Welcome to the Summit

[gorabbits]

Today is your first day as an official full member of The Summit League. Congratulations and welcome. I look forward to great sportsmanship in the competition on the field and GOOD-NATURED discussion off the field. May you come in second in every sport this fall, right behind SDSU.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

Well, USD expects to be first or second...with SDSU third or below haha

[jackjd]

With USD now in the Summit League, seems like the transition years have passed quickly.

Think about the different paths taken by USD and UND. UND faces the potential of getting the boot from the Big Sky and the nickname issue, at least for some, is far from being resolved.

USD has good leadership in place.

[usdlaw]

South Dakota Becomes Official Member of the Summit League

www.usdcoyotes.com/sports/news/release.asp?release_id=6466

Vermillion, S.D. -- The date July 1, 2011 is a historic for the University of South Dakota, as it marks the first day of the Coyote athletic program's official membership in the Summit League. South Dakota accepted the invitation to join the league in April 2009, with the official membership date set for July 1, 2011.

South Dakota joins the Summit League in all sports except football, which will compete in the Great West Conference for one more season before joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the fall of 2012. The Coyote swimming and diving program had competed in the Summit League the past two seasons as an associate member.

The Coyote teams will compete in a full Summit League regular-season schedule in 2011-12 and will be eligible for weekly and all-conference honors. South Dakota will not be eligible to compete in the league's postseason tournaments until 2012-13, when it becomes an official member of NCAA Division I and will be eliglble for postseason play.

The move to the Summit League for South Dakota also renews long-standing rivalries with former North Central Conference rivals South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

The Summit League will enter its 30th year of existence in 2011-12. It has 10 member institutions and has more than 3,000 athletes competing in 19 championship sports. In addition to South Dakota, members include Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, Missouri-Kansas City, North Dakota State, Oakland, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, Southern Utah and Western Illinois. Southern Utah will exit the league following 2011-12, with another former NCC school, Nebraska-Omaha, slated to join in 2012-13.

[GoYotes]

Will the outdoor track & field team be eligible to compete in the conference post season meet for 2011-2012?

[usdlaw]

I think so.