D-III newbies look peachy

Three schools were approved for provisional membership in Division III this upcoming season, according to a news release from one of the schools. (The NCAA doesn’t appear to have said anything on the subject yet.)

Covenant College, in Lookout Mountain, Ga., and Berry College, in Mount Berry, Ga., join Division III, chipping into the NAIA’s dominance of the Southeast, as does Penn State-Abington.

Covenant's Crosson Reed “Both academically and athletically, NCAA Division III is a good fit for Berry,” said Steve Briggs, Berry’s president. “We have always placed a high priority on academic achievement and the overall quality of the educational experience for our student-athletes, and affiliation with Division III allows us to be true to these fundamental values while also growing our athletic program in new and exciting ways.”

Berry’s release mentions something else that doesn’t get a lot of discussion around here: the shorter seasons in Division III. NAIA starts basketball competition, for example, weeks before Division III schools do, resulting in increased class time missed. Covenant references Division III’s lower dues, reduced travel time and expenses, and costs of postseason play which are picked up.

Berry is adding men’s and women’s swimming and diving and softball for the upcoming school year, as well as women’s lacrosse in the spring of 2011, as Division III requires sponsorship of more sports than the NAIA does.

Covenant has 13 sports already, while Abington has 12. Neither will need to add sports to make the Division III minimum.

Obviously the entire future of the Great South Athletic Conference is up in the air, with talks continuing that they may end up merging with the USA South. But if the GSAC remains an independent unit, Covenant and Berry would be an ideal geographic fit.

St. Vincent has plans for PAC

I’m moving this post back to the top because it got a new comment today and it seemed relevant. St. Vincent isn’t exactly taking the PAC by storm so far.
Originally posted July 01, 2005 at 6:08 p.m. ET

St. Vincent won’t be in the PAC at all until 2006-07 and won’t be eligible for the NCAA playoffs until March 2011, but we already know what they plan to do in the league, thanks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“We’re going into the PAC to be successful,” coach D.P. Harris said. “I’m still going to come into my office each morning at 6 a.m. I expect to see my assistants there. I’m not changing. A big part of this is how the men’s basketball program accepts Division III and accepts the challenge.

“We want to change the perception of Division III basketball in the district.”

Phew … they’re getting into the office about three hours after I usually log off for the night. And how many full-time assistants does he have? Or is it just the part-timers that have to be in at 6 a.m.?