There are now three Indiana teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Valparaiso University president Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D., announced Thursday that the university has accepted an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1. The Crusaders come to the MVC from the Horizon League.

“We are thrilled to join the Missouri Valley Conference,” President Dr. Mark Heckler said in a statement. “This is an important step forward for all of our athletics programs and an opportunity to advance the national standing of Valparaiso University. The Valley is one of the nation’s most historic athletic conferences, and we look forward to actively engaging with its outstanding member institutions and Valley leadership to strengthen both the conference and Valpo Athletics.”

Since the start of the 2011–2012 season, the Crusaders have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances — three in softball; two each in baseball, men’s basketball, and men’s tennis; and one apiece in women’s soccer and men’s golf.

“We are truly excited to welcome Valparaiso to our family,” MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin said in a release. “Valpo has a great tradition in athletics and a strong academic profile; they’ll be a great fit in all of the sports the Missouri Valley Conference offers.”

The MVC is the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I athletics conference. Valparaiso will join the following members of the Missouri Valley Conference Bradley University, Drake University, the University of Evansville, Illinois State University, Indiana State University, Loyola University Chicago, Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University and the University of Northern Iowa. </s> VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Valparaiso is officially the newest member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Indiana college accepted the league’s invitation on Thursday and will join on July 1. The Crusaders have been part of the Horizon League since 2007.

Valparaiso was a rumored finalist in 2013 when Creighton left for the Big East. Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin said the school has continued to upgrade its athletic programs over the past four years.

“I think they are just better suited to take on the new challenges that the Missouri Valley will bring,” Elgin said. “They’ve continued to fund athletics in a very appropriate and progressive way. They certainly have continued to be very strong in men’s basketball.”

The Valley, once among the nation’s top mid-major conferences, has been stung in recent years by the loss of two top men’s basketball programs. Valparaiso will take the place of Wichita State, which is leaving for the American Athletic Conference in time for next season.

Valparaiso has made two NCAA tourney appearances the past six years but its last win in March Madness came in 1998. That was the year the Crusaders upset Mississippi on Bryce Drew’s buzzer-beating shot in the opening round and later advanced to the Sweet 16.

Valparaiso will participate in 16 sports in the conference. The Crusaders’ football program is not expected to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which has sent at least one team to the FCS championship game in each of the past six years. Instead, it will continue to play in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.

“We are thrilled to join the Missouri Valley Conference,” Valparaiso President Mark Heckler said. “This is an important step forward for all of our athletics programs and an opportunity to advance the national standing of Valparaiso University.”

The Crusaders spent their first four seasons in Division I as an independent before joining the Mid-Continent Conference in 1982. They stayed in the renamed Summit League through 2006-07, then jumped to the Horizon.

While men’s basketball is the highest profile program in the athletic department, it’s certainly not the only successful team.

The men’s tennis team won the 2016 Horizon League title and the baseball team reached the NCAA’s baseball tourney in 2012 and 2013. Valparaiso also has appeared in NCAA tournaments in women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and over the past 21 years.

Elgin did leave open the possibility of the Valley expanding beyond 10 teams in future seasons. He said there is the possibility they might add two teams within the next 12-24 months. </s> ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Conference President’s Council unanimously voted to extend a membership invitation to Valparaiso University, and the Crusaders will begin full participation in all its sponsored sports effective for the 2017-18 season.

“We are truly excited to welcome Valparaiso University to our Missouri Valley Conference family,” said MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. “Valpo brings a combination of strong athletics tradition and academic excellence, and will be a great fit competing in our league.”

“This is an exciting time for Valparaiso University and our athletics programs,” said Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D., president. “We are fortunate to join the historic, tradition-rich Missouri Valley Conference. Membership in the Valley will increase the national profile of our institution and our athletics program, and we will undoubtedly contribute to the strength and character of the conference.”

President Dan Bradley, Chair of the MVC Presidents Council, adds: “Valparaiso University has very high academic standards, and will be a wonderful addition to the league. Valpo also has a strong, recognized athletics brand, and many Missouri Valley members are excited at the opportunity to renew old rivalries.”

“The opportunity to become a part of the Missouri Valley Conference is both exciting and humbling,” said Valparaiso Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera. “It is a recognition of the hard work and commitment of all the coaches and student-athletes that have established the Valpo Athletics tradition. At the same time, it is a challenge to our current and future coaches and student-athletes to continue to grow and improve as we join with nine highly competitive, successful, and nationally recognized universities. As we anticipate the upcoming 2017–2018 season, we are filled with renewed energy.”

Current MVC membership (as of July 1, 2017) includes Bradley University (Peoria, Ill.); Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa); the University of Evansville (Evansville, Ind.); Illinois State University (Bloomington-Normal, Ill.); Indiana State University (Terre Haute, Ind.); Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, Ill.); Missouri State University (Springfield, Mo.); the University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa); Southern Illinois University (Carbondale); and Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, Ind.).

The Crusaders spent their first four seasons in Division I as an independent before joining the Mid-Continent Conference in 1982. They stayed in the remained Summit League through 2006-07, then jumped to the Horizon League.

Their men’s basketball program is well known for Bryce Drew’s buzzer-beating shot to upset Mississippi and put the team in the Sweet 16 of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

It was the third straight NCAA appearance for a school that received seven tourney bids during that nine-year stretch. The Crusaders returned to the tournament in 2013 and 2015 as the Horizon League tourney champs — with Drew as coach — but have not won an NCAA Tourney game since 1998.

From the moment Homer Drew, Bryce’s father, was named the head coach before the 1988-89 season, one of the Drews was in charge of the program every years through 2015-16.

After the eldest Drew announced his first retirement following the 2001-02 season, his oldest son succeeded him. Scott Drew stuck around for one season before taking over at Baylor.

Homer Drew then returned to the sideline in 2003-04 and coached until he was succeeded by his other son in 2011-12. Bryce Drew led the Crusaders to NCAA appearances in 2013 and 2015 before taking the Vanderbilt job in 2016. His replacement, Matt Lottich, was promoted from assistant coach.

While basketball is the highest profile program in the athletic department, it’s certainly not the only successful team.

The men’s tennis team won the 2016 Horizon League title and the baseball team reached the NCAA’s baseball tourney in 2012 and 2013. Valparaiso also has appeared in NCAA tournaments in women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and over the past 21 years.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook </s> The Missouri Valley Conference President's Council has ratified the membership of Valparaiso University. All Valparaiso's sponsored sports will begin conference play in the fall of 2017.

That does not include football in which Valparaiso plays in the Pioneer League.

The MVC is 110 years old and Valparaiso of Indiana is the 34th different member in that time. Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin said Valpo brings a combination of strong athletics tradition and academic excellence, and will be a great fit competing in the league.

Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D., president of Valparaiso said this is an exciting development.

“We are fortunate to join the historic, tradition-rich Missouri Valley Conference. Membership in the Valley will increase the national profile of our institution and our athletics program, and we will undoubtedly contribute to the strength and character of the conference,” said Heckler.

President Dan Bradley, Chair of the MVC Presidents Council, added Valparaiso University has very high academic standards, and will be a wonderful addition to the league.

"Valpo also has a strong, recognized athletics brand, and many Missouri Valley members are excited at the opportunity to renew old rivalries,” said Bradley.

Founded in 1859, Valparaiso University is an independent Lutheran institution, located in Valparaiso, Ind., approximately one hour east of Chicago. It has more than 4,000 students, five colleges, a graduate school, and a law school. </s> Wichita State will leave the Missouri Valley Conference, its home since 1945, to join the American Athletic Conference, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports first reported.

A formal announcement from the university is expected soon.

AAC presidents voted on Wichita State early Friday morning, 12 voted unanimously to approve the Shockers. A 75 percent vote was needed.

Bill Potter, senior director of communications for the AAC confirmed to Paul Suellentrop of the Wichita Eagle the announcement of Wichita State’s inclusion.

“This could not be better for us,” Wichita State President John Bardo said receiving the call. “We’re so excited.

“This is an exciting day for everyone. This is a big deal.”

Wichita State is expected to join the AAC for all sports starting for the 2017-18 school year.

The AAC currently has 11 basketball schools; football-only Navy gives the league 12 members for football. Wichita State ended their football program in 1986.

The AAC’s 11 basketball members are: Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Methodist, South Florida, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa.

The remaining nine Missouri Valley presidents will meet Sunday to discuss conference realignment.

“It wouldn’t be a genuine response if I said we weren’t concerned,” MVC commissioner Doug Elgin told Sports Illustrated earlier this month. </s> Arguably the prime athletic school in the Missouri Valley Conference is leaving for a new home.

Wichita State will leave the MVC at the end of this academic year to join the American Athletic Conference as a non-football member in 2017-18, as first reported by Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated.

The AAC board of directors voted unanimously Friday morning to admit the Shockers into the conference. A formal announcement from the school is expected later Friday afternoon.

MVC officials are holding an emergency meeting on Sunday in St. Louis to discuss WSU’s departure and possible schools to replace the Shockers, who had been in the conference since 1945.

This will be the second time in five years that the Missouri Valley will be losing a top school to a bigger conference, also driven by the power of its basketball team. In 2013, Creighton left the Valley in the peak of its Doug McDermott-fueled rise to join the Big East after it initially split from the schools that eventually formed the AAC.

The AAC makes a natural fit for Wichita State, as the conference currently sits at 11 members — Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, SMU, Temple, South Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Central Florida as well as football-only Navy — and the addition of the Shockers would round out the conference at 12 members, and ideal number to create conference divisions.

The move makes sense in terms of basketball as well for the school that has made six straight NCAA tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16s and the 2013 Final Four.

Last season, the AAC ranked seventh in CBS Sports’ conference RPI. The MVC ranked 12th, helped immensely by the Shockers’ presence.

Moving to a larger, more respected conference could help Wichita State’s tournament resume each March. A resume-bolstering move would likely be well received by Shocker fans, as the team received a 10 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament after being ranked as the No. 6 team in the country on kenpom.com and No. 20 in the final regular season AP poll.

Wichita State needed votes from nine of the 12 current institutions to be awarded an invitation to join the conference.

According to the MVC Constitution, although there is no exit fee, because the Shockers left the conference with less than 12 months official notice, “the departing institution receives no distributable revenues.”

This means that Wichita State will forfeit its share of NCAA basketball tournament revenues, a majority of which it helped earn. For each game played in the tournament, the team’s respective conference is given one “unit” that lasts six years, holding a value assigned by the NCAA. This year, each unit is valued at approximately $264,859.

The current MVC unit count through the 2017 tournament stands at 24 units, 16 of which were earned by WSU. This means that each of the 10 Valley schools are entitled to — and Wichita is sacrificing — a total of $635,661 before the MVC uses some of this money to cover its expenses.

Wichita State has risen to a national power in some sports, and a conference power in all. In the six sports it holds teams for both men and women — baseball/softball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field — as well as women’s volleyball, the school has collected a total of 51 MVC championships in just the last 10 years.

The entry fee that WSU is paying to join the AAC is unknown at this time. When Tulane joined the conference in 2014, the school’s associate athletics director for business and finance Joe Cali, said the school was paying its fee over a five-year span.

As of now, there are no immediate ties to any other school to replace the Shockers in the MVC. In 2013, the Valley needed less than a month to replace Creighton with Loyola-Chicago.

MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin told Sports Illustrated before the NCAA tournament, when the WSU-AAC rumors started flying that losing the Shockers would be hurt the conference.

“It wouldn’t be a genuine response if I said we weren’t concerned,” Elgin said . “We want them to stay. Losing Creighton was a blow to the league. Losing Wichita State would be the same.”

This story will be updated later.

Sports editor Sean Carley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @SeanMCarley.

To stay up to date with all your SIU news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter. </s> Wichita State will join the American Athletic Conference and leave the Missouri Valley Conference, its home since 1945.

Bill Potter, senior director of communications for the conference, confirmed a Sports Illustrated report that the 12 AAC presidents voted unanimously to invite WSU into the conference. Wichita State president John Bardo confirmed the university accepted the invitation. A news conference is expected later Friday.

Potter said commissioner Mike Aresco is expected to visit Wichita soon.

The move will take place for the 2017-18 school year and include all Shockers sports.

The University of Wichita joined the MVC in 1945 and its identity as a basketball school grew with its membership in the “Valley of Death” during the conference’s glory days of the 1950s and 1960s. For most of the past 72 years, the Valley provided a competitive and geographically suitable place for Shocker athletics.

Presidents from the remaining nine Missouri Valley schools are scheduled to meet with conference administrators Sunday in St. Louis.

The AAC’s geography is more expansive. AAC members are Houston, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, SMU, Temple, South Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Central Florida and football-only Navy.

Moving to the AAC is a reunion of sorts for Shocker fans. Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Cincinnati were all Missouri Valley members before leaving 40-or-more years ago.

Among the highlights of Wichita State’s MVC tenure are the 1965 Final Four, the 1989 College World Series title and the 2013 Final Four. In May, the Shockers won the MVC All-Sports Trophy for the fourth straight year and 10th in the past 13.

As Wichita State’s athletic program, led by men’s basketball, grew in stature over the past decade, discontent with the MVC grew among fans.

In 2015, university president John Bardo announced that the school would look at conference affiliation as part of a comprehensive examination of WSU’s future in athletics, one that will include considering new sports, new facilities and a new set of conference partners.

Bardo had three conferences in mind – the American, the Mountain West and the Atlantic 10 – as possible upgrades. The public evaluation accomplished its goal of putting WSU on the market. Two years later, the American welcomed the Shockers.

Speculation about WSU’s interest in the American started in December 2015, when the university announced its plans to evaluate its conference options and the addition of sports. Bardo’s desire to associate Wichita State with schools he views as similar institutions — such as AAC-members Memphis, Houston and Cincinnati — drives his interest to help the school’s enrollment, academic and athletic goals.

“We’re an emerging major research university,” Bardo said in 2015. “If you look at what’s happening around the United States, major research universities are the core drivers of those cities that are being successful. We really feel that change in society has positioned us differently.”

Athletically, the AAC represents a step up in most sports from the MVC. That is especially important in men’s basketball, where the strength of the AAC could boost WSU’s NCAA Tournament at-large and seed resumes.

On the academic side, Bardo wants his school associated with similar schools with academic and research missions. Playing in AAC cities such as Dallas and Houston will give WSU fund-raisers opportunities to visit areas with numerous alums. Destinations such as New Orleans and Orlando give fund-raisers attractive trips to pitch to alums and boosters.

The American Athletic Conference formed in 2013 out of the wreckage of the Big East. Seven private schools, none of whom play football at the top level, went their own way, retaining the Big East name.

The remaining schools, all with football, regrouped and raided Conference USA.

Earlier this month, AAC commissioner Mike Aresco batted down rumors of the addition of three basketball schools, while perhaps leaving the door open for one in an interview on Sirius XM radio.

“We have 11 basketball members,” Aresco said. “I’m not certain what we’ll do in the future. We’re always evaluating our basketball to see if we can make it stronger. Right now, there is nothing going on. On the basketball side … we always explore whether we can strengthen ourselves. Until something is actually happening or would happen, I’m not going to comment.” </s> MVC Could Look To Expand With Summit League Teams

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Wichita State made official one of the worst kept secrets in college sports, leaving the Missouri Valley Conference today to join the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers will begin play in the AAC next season.

With Wichita’s departure, the Valley is down to nine teams and will reportedly hold an emergency meeting this Sunday to discuss the league’s future and possible expansion which could include raiding the Summit League.

Nebraska-Omaha and Denver have been among the teams the Valley is said to have interest in. SDSU and USD have also been mentioned as outside candidates by some but it’s believed they are long shots since the MVC would prefer to expand to larger, urban markets and cities. </s> Wichita State fans are already loving the Shockers’ new home.

Shortly after Wichita State accepted an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference on Friday, fans used some of the biggest and best phrases in sports to describe the move.

Some called it a slam dunk. Home run. Even a grand slam. But perhaps Steve Boleski, a season-ticket holder and lifelong WSU fan, put it best: “It’s a great day to be a Shocker.”

“You dream about an opportunity like this,” Boleski said. “The question that goes across your mind when you do is, how realistic is it? Is it going to happen? Well, now it has, and it changes the complexion of the athletic department. It’s a good move for the university that will align our interests with a conference that has a much similar focus and level of commitment to competing at a national level.”

Wichita State joins the AAC after calling the Missouri Valley Conference home since 1945. The Valley was good to the Shockers for many years, providing a geographical and competitive fit for most of their teams, but they appeared to outgrow the conference in men’s basketball.

That much was evidenced when they received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going 30-4 and a top-20 ranking by the end of the regular season.

“It was imperative that they make the move now,” former Wichita State player Ron Mendell said. “The Missouri Valley just seemed to be in a bit of a decline. The loss of Creighton was a blow to the league. We lost a natural rival and the rest of the teams couldn’t keep up. Some of those schools used to have really good basketball programs — Bradley, Drake, Indiana State, Northern Iowa. They just haven’t been able to put it together.”

“Recruiting was becoming a problem in the league. I enjoyed playing in the Missouri Valley, but it’s not the Valley of Death anymore. I wish them well, but moving to the American is a positive.”

A positive that will send Wichita State into a conference that routinely ranks just behind the five power conferences in basketball prestige and give fans new travel destinations.

The American consists of Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and now Wichita State. Navy is a football-only member.

“I’m excited to possibly take a trip to Tulsa, Dallas or New Orleans to see the Shockers play,” said WSU fan Kelsey Coonce.

Coonce said she was interested to see how joining a conference that emphasizes football will impact Wichita State’s future gridiron plans. She is also curious to see how WSU teams respond to games on the East Coast.

“The AAC is much more spread out and I know our athletic department obviously thought of that when making the decision,” Coonce said. “I hope that the men’s basketball team can continue with the same amount of success, and that people will stop doubting the program as weak or inferior just because of the conference we were in.”

Of course, fans won’t have to travel to see good basketball in the American.

“Another great thing about the move is having higher profile teams coming into Koch Arena,” Ty Houseman said. “The difficulty Wichita State has had getting quality home games has been widely publicized, and being in the same conference with several potential top-tier programs will make for a much more anticipated home schedule.”

If playing alongside tradition-rich basketball schools such as Cincinnati, Memphis, Temple and UConn boosts Wichita State’s profile, some think Gregg Marshall will stop being a coaching target for every top power-conference job that comes open.

“I feel this move could ensure Marshall stays until he retires,” Russell Lowden said. “I think he was getting tired of bad seeds in the tournament due to The Valley schedule not offering many quality win opportunities.”

“I see no reason for him to leave now,” Loren Honse added.

Lowden said he also looks forward to attending a new conference tournament in a new city. Past AAC tournaments have been held in Memphis, Orlando and Hartford, Conn. It returns to Orlando next season.

Few fans offered anything resembling a negative remark about Wichita State’s move on Friday, but some admitted they were nervous about the stability of the Shockers’ new conference.

Every basketball-playing member of the league, except Tulsa, tried to bolt for the Big 12 last summer when it announced plans to explore expansion. Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis pushed especially hard and still have eyes for a power conference. The teams within the American don’t share much history. Is there a chance the league could be raided and diluted in a few years?

“The move to the AAC, for me, will still be a sit back and hope for the best,” Honse said. “But with our teams’ strength and coaching ability I believe it is a great fit.”

In some ways, it’s a dream come true.

“I just think people should be excited about this,” Boleski said. “It’s an opportunity to improve and to compete to win at the highest level possible. In college sports, that’s what it’s all about.”
The Missouri Valley Conference officially announces that Valparaiso University will join the conference on July 1. The Crusaders will move from the Horizon League to replace the Wichita State Shockers, departing for the American Athletic Conference on the same date.