UMAC out, two others in for SLIAC football Huntingdon and LaGrange have been accepted as affiliate members for Football in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, it was announced March 13 by conference commissioner Rich Meckfessel. The conference, which has been an NCAA Division III conference since 1994, will resume a full, round robin schedule in football in 2008 and would first be eligible to receive an automatic qualifier to the NCAA playoffs in 2010. The SLIAC schools which currently play football are Blackburn, Eureka, Greenville, MacMurray, Principia and Westminster (Mo.). Four UMAC members applied for admission to the SLIAC as affiliates for football in March 2006 and were accepted. However, in January they withdrew and invited the SLIAC schools to join their conference. That offer has been declined. Blackburn, Principia, and Westminster will finish their commitment as members of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference in 2007, and Eureka, Greenville, and MacMurray will play their last season in the Illini-Badger Conference which will no longer exist after 2007. In making the announcement Meckfessel said, "We are very pleased to have two institutions that are very much like our schools in size, character, and commitment to the principles of NCAA Division III. They were overwhelmingly approved by our administrative council, and received a unanimous vote from the presidents of our ten schools. "It's a wonderful opportunity for the more than 500 student-athletes of eight football playing schools to be able to compete for a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA playoffs." Although the football schedules have not been announced, they will be a complete round robin with each team playing each other once every season. Huntingdon and LaGrange will play three of the current SLIAC members at home and three away each year, and the current six will play one of the new members at home, and one away each season. "This is a big step as we continue to build our football program," LaGrange coach Todd Mooney said. "It gives us a chance to play for a conference championship and gives our players many more opportunities to receive recognition for their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom." | |
| Permalink | Mar 13, 2007 | |
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