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Show SPORTS VOLUME LI • ISSUE 34 JUNE 20, 2011. 1 WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM ■ Aitit lketi; WAC, Wolverines need direction ected BY MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor This week could and should have settled the question of where Utah Valley and the Western Athletic Conference are headed. After the WAC left UVU out in favor of Seattle University, the answer for both parties seems to be this: not a clue. For the Wolverines, it's a blow that leaves them reeling in the not-so-Great West Conference, which will look more like the Great West Division after North Dakota and South Dakota take off next summer and leave five schools to keep it afloat. As for the WAC, they curiously decided to make Seattle the second non-football school invited over the past eight months (University of Denver was the other). Questions abound. Here are a few: Why Seattle over UVU? Depends on who you talk to. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Tony Jones quotes WAC commissioner Karl Benson saying, "Seattle had more of the characteristics that we were looking for." Jones alludes to Seattle's media market, which is admittedly larger than Orem, UT. Neil Warner of the Daily Herald pegged inter-college alliances after UVU Director of Athletics Michael Jacobsen admitted "Idaho wanted them in. They felt like they would be a good travel partner, they have 100 years of academic excellence... In the end, I think the support that Idaho gave Seattle was big." If that isn't bad enough, speculation ran rampant leading up to this week's decision that Utah State wasn't exactly willing to welcome UVU with open arms. Don't forget, Utah State president Dr. Stan Albrecht is the WAC's chair of the Board of the Directors. Jacobsen admitted two weeks before the announcement, "The thing I do know for sure is if Utah State would support us in getting into the WAC, we would get in." How comforting that popularity and social issues are crippling in every aspect of schools and universities. What does UVU have to offer? When I spoke to Jacobsen, he was adamant the Wolverines "would have been an asset" to the WAC. Some factoids to support this: UVU boasted two AllAmericans for the 2010-11 season (Isiah Williams in basketball, Ben Kjar in wrestling). Seattle didn't have any. Wolverines baseball (76 wins in two years), basketball (19-11 overall), and wrestling (three national qualifiers, Kjar 4th in nation) are legit programs. Location-wise, it's hard to beat UVU's 1-15 spotlight seat. A booming student body north of 30,000. Benson, however, was more aware of what UVU lacks. MITCHELL CROGHAN/UVU ATHLETICS Utah Valley and Seattle University went head-to-head off the court hoping for an invitation to the Western Athletic Conference. The WAC chose Seattle, with sources citing everything from college alliances to market size as the reasons. WAC snubs Utah Valley, issues invitation to Seattle University BY MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor Several months' worth of presentations, planning and last-ditch efforts by Utah Valley University weren't enough for the Western Athletic Conference, who elected last Tuesday not to extend them an invitation. UVU issued the following statement that afternoon: "We are disappointed that the Western Athletic Conference presidents chose not to add Utah Valley University to their conference at this time. However, we are grateful we had the opportunity to present our compelling case and show why we would be a great fit for the WAC. While things did not work out this time, we will continue building our programs in anticipation of future regional conference opportunities that may arise." Seattle University made the cut as a twoday session of conference meetings ended last Tuesday, joining University of Denver as two non-football schools who were admitted over UVU. The WAC did not disclose any factors that went into their choice, though market size could have been in play. Both Seattle and Denver offer larger and potentially more lucrative markets than their Orem, UT counterpart. The decision comes as a major blow to Utah Valley, who had hoped to expand its athletic potential after two years of dominance in the relatively new Great West Conference. Despite 70plus wins combined over the last two years by its baseball team and a basketball team recently coming off a 19-11 year, the Wolverines did not qualify for heightened competition — or exposure. UVU Director of Athletics Michael Jacobsen was "disappointed" by the news, saying he believed the school "would have been an asset" to the WAC. Jacobsen was also left confused as to "I have nothing Seattle. against They're a fine school, but they don't have as much as we have." -Michael Jacobsen UVU Director of Athletics the conference's intentions after seeing UVU excluded at the expense of Seattle University. "The thing that disappointed me the most is they continued to say they wanted to do one of two things: to not expand at all or expand with football schools," Jacobsen said. "I can understand that, but then they expand with Seattle. I have nothing against Seattle. They're a fine school, but they don't have as much as we have. When they expand to add them, then that concerns me just a little bit, but that's a thing I have no control over. It was thought that the WAC's invitation to UVU president Matthew WAC B4 WAC members - California State University, Fresno* - University of Hawaii at Manoa* - University of Idaho - Louisiana Tech University - University of Nevada, Reno* - New Mexico State University - Utah State University - University of Denver* * - Seattle University** - University of Texas at San Antonio** - Texas State University** 114 * will leave WAC after 2011-12 ** will join WAC after 2011-12 @Yahoo Graham So the WAC has invited Seattle. No surprise. Wonder if UVU was put on hold to see if they could start an FB program? @camipacker looks like the WAC was just too scared to take on the UVU Wolverines... @spaffoo Being rejected by the WAC is the ultimate slap in the face. It's like finding out FROM the ugly girl that YOU are the "special spirit" #UVU @jonnyfloydi3 Nothing against UVU, but they don't bring anything to the WAC. Doesn't have anything to do with USU not wanting to compete for recruits. @ SpenceT25 The WAC obviously doesn't understand how much ppl who've been denied admission will watch UVU sports. ZONE B4 CONTACT: 11 SPORTS EDITOR Matt Petersen petersensports@gmaiLcom DESIGNER Eric Gonzalez gonzamatic@gmail.com 2 BYU |