NCAC 2021

[Nosey Ned]

Happy New Year to all. Do we dare allow ourselves to dream of an uninterrupted, full schedule season in the NCAC?

I’ve been reluctant to do so given recent spikes and new strains, etc, but the recent posts by the Denison Men’s Lacrosse Instagram account has got my juices flowing and my hopes soaring. The Big Red has been introducing their first years (16 to date) and 1 very interesting transfer, a FOGO from Merrimack! This class shows that Coach C, his Assts and the Big Red program continue to have national appeal as this class hails from MA and CT to MD, VA, TX and the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest!

It will come as no surprise when I pick the Big Red to once again win the conference and the conference tournament and represent the NCAC yet again in the NCAA D3 tournament. They have to be the hands on favorite until someone knocks them off and nothing I’ve seen recently tells me this will be the year that happens!

GO BIG RED!!!

[WhiteCarrera]

Has anyone seen any posted schedules yet?

[FannOLax]

Happy New Year to all. Do we dare allow ourselves to dream of an uninterrupted, full schedule season in the NCAC?

...
It will come as no surprise when I pick the Big Red to once again win the conference and the conference tournament and represent the NCAC yet again in the NCAA D3 tournament. They have to be the hands on favorite until someone knocks them off and nothing I’ve seen recently tells me this will be the year that happens!

Happy New Year. As for a full, uninterrupted season, well, we can hope, but....

Yes, Denison must be the clear favorites in the NCAC. Given how OWU started 2020, I think it's reasonable to wonder if it will be someone other than OWU who meets Denison in the title game. Kenyon, Wittenberg and Wooster are the only other schools to have advanced to the NCAC tournament since it started in 2013. New program Allegheny will be trying to establish some traction in lacrosse, while Oberlin is looking for a new head coach.

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

Denison wins coast to coast. OWU needs to do a major rebuild. OWU needs to work to maintain the number 2 spot. Good coaching staff will eventually get it done

[laxrat55]

I heard Hiram has set up a solid pipeline with the MIAA and the Founders League. Should be interesting to see the terriers step up their program. 23 incoming recruits for the fall of 2021. Jenkins is turning the program in the right direction and should compete with OWU and Denison in the coming years.

[boredatwork]

I heard Hiram has set up a solid pipeline with the MIAA and the Founders League. Should be interesting to see the terriers step up their program. 23 incoming recruits for the fall of 2021. Jenkins is turning the program in the right direction and should compete with OWU and Denison in the coming years.

...yikes...

[WhiteCarrera]

Could they be more vague?
https://twitter.com/NCAC/status/1350206247727996931

[Nosey Ned]

The first domino falls as Oberlin "suspends spring competition". Tweeted by Oberlin and "liked" by the NCAC. Does that "like" signal the conference's stand here?

Regardless, not encouraging for those of us hoping upon hope they find a way through to deliver some semblance of a season for these student athletes.

[FannOLax]

The Oberlin announcement comes as Oberlin still seems not to have a head coach. I have no inside info, but am definitely not optimistic about a 2021 NCAC season. Will be interesting to see if Pitroff gets any playing time for D1 Providence (assuming that the Friars have some sort of season).

[Doxology]

I heard Hiram has set up a solid pipeline with the MIAA and the Founders League. Should be interesting to see the terriers step up their program. 23 incoming recruits for the fall of 2021. Jenkins is turning the program in the right direction and should compete with OWU and Denison in the coming years.

I am very sorry, this just seems hard to believe. Coach Jenkins is a very nice person and I have never heard a bad word against him . . . but I've also never heard anyone describe him as "really getting after it" either.

[OldWU]

One promising sign -- league is posting schedules for both Men's and Women's Basketball....limited conference schedule starting 1/28 - 3/6. Looks like they are splitting the league in half and each school has a home and away series.

https://www.northcoast.org/sports/mbkb/2020-21/schedule

[twomuchtoo]

Hearing that there is a high likelihood that there will be some semblance of a season in that the NCAC will be in and then, decisions to play will be decided by individual schools depending on health/safety concerns.

[WhiteCarrera]

Sounds like the NCAC is allowing 13 game schedules, 8 in conference and 5 out of conference.
League split east and west, and playing double round robin in each division.
(though Oberlin dropping out, leaves the East one team short)
Starting end of March, paired schools are given a calendar week to complete both games.
One-game championship in May.
Opportunity for scrimmages and OOC games prior to conference start, and probably restrictions on overnight travel.
Interesting concept. Hope they can find OOC teams to schedule.

[Nosey Ned]

Sounds like the NCAC is allowing 13 game schedules, 8 in conference and 5 out of conference.
League split east and west, and playing double round robin in each division.
(though Oberlin dropping out, leaves the East one team short)
Starting end of March, paired schools are given a calendar week to complete both games.
One-game championship in May.
Opportunity for scrimmages and OOC games prior to conference start, and probably restrictions on overnight travel.
Interesting concept. Hope they can find OOC teams to schedule.

Good news indeed ... where are you seeing this?

As for East and West divisions - has the structure been announced yet? Is there already a sport that uses a division setup in the NCAC? I don’t think so - so thinking out loud.... logically I would think Denison (East) and OWU (West) would need to be in opposite divisions. You could also use them as the geographic demarcation. Meaning, working east to west, the East would have 5 teams (Allegheny, Hiram, Wooster, Kenyon and DU) and the West 4 teams (OWU, Wittenberg, DePauw and Wabash).

[WhiteCarrera]

Sounds like divisions were set before Oberlin bailed,
and lacrosse might not be the only sport forced into this type of deal, so:

West -- Wabash, DePauw, Denison, OWU, Witt
East -- Allegheny, Hiram, Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon

OWU and Denison won't be happy, but geographically it's hard to argue.
Every school in the East is east of every school in the West.
In fact, every school in the East is also north of every school in the West.
You can play favorites, even if historically justified it would still be playing favorites, or you can just look at a map.

[Switzerland]

Sounds like divisions were set before Oberlin bailed,
and lacrosse might not be the only sport forced into this type of deal, so:

West -- Wabash, DePauw, Denison, OWU, Witt
East -- Allegheny, Hiram, Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon

OWU and Denison won't be happy, but geographically it's hard to argue.

There will have to be modifications to account for this, but perhaps none if Oberlin is the only one in the East. I imagine there will be others that will follow. OWU to slide over to the East if one of those others drop would be an easy fix to better distribute the competition. That being said, that simply lets the conference allow the "rich to keep getting rich." This whole year will have an asterisk on it anyway, so maybe that is a moot point.

[OldWU]

Sounds like divisions were set before Oberlin bailed,
and lacrosse might not be the only sport forced into this type of deal, so:

West -- Wabash, DePauw, Denison, OWU, Witt
East -- Allegheny, Hiram, Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon

OWU and Denison won't be happy, but geographically it's hard to argue.

There will have to be modifications to account for this, but perhaps none if Oberlin is the only one in the East. I imagine there will be others that will follow. OWU to slide over to the East if one of those others drop would be an easy fix to better distribute the competition. That being said, that simply lets the conference allow the "rich to keep getting rich." This whole year will have an asterisk on it anyway, so maybe that is a moot point.

OWU is definitely further west than Denison, which is east of Columbus, and in close proximity to Kenyon. My guess is that the Big Red would be the logical school to switch.

[twomuchtoo]

Sounds like divisions were set before Oberlin bailed,
and lacrosse might not be the only sport forced into this type of deal, so:

West -- Wabash, DePauw, Denison, OWU, Witt
East -- Allegheny, Hiram, Oberlin, Wooster, Kenyon

OWU and Denison won't be happy, but geographically it's hard to argue.

There will have to be modifications to account for this, but perhaps none if Oberlin is the only one in the East. I imagine there will be others that will follow. OWU to slide over to the East if one of those others drop would be an easy fix to better distribute the competition. That being said, that simply lets the conference allow the "rich to keep getting rich." This whole year will have an asterisk on it anyway, so maybe that is a moot point.

OWU is definitely further west than Denison, which is east of Columbus, and in close proximity to Kenyon. My guess is that the Big Red would be the logical school to switch.

There will likely be movement only in such case if another East team drops play.

[WhiteCarrera]

Agreed.
And I think all schools except Oberlin are now stepping into winter sports. Is that correct?
It would be hard to justify basketball, and then back out of the Spring.

[Switzerland]

It’s looks like Keyon and Hiram are not on the basketball schedules. Kenyon only had 1/2 of there students on campus in the fall, and I don’t know if they have made the decision yet or not to have everyone back for the spring.