POISON IVY/realignment of the EIWA

[Spladle1989]

I would drop LIU and SH and add Morgan State or Rider so you have an even ten teams.....but that's just my opinion

[Oracle]

>>>>>>Don’t include me in the ‘bigger EIWA is better’ group.

Any expansion should be considered only if it benefits the 11 EIWA remaining schools.

Did adding SH and LIU help Lehigh, or Navy, etc in any way?—— my answer is ‘no’

Is a 16 team, long two day qualifier tourney better than a more manageable 11-12 team tourney? —- answer ‘No’

I think an 8 team EIWA with a core of Lehigh, Army, Navy, Bucknell, American & F&M would be a fine conference for NCAA qualifier purposes and dual scheduling.

Lastly, I’d have minimal interest in continuing to schedule the Ivies—— let them go their separate way. Better, imo, to add Rutgers and a few of the ACC schools and build new rivalries.

>>>>>>>>> So much misguided thinking... and all in one post!!!!
* Add teams only if it benefits the 11? Not very progressive.
* Adding SHU and LIU helped those programs survive and hopefully grow. A weak program is better than no program. There is always the potential to improve if you exist.
* The EIWA has been managing 2-day tourneys forever and ever. Gimp can do it in his sleep.
* You include F&M in the core? Ahead of Drexel and Binghamton? Really now.
* Your Bromance with Rutgers (and you are not alone) instead of continuing with Penn, Princeton and Cornell is just plain ridiculous -- like a jilted lover.
* We have added ACC schools...Pitt every year and VA Tech and NCSU 'regularly' -- coming soon: UNC

Thank you for playing.

[Asa Packer]

I think Cornell will suffer more than Lehigh from this move. Rationale: A six team qualifier is less demanding than a 11 (or 12-14?) team qualifier. I think Vito, Foca & Ramirez are all Seniors. But imagine another CU stud (Shapiro) in 2025. Gets first round bye, then semis, then final. All in one day. Two matches. How does that prep him for the 3-day grind of nationals? My 2 cents.
Also, as fun as it is to hate on Grey, I don't think it was decision of coaches. Likely not even ADs. Probably decided at Presidents level. I could be wrong about that. Need Elise Stefanik to grill the Ivy Presidents.

[Richb-3]

I was thinking Jim Jordan, not stefanik

[FloridaGuy]

>>>>>> Reply to Oracle:

My goal isn’t to be ‘progressive’——it’s for the EIWA to best serve Lehigh’s needs——-apparently you think otherwise.

LIU and SH could have joined with Rider, etc.

You may enjoy long 16 team EIWA tourneys——I’d be happier with a 11-12 team tourney.

Yes, I think F&M is better core fit——been an EIWA member longer than Bing/Drexel and I believe they just committed increased funding to wrestling.

What you call a ‘bromance’ is simply rational thinking that Rutgers should be on Lehigh’s schedule.

Yes, replacing the Ivies with Rutgers, and ACC programs like NCSt, UNC, etc will be a step up from Penn or Princeton ( cu is the only Ivy with consistent high performance but Ithaca has zero road trip appeal vs Chapel Hill, etc)

Why cling to scheduling schools that just turned their back on the EIWA scholarship, history and tradition.

[LUEngineer]

what do you mean about bringing Rider back into the fold??

Rider was never on the fold in EIWA.

Doesn’t the ACC have associate schools for wrestling?

I think Lehigh/Army/Navy should request ACC affiliate status for wrestling.

To be with Pitt & Stanford & NC State& NC & Va Tech would be awesome conference.

[Richb-3]

Doesn’t the ACC have associate schools for wrestling?

NO

No associate members in any sport.

Obviously Notre Dame is a full member, but the ACC does not require them to play a full ACC schedule in football

Some ACC teams associate with other conferences in Non-ACC sports. BC, Notre Dame, (and Syracuse have Ice Hockey.

[DF2002]

There won’t be 1 top 10 team in the conference after Cornell leaves and many years, we may be the only in the top 15.

That’s a problem and I imagine having a weaker conference won’t help recruiting but I could be wrong…. Do conferences matter to recruits? Some of you would have a better idea.

Regardless of recruiting, I think being in a weaker conference doesn’t benefit the program long term.

Rider, Hofstra, George Mason, et al…. honestly, none of these programs are good enough to help make the EIWA a competitive conference. Second tier programs in a second tier conference. Like U of Buffalo in football. Yeah, it’s Div 1…. But so what.

Saving the EIWA will would be good for the concurrence but does little for Lehigh. We should try to join a conference that doesn’t make our descent look so damn obvious.

[LU808]

+100

[Richb-3]

ACC does not accept associate programs. B1G does not accept associates except to push a sport to 6 members.

So should we associate wit the MAC or the Southern:?