College of St. Mary moves to GPAC

From the Omaha World-Herald 10-23-14

By Marjie Ducey / World-Herald staff writer

The College of St. Mary’s decision to join the Great Plains Athletic Conference is a win-win situation, both organizations say.

The Flames will be able to play much closer to home in one of the best NAIA conferences in the country. The addition of CSM allows the GPAC to move into the Omaha market for the first time.

CSM has been a member of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference since 1994.

“It’s just a better match for us overall,” Athletic Director Jim Krueger said Thursday about the GPAC, which the school had been contemplating switching to for the past six months. The Flames will start competing in the GPAC in the 2015-2016 academic year.

The College of St. Mary, a women’s school, was unable to join previously because of GPAC requirements that a school have both genders and field certain sports. Those bylaws were amended.

CSM will become the 12th member of the league, which began competition in 2000-2001.

“We are tremendously excited to have CSM join the GPAC,” Commissioner Corey Westra said in a release. “CSM is an outstanding institution, with a proud history, that will fit in well with the existing members of our conference.”

Krueger said the MCAC had worked well for the Flames. But GPAC schools are much closer compared to seven- to eight-hour trips to Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma that span two days.

“We can travel down I-80 and hit four GPAC schools in a short two- to three-hour drive and we can travel north on I-29 two hours and hit another four GPAC schools,” Krueger said.

He said that benefits the athletes and their families, who will be able to attend many more games if they live in the area.

St. Mary’s, which fields eight sports, seven sanctioned by the GPAC, has been working to improve those programs, and competition against GPAC teams will help them fare better in national competition, Krueger said.

Because of other strong programs in the GPAC, Krueger said CSM is studying its procedures and the support available to its teams so they can be competitive. Internal changes will be needed from top to bottom, he said.

“The administration has made a commitment to that,” Krueger said, “and we feel it will be a great move for us overall.”