Kentucky Wesleyan Athletics Leaving Great Lakes Valley Conference, Forming New League

If you're a fan of college sports, you've likely become well aware of its biggest off-season story--the rampant realignment of athletics conferences. In fact, changes have been occurring with such frequency that a separate website devoted strictly to keeping us all up to speed has been created. But now, realignment fever has set in right across the street from the WBKR studios; Kentucky Wesleyan College is leaving the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

KWC, along with its longtime rival--the University of Southern Indiana, is a founding member of the GLVC. The move to form a new league with several Division II Ohio schools was borne out of a need for more geographically sensible placement. The GLVC's recent addition of schools seems to indicate its desire to move more westwardly, and, I suppose, that put the impetus on the Wesleyan athletic department to make a move. And thank God somebody somewhere is actually taking geography into consideration. In these big realignment moves at the Division I level, that's hardly been a concern. Texas and Oklahoma were considering joining the Pac-12. (Pac, by the way, stands for "Pacific" as in Pacific Ocean--Texas and Oklahoma?!?) Well, it didn't happen. The Air Force Academy is considering a move to the Big East. Uh, the AFA is in COLORADO. See, these ridiculous moves may be all well and good for revenue-producing sports like football, basketball, and, to a certain extent, baseball. But when the swim team, tennis team, and golf team, among others, have to make these insanely long trips too, you're talking about a lot of student athletes missing a lot of school with nothing, really, to show for it. Naturally, I wish the Panthers well in their endeavor. It's a move that seems to make sense. And because we're talking about the premiere program in Division II basketball--8 national championships, thank you--it's a move that will be noticed.