Excitement coupled with relief. That's the general feeling on campus in the wake of Monday's announced move to the Big South Conference for 13 of 14 Longwood athletic programs. Conference affiliation at one time seemed far out of reach, so much so that I never thought I would see it in my time at Longwood University. I've said it before and I'll say it again: we are in like Flint. Big South is the best fit for the Lancers. This university has shown (time and again) that it can hang tough and put up strong performances against Big South schools in a multitude of sports (basketball, soccer, baseball, etc.). On all counts, Big South university presidents agreed.
Let me get back to the feeling of relief. The past two years, every conversation I've had with officials in our athletics department has featured at least one question about Longwood's conference search. Each time I asked about the status of the search, I was met with essentially the same answer: we have no answer at this time. I now understand that there was only so much Athletics Director Troy Austin and others could say about the situation, but the more I heard that answer, I began to question whether the move would happen at all. Now, all those doubts have been silenced with an emphatic answer of "Yes" from President Finnegan.
I was excited to see the outpouring of support from students and faculty alike at Monday's announcement. This move has been a long time in the making, its roots stretching back to when Longwood made the move to the Division I competition in 2007. Again, there were many doubters around campus who I came in contact with. Most questioned whether conference affiliation was in the cards and also voiced rumblings about how long the university could sustain D-I status as an Independent.
I can't sugarcoat the fact that I began to side with the doubters. It's hard, especially for media members, to keep writing the same thing over and over about not having anything to report. It has been somewhat of an endless loop at both The Rotunda and WMLU in terms of conference speculation and hearsay. Sure, there have been plenty of games to cover over the past four years. There have been several big news stories to cover; but in reality, the biggest story that kept popping up was one that did not have an ending. Until Monday.
I spoke to the head men's basketball coach Mike Gillian for a moment after the announcement, and he echoed that sentiment. Gillian said this is the end of one chapter for Longwood athletics and the start of a new one. He's right. While the search for a conference home has now come to a close, Longwood can now focus on its goals in the Big South. That starts with getting ready for next season. It's somewhat of a quick turnaround for the Lancers as the switch to the Big South takes effect this summer. That means more preparation on the part of coaches, athletes and even media members alike. Hey, we've got to be ready too.
Speaking of media, the move to the Big South offers a golden opportunity to future members of Longwood's campus media outlets. That includes this publication and WMLU 91.3 FM, the radio station. There will be more to write about for whatever sports editor(s) come after me. WMLU currently broadcasts men's and women's basketball and baseball. More home games should be available to cover. When conference play comes around for basketball, WMLU can travel a short distance to call those games.
Monday's festivities had the entire university riding on cloud nine. For a campus that has seen its share of tragedy and bad news in the past several years, Monday was a welcome change. My hat's off to all those involved in finally making this day possible. As a student at Longwood, it doesn't get any better. The Big South's motto is "Developing Leaders Through Athletics." Now, Longwood can take pride in saying the same thing.
Welcome home.
