As I was sitting in my house and looking ahead to athletic events in the fall, I couldn't but notice that Alderson Broaddus plays a West Virginia Wesleyan athletic team one time this upcoming autumn season. But at the same time, the Battlers will take multiple trips this upcoming school year to Nashville, TN to play Trevecca Nazarene. I have trouble grasping the concept of traveling 525 miles one-way to play an athletic contest and bypass a school that is 20 miles down the road on U.S. Route 119. If this is what NCAA Division II has provided us, then I think I will pass. I also watch as Concord College will travel 5 hours one way to play Urbana University or 6 hours one way to play Notre Dame College. Along the path to playing these schools that lie on the outer edges of Ohio, CU passes the campuses of WV Tech and various other WV schools that lie much closer to the Athens, WV campus. Is this what small college athletics in West Virginia has become?
I don't understand why WV small colleges and universities are spending more and more money on travel and overnight stays. I feel it is unnecessary for many of these institutions and not a wise path to continue to follow. I am seeing less of these teams having greater success in the overall scope of their athletic departments. I personally feel that an exploratory committee from the West Virginia small institutions needs to be formed to look at the direction of small college athletics in the state of West Virginia. I feel that resources and missed class time could be better managed at various schools compared to what they are now. The public schools of West Virginia are not brewing with extra funds. Private schools in WV have been feeling the consequences of a tough economy and a drain of middle class families constantly leaving the state. The question I have for readers would be: Is it time to reform the WVIAC with interested schools and go the route of a NAIA conference? It is not really a matter of re-living the 'glory years'. But it is a concept of using some common sense approach to athletics as it applies to funding and to missed time in the classroom. It also is a question of having a better path to success for the school and student-athletes.
I feel that the presidents and athletic directors of Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, Bluefield State, Salem International and WVU Tech should sit down and begin to have discussions of where their respective athletic programs are going. I think it would also be wise to contact the presidents and athletic directors of Rio Grande (OH) and Bluefield College (VA) to see if they would have any interest in joining a new league with the schools mentioned. These schools are literally on the borders of WV. I would then invite all West Virginia Mountain East Conference schools to see if any had any interest. I would not invite any schools that would be geographic outliers. The question I have of any current Division II schools: are you satisfied with your current position in the world of Division II athletics or do you think your programs could have more success in a move to NAIA? I no longer think that there is a feeling of "we all stick together". When the WVIAC went away, many charter schools of that conference were left out of the MEC. We now see that Shepherd has bolted for the PSAC. I can't blame Shepherd for that. It is cutting down considerably on missed class time and on expensive overnight trips for their student-athletes. One only needs to look at a mileage chart to see that this is a wise move for the Rams. So, my question to many MEC schools: is it time to think you may start to have more success at the NAIA level?
I
hypothetically could see the WVIAC including the following institutions: Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Ohio Valley, Salem International, Bluefield State, Bluefield College (VA), Rio Grande (OH), WVU-Tech, Concord, West Virginia State, Glenville State and WV Wesleyan. All of this is of course HYPOTHETICAL. Some of those MEC schools may wish to stick it out in the D-II world. I certainly would not exclude University of Charleston, West Liberty, Wheeling Jesuit and Fairmont State. These schools have had some level of success in Division II and may wish to stick with it. But there is a possibility of ending up with a nice 10 to 12 school conference. The travel would be minimized considerably. Missed class time would be cut down. I also believe you would see better success for a lot of the programs of these schools compared to what they are experiencing now. For instance, I believe the student-athletes at Salem and Bluefield State would enjoy competing for conference championships compared to staying at the Independent status that they find in the current Division II setup. I also realize that most of these schools are in their own conference currently as either a D2 member or a NAIA member. But by reforming the WVIAC as a NAIA conference, the amount of money spent on travel is cut down. More money could be invested in athletic scholarships or enhancement to facilities.
One argument that will be made against this is that the football schools will be left out in terms of scheduling. You have the possibility of forming a conference having only 4 to 6 schools that will field a football team. But in the NAIA world, there is a solution to filling out a full schedule. The Mid South Athletic Conference is currently a NAIA conference comprised of 8 schools. But the MSAC has a three-tiered football conference that is comprised of affiliate members to the conference for football. It allows for football playing schools to be in a geographic division for scheduling purposes. The WVIAC schools could end up filling out their schedule with nearby schools such as Pikeville (KY), Union (KY) and Kentucky Christian. Football is played on Saturdays and would only require five to six road trips each season. The link below shows how the football conference is set up:
Mid-South Athletic Conference Football Divisions
The conference would piece together nicely.
Depending on which schools join, you have the possibility to have some nice geographic rivals and distances for schools. I have posted a mileage chart to show the time it would take for each school to travel to other conference members. Again this is a conference made up of hypothetical teams, but the mileage is factual. The longest trip for any school to another conference member is the Bluefield College (VA) to Salem International. These two schools would require 3 hours and 35 minutes to get to each other. But that is offset by the fact that Bluefield (VA) only has a 5 minute road trip to Bluefield State and a 31 minute trip to Concord. Salem counters the longest trip with five trips within the conference that are less than 1 hour and 30 minutes which is a far better situation for the Tigers than they find themselves currently in as a Division II independent. I could not find one school who would not cut down considerably on travel costs, travel time and missed class time compared to their current situation.
School
|
To ABU
|
To BC
(VA)
|
To BSC
|
To
Concord
|
To
D&E
|
To GSC
|
To OVU
|
To RGU
|
To Salem
|
To WVSU
|
To WVWC
|
To WVUT
|
Alderson
Broaddus
|
*
|
3 hr 30
min
|
3 hr 25
min
|
3 hr 15
min
|
40 min
|
1 hr 22
min
|
1 hr 57
min
|
3 hr 3
min
|
54 min
|
2 hr 23
min
|
21 min
|
2 hr 44
min
|
Bluefield
VA
|
3 hr 30
min
|
*
|
5 min
|
31 min
|
3 hr 33
min
|
3 hr
|
3 hr 7
min
|
3 hr
|
3 hr 35
min
|
1 hr 58
min
|
3 hr 11
min
|
1 hr
|
Bluefield
State
|
3 hr 25
min
|
5 min
|
*
|
29 min
|
3 hr 28
min
|
2 hr 54
min
|
3 hr 2
min
|
2 hr 55
min
|
3 hr 30
min
|
1 hr 53
min
|
3 hr 6
min
|
55 min
|
Concord
|
3 hr 15
min
|
31 min
|
29 min
|
*
|
3 hr 17
min
|
2 hr 42
min
|
2 hr 52 min
|
2 hr 43
min
|
3 hr 16
min
|
1 hr 44
min
|
2 hr 55
min
|
45 min
|
Davis
& Elkins
|
40 min
|
3 hr 33
min
|
3 hr 28
min
|
3 hr 17
min
|
*
|
1 hr 24
min
|
2 hr 25
min
|
3 hr 22
min
|
1 hr 22
min
|
2 hr 22
min
|
37 min
|
2 hr 42
min
|
Glenville
State
|
1 hr 22
min
|
3 hr
|
2 hr 55
min
|
2 hr 42
min
|
1 hr 24
min
|
*
|
1 hr 39
min
|
2 hr 38
min
|
1 hr 10
min
|
1 hr 47
min
|
1 hr
|
2 hr 8
min
|
Ohio Valley
|
1 hr 57
min
|
3 hr 7
min
|
3 hr 2
min
|
2 hr 52
min
|
2 hr 25
min
|
1 hr 39
min
|
*
|
1 hr 23
min
|
1 hr 10
min
|
1 hr 27
min
|
2 hr 3
min
|
2 hr 25
min
|
Rio
Grande
|
3 hr 3
min
|
3 hr
|
2 hr 55
min
|
2 hr 43
min
|
3 hr 22
min
|
2 hr 38
min
|
1 hr 23
min
|
*
|
2 hr 20
min
|
1 hr 2
min
|
3 hr
|
2 hr 19
min
|
Salem
|
54 min
|
3 hr 35 min
|
3 hr 30
min
|
3 hr 16
min
|
1 hr 22
min
|
1 hr 10
min
|
1 hr 10
min
|
2 hr 20
min
|
*
|
2 hr 18
min
|
1 hr
|
2 hr 45
min
|
WV State
|
2 hr 23
min
|
1 hr 58
min
|
1 hr 53
min
|
1 hr 44
min
|
2 hr 22
min
|
1 hr 47
min
|
1 hr 27
min
|
1 hr 2
min
|
2 hr 18
min
|
*
|
2 hr
|
1 hr 19
min
|
WV
Wesleyan
|
21 min
|
3 hr 11
min
|
3 hr 6
min
|
2 hr 55
min
|
37 min
|
1 hr
|
2 hr 3
min
|
3 hr
|
1 hr
|
2 hr
|
*
|
2 hr 21
min
|
WVU Tech
|
2 hr 44
min
|
1 hr
|
55 min
|
45 min
|
2 hr 42
min
|
2 hr 8
min
|
2 hr 25
min
|
2 hr 19
min
|
2 hr 45
min
|
1 hr 19
min
|
2 hr 21
min
|
*
|
I personally believe this conference has the ability to become a strong conference in the NAIA ranks.There is a ton of history and tradition with a lot of the schools listed. Each had significant contributions in the old WVIAC. For example: WV Wesleyan had great success as a member of the NAIA in both men's basketball and men's soccer in the 1980s and 1990s. The Bobcats represented the WVIAC in 1983 in Kansas City and made it all the way to the NAIA national championship game where they lost by four points to the College of Charleston. Wesleyan returned to Kansas City as the #1 seed in the 32-team field and made it to the Elite Eight. In 1985, they returned as the WVIAC representative and made it again to the Elite Eight before being eliminated by Central Washington by one point. WV Wesleyan also won five NAIA men's soccer national championships in the years 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990 and 1994. Have the NCAA D2 accomplishments for the Bobcats been as glamorous as those championship days?
That is just one example of success that a former WVIAC school had in the NAIA. The accomplishments by each school are too many to print. But success was certainly found. Davis & Elkins won a men's soccer national championship and also had one runner-up. WV State made it to the 1987 NAIA men's national championship game. Alderson-Broaddus was the 1988 NAIA men's soccer runner up. Glenville State was the 1993 NAIA runner up in football. Salem was the 1975 NAIA runner up in football. I feel that many more accomplishments could occur for many of these schools if this conference is aligned properly where time, money and resources are spent less on travel and overnight costs.
I believe many of the tournaments should be hosted at sites that rotate throughout the state. We have all heard of Americanah. I believe, for instance, that the basketball tournament site should represent a little West Virginiacanah. I think the days of having the event at a 12,000 seat-arena are pretty much over. The Charleston Civic Center costs a conference a lot to rent for a week. It then requires tickets to be sold at a much higher cost than what a lot of West Virginia families can afford. What happens then is that the total number of tickets sold is slim, ticket revenue is down, the atmosphere at the arena is like an Ivy League library on a Saturday afternoon, and the conference ends up losing money. I propose having the tournament at a 'neutral venue' I personally feel it should be in a WV basketball arena that has a capacity of roughly 2500 to 4000 seats. By renting a venue of this kind, tickets can be sold at a cheaper rate. Parking would be free at these venues. And the chance of getting more fans to turn out would be better. Plus having it in an arena where the arena is close to capacity lends to a better overall game atmosphere than a crowd of 1500 in a 12,000 seat arena.
 |
| Inside the Brush Fork Armory |
I would propose that the basketball tournament should also rotate to different regions of West
Virginia. The tournament will need to be in a city that has the capacity to house teams and fans. It gives the different areas of West Virginia a way to earn some income for their local businesses, establishments and hotels. I think it would be wise to rotate the tournament to sites which are close to several of the conference schools. One site that would be good for a WVIAC tournament is the Brush Fork Armory in Bluefield. In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated gyms in the state of West Virginia. Bluefield is a city that has the ability to host several teams and fans. The Brush Fork Armory is a great venue that has a capacity of 3500. It is a neutral arena where none of the conference teams play. But it would help attract a crowd by the fact that it is close to Bluefield College, Bluefield State, Concord and WVU Tech.
 |
| Inside the Nathan Goff Armory |
I would then rotate the tournament to a different area of the state. Another area that could host a tournament is the Clarksburg/Bridgeport area. I have never been to a basketball game in the Nathan Goff Armory, but it certainly looks like it has a nice feel to host an event. It has a seating capacity of 4000. The Bridgeport area has exploded with restaurants and hotels right off of I-79. No school plays a game there. But it is very close to the north-central schools that I have listed. With that many schools nearby, their is a great chance that the turnout would be very good. The Nathan Goff Armory gymnasium floor could use some updates, but the fact that bringing in 10 schools to the area for three to four days would probably cause the area to find funds to make the proper renovations.
One more area that could be considered is South Charleston, WV. This is certainly one of the better
 |
| SC Community Center |
sports towns in West Virginia as it hosts several tournaments at its' recreational facilities and parks throughout the year. The tournament could be held at the South Charleston Community Center. It is a good venue to watch a basketball game. The capacity is a bit smaller at around 2300. There are hotels and restaurants nearby in the downtown area as well along Corridor G. It does not cost nearly as much to rent as the Civic Center. It is close to West Virginia State and would also attract many of the WV Tech alumni in the Kanawha Valley. It is centrally located for all schools in the hypothetical conference.
Many of these facilities may need upgrades to floors, locker rooms and wifi. I believe local communities and chamber of commerce would be in favor of this with the fact that it could cause a local boom in the economy during one week of the year. The option of occasionally playing at the Charleston Civic Center still exists. It is the best option in terms of location and ability to host teams near the arena. But as mentioned earlier, it costs quite a bit of money to rent. The wifi has been poor there over the years. It hasn't drawn well there for decades. Tickets are expensive at this venue for a small college event. And to be blunt, the city of Charleston has no trouble taking in the revenue but never seems to promote the event.
All of the ideas and schools represented here are a hypothetical scenario. It is a direction that I would like schools to consider. I am not shutting out any of the WV Division II schools in this. I just listed possible schools that I thought would make logical sense for such a move. It would be great to include any of the current West Virginia MEC schools not listed. I just know that some of those schools not listed have had good success at the D-II level and may wish to remain there. I just believe that there are many WV schools that need to come together and realize that there
might be a better way for athletics to go. I believe the travel costs for many schools in the G-MAC, MEC and River State Conference is much more than what it needs to be. Even if the conference only started out with WV Tech, Rio Grande, Bluefield, Bluefield State, Salem International, Ohio Valley, Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus, it could be a decent start. Spending more of an athletic budget on travel and overnight stays is a huge drain.
In closing, some will say that the NCAA Division II route carries more prestige and notoriety than the NAIA route. I disagree on many levels. I feel it is better for an athletic program to have better success at the NAIA level than to be lost in the world of mediocrity at the D-II level. I believe that schools like Bluefield State and Salem are much better off in the recruiting area of athletics when they are able to tell their recruits that they will have a chance to compete for conference championships and national tournament bids rather than compete at the D-II independent level. I also believe it is better for the public and private institutions to spend more money on student-athlete scholarships than on ridiculous travel budgets which are requiring more and more overnight stays. This scenario gives the West Virginia high school athlete a better chance to earn an athletic scholarship if more schools are investing money on scholarships rather than hotel stays. I strongly feel it will produce quality results for all schools that might choose to go this type of path.
