RGV News: UTPA to meet with Southland Conference in March
EDINBURG — University of Texas-Pan American President Robert S. Nelsen confirmed Monday that the school will make a presentation to the Southland Conference on March 7 in Katy seeking league affiliation. The meeting will take place during the SLC’s men’s and women’s conference tournaments.
If the SLC offers UTPA an invitation, it would end the athletics department’s 13-year struggle to gain affiliation with a conference with an automatic qualifier to the NCAA season-ending tournaments in all sports.
Nelsen said there is support from SLC presidents. However, nothing is a given.
“I really don’t have any idea at all,” Nelsen said about how receptive the Southland might be. “… I’m optimistic because things are so fluid in all of the various conferences.”
In an email response, SLC commissioner Tom Burnett said a vote on awarding UTPA affiliation is not expected in March, adding “there would be more work to do before a final decision.”
“The Southland Board of Directors is attempting to make a full assessment of its options, and that could or could not include further expansion,” Burnett wrote in the email. “Football sponsorship always remains a high priority, but is not the only issue of importance to our presidents.
“At the end of the day, the Southland Board is looking to improve the conference, and the group wants to be sure they exhaust all opportunity to do so.”
In 2005, UTPA was bypassed by the SLC in favor of Central Arkansas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Like many conferences, the SLC is in flux. After this academic year, it will lose Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State to the Western Athletic Conference. Oral Roberts will join this summer, giving the Southland a 10-team conference for the 2012-13 school year.
The conference awarded Houston Baptist affiliation beginning in the summer of 2013. That would put the conference at 11 teams. Burnett said the conference is comfortable with 12 members but is open to the possibility of adding more.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that University of Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian made respective pitches to the SLC earlier this month. The two schools compete at the Division II level and sponsor football. No decision was made.
UTPA competes in the fledgling Great West Conference, which at this time does not offer an AQ in the marquee sports of men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.
Earlier this month, UTPA was a part of a Great West contingent that traveled to Indianapolis to solicit the NCAA about awarding the Great West an AQ. A decision was put off until later this year.
Peter Rasmussen covers UTPA athletics. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via email at prasmussen@themonitor.com.
