaking Up - From President Davenport

In the last several months, the number of schools in the North Central Athletic Conference has dwindled to three. This summer the University of North Dakota announced that it will reclassify its programs to Division 1. The University of South Dakota recently announced that it, too, will reclassify. Augustana College and the University of Nebraska-Omaha have announced their intention to join other conferences.

That leaves three remaining members in the NCC: St. Cloud State, the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State Mankato. The league commissioner has worked for four years to revitalize the conference, but those efforts haven’t worked.

We were not planning to leave the North Central Conference, but it appears that the league cannot be saved. Because of the developments of the last few months, we are forced to consider other options.

We have made no decisions about what we will do, but we must now accelerate our decision-making process. We plan to decide in the near future, after a process of discussion with University bargaining units, students, community groups and donors, the direction our athletic programs will take. We already have had some discussions with team coaches.

Today, we are discussing the situation and seeking input from the Athletics Community Advisory Panel. In the next few weeks, we will do the same with other groups.

The North Central Conference has provided wonderful opportunities for athletes and fans, and we’re proud to have been part of that legacy. As we go forward, I urge you to discuss any suggestions that you have with Kevin Buisman, Dean Trauger or me.