Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
Division III Conference Realignment
Beau Schmitz Griffin Weihe Taylor Heinrichs
2
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)
3
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
4
Missouri River Athletic Conference
5
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
6
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
7
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
8
North Woods Athletic Conference
9
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
10
Iowa & Illinois Athletic Conference
11
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
12
Northern Wisconsin Athletic Association
13
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
14
Lake Michigan Athletic Conference
15
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
16
Chicagoland Conference
17
Reasoning Large amount of schools in the Chicagoland Area
Reduce on travel across Illinois Diverse athletically and academically
18
Heartland Athletic Conference
19
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
20
Great Lakes Athletic Conference
21
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
22
Grain Belt Conference
23
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
24
Plains Superior Conference
25
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
26
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
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.