35|35 #5: A Time for GLVC Growth
Three milestone membership additions have occurred during the first two weeks of October over the years
Jeff Smith, Assistant Commissioner
35|35 Anniversary Website
This is the fifth installment of a series of 35 moments, milestones, and facts that will be featured throughout the 2013-14 academic year to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Looking back at the 35-year history of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, there have been very few weeks in the calendar year that have matched the significance of the first two weeks of October. Three milestone membership additions have occurred during this time span over the years, which not only brought the GLVC through the Gateway to the West, but also grew the league to the largest NCAA Division II conference in the country.
On
Oct. 13, 1995, the University of Missouri-St. Louis was admitted as the league’s 12th member and the very first institution from the state of Missouri.
Since joining the league, the Tritons have won two GLVC Championships, most recently last year when UMSL won its first-ever conference softball title. Ten years earlier, the Tritons captured the GLVC Baseball title in 2003.
With just 11 sponsored sports, UMSL has seen quite the individual and team success in nearly every one of them. In addition to its team titles, the Tritons earned the 2011 regular-season softball crown, while taking the West Division championships in men’s basketball (2012) and softball (2013). The men’s soccer team is a three-time finalist in the GLVC Championship Tournament, including last season. The men’s golf team, which has been ranked in the top-10 nationally this year, finished as the top team in the 54-hole stroke play of the 2013 GLVC Championship, earning the top seed for match-play competition. In addition, then-junior Joe Atkisson earned medalist honors after winning the GLVC title in a one-hole playoff. It was the second time an UMSL golfer had earned top accolades in the conference meet as Shweta Galande took home first place at the 2011 GLVC Women’s Golf Championship.
The pair of UMSL golfers has not been the only Triton representatives to be honored as the league’s best. Four individuals have been named GLVC Player of the Year in their respective sports, including Daniella Viotti (Women’s Golf, 2011), JaCee Ellis (Softball, 2011), Andreas Dimke (Men’s Tennis, 2007), and Josh Morgan (Baseball, 2006). Hannah Perryman (2013) and Allyson DeFosset (2009) have each been named GLVC Pitcher of the Year in softball.
In addition to the top UMSL student-athletes, mentors in seven of the 11 sports have earned GLVC Coach of the Year honors, including Steve Tappmeyer (Men’s Basketball, 2012), Troy Halterman (Men’s Golf, 2011), James Earle (Women’s Golf, 2010), Chuck Sosnowski (Softball, 2009), Trent Jones (Volleyball, 2008), Jim Brady (Baseball, 2003), Dan King (Men’s Soccer, 2002), and Tom Redmond (Men’s Soccer, 1998).
On
Oct. 8, 2009, the league expanded to a total of 16 members as William Jewell College was accepted as a full member.
The Cardinals began competition in the conference in the 2011-12 season as an NCAA Division II provisional member, which allowed the GLVC to become the nation’s largest NCAA Division II conference along with the Lone Star and Northeast-10.
Despite not being eligible to compete in any conference championship tied to an NCAA Tournament automatic qualifier that first season, the Cardinals wasted little time in finding success.
At the 2012 GLVC Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Jewell men’s 4x200-meter relay squad became the first-ever GLVC Champions in any sport in school history, while Logan Pettz earned the conference’s heptathlon title at the same meet. During the outdoor season, Troy Fletcher was crowned GLVC Champion in the discus throw, while Pettz continued his success with a conference championship in the decathlon.
This past season, as full active members of Division II, the Jewell men’s and women’s basketball teams finished above the .500 mark in West Division play, while the women’s soccer team earned the No. 2 seed in GLVC Championship play and advanced to the tournament final before falling to top-seeded Quincy. The Cardinals were paced all season long by Sarah Franklin, who was also recognized as the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, second-team NSCAA All-America, and the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her sport.
Finally, the most recent membership milestone to occur during the first two weeks of October was when McKendree University was admitted to the league as the 17th member on
Oct. 6, 2010, which officially made the GLVC the largest NCAA Division II conference in the country.
The Bearcats began play in the league in 2012-13 as a provisional Division II member. Similar to William Jewell’s situation, McKendree was not able to compete in any official conference championship competition tied to an AQ, but quickly found success in cross country and track and field.
McK’s first official conference championship action came at the GLVC Cross Country Championships last fall where the Bearcats placed a respectable sixth in the field of 12 teams, led by a fifth-place finish by then-junior Blake DeLong. From distance running to sprinting, McKendree proved to be a force last season. Jordan Henderson earned the title as the GLVC’s “Fastest Man” by winning the 60-meter dash (6.75) at the GLVC Indoor Track and Field Championships and the Outdoor crown in the 100-meter dash (10.55). Two throwers also took home conference titles at last year’s Outdoor Championship as Andrew Ellison and Chris Willhite captured the discus and javelin crowns, respectively.
The Bearcats have also earned their keep in the classroom. This past season, John Steppe was named the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s basketball, while the men’s and women’s tennis squads both posted the highest team grade point averages of any team in any sport in the league with a 3.77.
This past July, McKendree officially completed its three-year transition into the NCAA and was granted full membership status into Division II.