Placed on hold in a conference call

By Paul Woody

Published: December 16, 2008

The Longwood University of today is not your mother's Longwood College of yesterday.

Today's Longwood University is a bustling college community on a campus that Longwood College graduates of 20 years ago would not recognize.

New buildings are everywhere. The campus has expanded. Farmville, where Longwood is located, is becoming a "college" town.

But for all that Longwood University has, one thing is lacking -- a conference affiliation for its athletic teams.

The Lancers are a Division I independent, one of five such non-football schools in the country (Cal-State Bakersfield, North Carolina Central, Savannah State and Seattle University are the others).

Only Longwood, which became a full member in Division I in the fall of 2007, and Savannah State are without the promise of membership in a conference.

Longwood Athletic Director Troy Austin has contacted a number of conferences, but none has extended an invitation.

The Big South -- with Liberty, Radford and VMI among its members -- seemed the perfect fit when Longwood began the process to move to Division I in 2003.

"But the Big South is focused on adding and developing football at the FCS [football championship subdivision] level," Austin said. "I've reached out or been in contact with the American East, the Northeast, MEAC and the Atlantic Sun.

"We even had conversations with other independents about the Big West, but that was really a stretch."

The Atlantic Sun, which does not have football as one of its sports, would seem viable. Longwood would be the northernmost school in the 11-member conference with teams in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

"We're not seeking any members for expansion," said Ted Gumbart, conference commissioner of the Atlantic Sun.

The NCAA also has a moratorium on schools moving from Division II to Division I until 2011. Many conferences are waiting to see if the NCAA will alter conference standards at that time, and movement or expansion might begin again.

"People are status quo to see if there is new information they are going to have to act on," Gumbart said.

The Lancers are not totally shut out. The men's soccer team plays in the Atlantic Soccer Conference and won that tournament this season.

The women's soccer team played in the United Soccer Conference, which will not exist in 2009.

The women's field hockey team plays in the NorPac Conference, which consists of four East Coast teams and four teams from colleges in California.

The East Coast teams used to go west every other year. Now, that trip comes once every four years.

"The logistics can be quite a drain on a school," Lancers field hockey coach Iain Byers said. "I would say it's a help in recruiting, though. You can see their eyes light up when I mention that California trip."

Even if Longwood finds a conference home, the field hockey team might remain in NorPac. Not every conference sponsors field hockey.

Every Longwood coach would be relieved to belong to a conference.

"Relieved is a significant understatement," said men's basketball coach Mike Gillian.

Scheduling is perhaps the biggest headache. In basketball, teams play their conference games in January and February, and fitting in Longwood is a challenge. The Lancers are the team that almost always has to be accommodating.

"If you're patient and willing to work with people, it will come together," Gillian said. "There are enough schools within reasonable proximity of us, so we can get games. The challenge is making them fit into what a normal schedule would look like if you were in a conference."

Recruiting is a challenge.

"The first thing out of other coaches' mouths is, 'Longwood is not in a league,'" Gillian said. "Nobody wants to be in a conference more than me. But any conference we're in is going to be a one-bid league [for the NCAA tournament].

"I tell kids not to base their decision on the idea that you might play one game in that event in four years. I tell kids to base their decision on the four-year experience and the 120-130 games you're going to play in that time."

The Lancers are hopeful they one day will be welcomed into a conference, although no one knows when or which conference that will be.

"This place is ready," Gillian said. "Somebody in some league is going to be lucky to get us."