As a surprise to absolutely no one, Augustana University from Sioux Falls, South Dakota will be joining The Summit League. And we told you it was going to happen well before the announcement yesterday. As any casual follower of the Summit knows, the tiny college located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota will do nothing to elevate the conference competitively or reputationally.
As an insular conference, the Summit League just got more localized with half the conference located in the Dakotas. The move is expected to be made in 2021-22. And then Augustana will join Presbyterian College from Clinton, SC as one of the smallest Division I programs in the country.
This deal was all but official when Sanford Health CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft told the Summit League commissioner Tom Douple he wanted it to happen. As the largest league sponsor, Sanford Health is also the conference landlord and closest bedfellow.
Some of our peers think that our resistance to adding tiny Augustana is arrogance. The reality is that there is a historical, cultural and geographic disconnect with the Summit League – and this move just makes it worse.
So, how to explain this?
Just look at the crowds that attend DU athletic events. The problem starts with Denver which “boasts” a largely detached geographically dispersed student body. The student and alumni base have little to no connection to the Dakotas – personally or professionally. Academically and socially there are no historical connections between the conference universities. Conference rivalries outside the Dakotas are rare and, frankly, impractical. It is easier to get to almost any other place in the western two-thirds of the United States than the Dakotas – so there is little or no travel between conference schools and Denver.
And, for our Dakotas friends, lets put this in perspective. Imagine if there was only one team in the Dakotas and all the other programs were in Colorado. And then, the conference added Regis University in Denver. (Regis is a private, Catholic university…and four times larger than Augustana.) Would the Dakotas’ conference member be excited about the addition? Would that improve the visibility of the conference and improve league stature or competitiveness?
Because Denver is located on a D1 island, the Summit League is a viable conference. But if Denver is ever going to land in a better fitting conference, fans better cheer for DU basketball to turn the corner – and fast. As the only ‘revenue sport’ on the menu, seasons with .500 records and 1,200 fans at games are not going to lure a new conference suitor.
Until the men’s basketball team starts to contend for annual NCAA Tournament appearances, brace yourselves. The Vikings are coming.
The Summit League is very vulnerable to poaching and is trying to solidify itself (as all mid-major conferences) must. The Summit is probably going to lose Western Illinois and Fort Wayne at some point in the next few years and they have to keep adding schools to defend against defections. Frankly, there aren’t many schools interested in a Dakota-centric conference like the Summit, so I understand why there are adding Augustana. Yes, Augie brings very little to the Summit, other than a low-cost travel partner for the Dakota schools, and a few more fans in Sioux Falls. But beggars can’t be choosers, so the Summit is caught between a rock and a hard place.
For fans in Denver (and those outside the Dakotas) Augie is a tiny, no-name school that creates drag and dilution for the Summit League as a brand. Most schools in the Summit League elevated to D-I so they would get away from schools like Augie. I don’t like it, but let’s face it, DU is little more than a beggar, too, when it comes to conference affiliation. We have almost no other conference options given our location and unique sports mix. Nobody wants DU, except perhaps the WAC, which is a step down from the Summit, and a conference DU had to already escape from 5-6 years ago.
The only reasonable way out of the Summit is to get DU men’s basketball to the NCAA tournament, which will start to change the conversation and desirability of DU for other conferences. Failing that, DU will just have to accept some of the good things the Summit offers, such as extending our hockey rivalry with North Dakota into other sports, and adding to the Omaha rivalry, which Mav fans take seriously, but DU fans have yet to grow into.
And don’t forget, Omaha auditioned for the Missouri Valley last year.
Yet, they’re still in the Summit. UNO isn’t an elite school.
So, next time that UND kicks DU’s ass in hockey, you can write, “student and alumni base have little to no connection to the Dakotas.”
That connection is thru the WCHA and NCHC – not the Summit League. That is where the connection ends. BTW, UND has not fared well against DU in Summit League play so far. And, a bit early to label the hockey rivalry an ‘ass kicking’.
They’ve played in what two sports?
VB and W SOC. Split in hockey so far.
I am not a fan of adding Augustana, but it is somewhat a matter of providing a safety net for the Summit League.
Ft Wayne would be out the door in a second if they ever received an invite to the Horizon League and if that never comes they might be better served by moving to D2.
I am guessing Western Illinois has explored a move to the Ohio Valley. –
Oral Roberts left the Summit a few years ago for the Southland and then returned. I am guessing they are constantly exploring other options.
None of the above 3 would be a loss, provided the Summit can find new members to keep the required number of teams to maintain autobids in all sports.
As expressed in pretty much any post on here dealing with conference affiliation, Denver doesn’t view the Summit as a long-term solution for their conference affiliation. What changes in conference membership are necessary for Denver to commit long-term to the Summit?
Great question. I am thinking if the Summit League added a few more Western schools it would be more appealing and have better visibility – especially more logical travel partners. New Mexico State, Idaho, Montana, Northern Colorado, etc.. While not private Universities, several programs from the WAC and Big Sky would be a good fit to expand the current footprint rather than Augustana. That means Douple would have to sell a bigger vision. Not easy but it would benefit the entire league. Otherwise, the Summit will bleed non-Dakota members.
Great question. I don’t think any Summit membership changes are likely going to be relevant for DU fans. None of the schools DU fans really want to see are ever going to join a Dakota-centric conference, so the best hope for DU to get more comfortable in the Summit is for our hockey rivalry with North Dakota to translate into other sports and for the Summit League Men’s Basketball tournament to sometimes be played outside of Sioux Falls, which is seen here as really detrimental for schools outside of the Dakotas to ever make it to the dance. As fun as Sioux Falls is for Dakota fans, it’s the opposite for us…
Denver fans, I think, would like to see DU playing schools that are more culturally relevant to them. Some want to see DU play more local schools – CU, CSU, AFA, Wyoming, New Mexico, BYU, etc. Others want to see DU playing fellow privates, from WCC schools to Ivies to academic peers such as SMU, Tulane, or Creighton or even Big East schools, as we do as a lacrosse associate member of that league. Still others just want see DU playing as many brand name schools as they can, wherever they are from…The Summit League is not yet culturally relevant here, because the schools in it are not considered academic peers, nor geographically relatable to us as a conference outlier.
I am not a fan of adding Augustana, but it is somewhat a matter of providing a safety net for the Summit League.
Ft Wayne would be out the door in a second if they ever received an invite to the Horizon League and if that never comes they might be better served by moving to D2.
I am guessing Western Illinois has explored a move to the Ohio Valley. –
Oral Roberts left the Summit a few years ago for the Southland and then returned. I am guessing they are constantly exploring other options.
None of the above 3 would be a loss, provided the Summit can find new members to keep the required number of teams to maintain autobids in all sports.
C’mon now. Let’s not forget the long-standing Karl Mecklenburg connection between Augie and Denver (Broncos not Pioneers). While I question the Augie move, it does help the Summit I think. The Summit is starting to look like the old NCC, without the Minnesota schools. In the late 70’s, UNC joined the conference, and almost immediately got kicked out due to travel costs. The RMAC was not D2 though, so UNC -like DU – was isolated from potential conferences, and the NCC was a good fit. As someone else pointed out, it’s not about rivalries for DU. It is about a stable conference. The WAC is headquartered in Engelwood, but teams come and go. DU brings some coverage for the Summit in a large market, but I imagine the Summit would really like to add some combo of St Cloud/Mankato/Duluth. Right now though, DU needs a conference and the Summit needs stability