SPORTS

Oberlin to face unfamiliar faces in reconfigured NCAC

Hiram and Wabash replace departed Case Western

by Glenn Kaplan

In order to offset the recent departure of Case Western Reserve University from the North Coast Atlantic Conference, Hiram and Wabash colleges were unanimously voted into the conference.

Hiram and Wabash will be joining what may arguably be the most competitive conference in Division III. Since the inception of the NCAC in 1983 conference schools have won 33 national championships and produced well over a hundred academic All-Americans.

Various factors played into the NCAC school presidents decision to add Hiram and Wabash. College President Nancy Dye said, "With the departure of Case (Western Reserve) the NCAC was diminishing in size. Division III conferences are becoming bigger and the NCAC wishes to join this trend. Hiram and Wabash are similar to the schools in our conference in that they are both small liberal arts colleges."

According to Athletic Director Mike Muska the addition is both beneficial and necessary. "The larger the conference the better off you are. If it's good for the NCAC it's good for us."

Hiram is a college located just south of Cleveland. With its total enrollment just shy of 1,000 Oberlin has always been competitive with the school. Wabash, an all-male institution located in central Indiana, pushes the NCAC further west and opens the door to competition with schools like Depaw and the University of Chicago. Both schools will compete in all sports except football beginning in the 1999-2000 academic year. Football will be phased in for the Fall of 2000.

In addition a power rated schedule will be added to the NCAC football program. According to Muska, "The schedule will be based on the previous season. From a football point of view this is advantageous." Because it was last in the NCAC this year,

Oberlin will not play the conference's toughest two teams, Allegheny and Wittenberg, next year. Instead, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and Pomona College in California will travel to Oberlin for non-league games this year and Oberlin will travel to them the next year. "The idea is that Oberlin should venture out and play similar schools," Dye said.

Women's sports will not be significantly affected by the additions. "This won't affect or unbalance our schedule nor will it detract from women's athletics. The addition will only help us," Dye said.

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Copyright © 1999, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 13, February 12, 1999

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