I stumbled upon a notice on the Hartwick website yesterday saying that their soccer program will be moving from Division 1 to Division 3 "as soon as it can be reasonably accomplished". Does anyone know of other current Division 1 schools that are plannign to move their mans soccer to Division 2 or 3?
Can you provide us with a link of that notice? I remember that 2 years ago Hartwick soccer was supposed to move to D3 but they finally decided to keep the program in D1.
That Message is approx 3 years old. The president at the school i believe thought that school could not fund the program so a called reignite the wick was formed and a think a very large amount of money has been donated from friends and alum of the program. Hartwick made the tournament last year and look to continue it this year. I think they have a new AD who is fully behind the push to bring them back to there former years. As for the other Oneonta team, Oneonta State, they have decided this year to go DIII next season. I think this is unfortunate because Hartwick v Oneonta State has been traditionally one of the biggest rivalries in College Soccer History.
The message I found was dated October 2004 so apparently they have changed their mind which is great. Sorry to hear about Oneonta though. Any other programs that ahve announced they are moving down?
Hartwick is staying DIV I. Can't explain the October 2004 date on the message to which you refer, but this all relates to madness that went down beginning in January of 2004. During the NCAA convention of that year in Nashville, the DIV III membership voted to support the continuation of a waiver, first granted in 1983, which allows 8 schools a special exception allowing them to provide athletic financial aid in their "traditional Division I sports" while maintaining a DIV III status for all other athletics. This waiver covers these programs: Johns Hopkins (men's and women's lacrosse teams) Clarkson University (ice hockey teams) Colorado University (men's hockey and women's soccer) Hartwick (men's soccer and women's water polo) Oneonta State (men's soccer) Rensselear Polytechnic Institute (men's hockey) Rutgers University – Newark St. Lawrence University (men's and women's ice hockey) Eight days after the convention vote, the new president of Hartwick College issued a statement indicating his intention to drop the Division I status of men's soccer and women's water polo. This proclamation was met with something less than enthusiasm from the alumni and friends support base (picture angry mobs and pitchforks). A successful fund raising drive was engaged in, and enough money was raised to support a significant part of the costs of continuing both programs. That's where things stand today. Both programs are in great shape. It is a major bummer, to me at least, to see one of the 8 "waiver schools" drop from the list.