“You can’t tell the players without a scorecard” has long been the traditional cry of scorecard vendors inside the entrance of baseball stadiums. In recent years that same rationale could be applied to college football fans in understanding the membership of various conferences around the country. Last year’s announced move by Texas and Oklahoma to bolt the Big Twelve Conference for the more lucrative $$$$ Southeastern Conference is but the latest example of ‘show me the money.’
Although certainly not in the same vein, Lycoming College jolted the local sports scene with its recent announcement it is ending its 70-year affiliation with the Middle Atlantic Conference by accepting an invitation to join the Landmark Conference, effective with the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Lycoming College is pleased to accept the invitation to become a full member of the Landmark Conference,” stated college president Kent Trachte. “We have great memories of our rich athletic history in the Middle Atlantic Conference. We also celebrate a future in the Landmark Conference that has great promise and potential to create an exciting next chapter in the history of Lycoming Warrior athletics. We look forward to reinvigorating past rivalries and establishing new ones as we continue the work of developing the characteristics of leadership, grit, sacrifice, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic by affording students the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate sports. We are confident that membership in the Landmark Conference advances Lycoming’s identity as a national liberal arts college.”
Along with Lycoming College, Wilkes University has also accepted an invitation to join the Landmark Conference to become the league’s ninth and tenth full-time members. Other conference schools include Catholic University, Juniata College, Moravian University, Susquehanna University, Drew University, Elizabethtown College, Goucher College, and the University of Scranton.
The Warriors will begin Landmark competition in field hockey and baseball beginning with the 2022-23 academic year. Lycoming’s other sports, men’s and women’s cross country, soccer, basketball, swimming, lacrosse, tennis, women’s volleyball, and softball and men’s golf and football, will enter conference play in 2023-24. Wrestling will become an independent sport.
The Landmark Conference has wanted to start football for several years and extended formal invitations to Lycoming and Wilkes in December that was based upon impending NCAA legislation. The legislation, which the NCAA passed in January, reduced the number of teams required for an automatic qualifier for post-season tournaments from seven teams to six.
“This was important to us because institutionally, we wouldn’t make a move without a football automatic qualifier,” explained Lycoming athletic director and head football coach Mike Clark.
Lycoming and Wilkes now join Catholic University, Juniata, Moravian, and Susquehanna as the Landmark Conference’s six football-playing schools.
“Since receiving Landmark’s invitation in December, President Trachte has taken a significant amount of time discussing the move with various stakeholders,” Clark noted. “He met with the college’s athletic coaches to gain their input and also with the Warrior Club Advisory Council, an alumni group. Those meetings were followed by a series of meetings with alumni, the student athletic advisory committee, and the administration. At the end of the day, the decision to move to the Landmark would improve ourselves athletically and provide the right institutional trajectory. It was a process that was very carefully followed and one that we did not take lightly.
“The college sees it as grouping us with a very similar group of member institutions.”
The Warriors have been a long-standing member of the Middle Atlantic Conference since 1952. During that time, Lycoming has won 43 MAC championships, including 15 in both football and wrestling.
For Clark, the MAC has been his athletic home which began as an offensive lineman on Frank Girardi’s great teams that won four consecutive MAC titles and advanced to the 1990 NCAA Division III National Championship game.
“On a personal level, it is difficult for me to leave the MAC. I’ve played in the conference — been a head coach and athletic director in the conference — so change is always hard. I’m excited about renewing relationships with other schools that we have played against in the past and taking on some new challenges. But for the reasons stated, the move is a bit bittersweet for me. There is a human element to all of this, and I’ve been fortunate over the years to establish some very good friendships with the MAC schools, so that part of it is a little sad.”
Clark sees little change regarding the football program or the recruiting of athletes.
“Essentially, all of us are our own entity. There aren’t specific conference recruiting requirements, so changing conferences will not bring about any changes as to how we go about attracting student-athletes to come to Lycoming. The last few years, we have moved up in the college rating guides, and those rankings are proving helpful in attracting both students and athletes to Lycoming. So from those perspectives, our recruiting practices will remain consistent to what we have been doing.”
I have a friend that reminds me, “Lycoming College football on a Saturday afternoon is one of the best-kept secrets in the area.” Spread the word, Lycoming football at David Person Field will continue to be an enjoyable way to spend a fall afternoon.
