Houghton Athletics Considers Switch from NAIA Division

The Athletics Department at Houghton College has been considering a transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division III. This would include a number of important changes to athletics at Houghton. Some of these include the possibility of additional sports. The recent addition of baseball and softball to the college's upcoming sports roster is part of the process of pursuing this possibility, as it fulfills the required minimum number of sports to join the NCAA DIII.

Coach "Skip" Lord says that this is Houghton's decision to walk through the doors toward the switch, as long as those doors continue to open. "We're looking at the situation and the diminishing number of NAIA schools and realizing that we need to figure out what the best home for our Athletic Department is in the future, and how that can tie in with the institution's strategic plans." These strategic plans include finding a conference that is closer to Houghton, geographically speaking, as well as being on the same level of academics and sharing the mission of character education through sports.

Member of the varsity basketball team, senior Shannon Daugherty, expresses some hesitation: "It is sad to think of the AMC [American Mideast Conference] breaking up…Ideally it would be great to stay right where we are but it seems that we are forced to make a transition." As Coach Lord expresses, "We live in the middle of the DIII hotbed," and this change makes the most sense. Houghton plans to apply to a chosen conference that meets these characteristics and this will determine the application to the NCAA DIII.

Some of the benefits of this would be the enhanced marketing and branding opportunities within Houghton's primary recruiting area, as well as increased championship opportunities for the women's field hockey program. It has already been mentioned that there will be even more sport opportunities which will be explored in the future after the baseball and softball programs are grounded and able to succeed. In regards to these benefits, Daugherty thinks "it is very important for Houghton to increase its visibility in Western New York—especially Buffalo and Rochester. More publicity in those cities could potentially increase Houghton's diversity as well."

Probably the most controversial facet of the potential switch to NCAA DIII concerns the termination of athletic scholarships at Houghton, but Coach Lord makes it clear that athletes within DIII of the NCAA receive financial aid greatly similar to what Houghton athletes currently receive—the same caliber of athletes will be recruited and they will receive financial aid, just not specific scholarships. This matter of athletic scholarships is the initial objection students like Daugherty have to the switch, but she understands that in many ways this provides more opportunities for athletes to receive aid because they will be counted as average students when their packages are compiled.

Among Houghton's reasons for choosing to add baseball and softball are increased opportunities for sports activities—both as athletes and as spectators—in the spring semester. Additionally, there is a hope that male enrollment will increase with the addition of baseball, and both these sports have athletic components that fit well with the liberal arts model. Brian Reitnour of Career Services, who is in charge of recruiting and coaching, says that he believes "athletics play a vital role within a liberal arts education…I look at your experience here as education and I think that a number of the things you do contribute to your overall education and bettering of life. I think baseball…can contribute to that." Starting next school year, the Houghton baseball and softball teams will be practicing at Fillmore high school's diamond.

The addition of further sports depends on how the community feels these can contribute to the institution as a whole, says Coach Lord. "The way we try to do athletics at Houghton is different; it's unique and so we want to be part of the Houghton experience…there are a zillion other things that are part of that culture as well, and how these things fit into that picture will determine if and what sports we add."

And for those students who may feel a little concern, Coach Lord believes that we will continue to compete with Roberts Wesleyan and have a good-spirited rivalry with them, just as we have in the past. He is happy to answer questions to clear any confusion up and wants to be clear that this is in no way a negative reflection of the NAIA. Instead, he hopes the community understands that this is about location and strategies for better inclusion of athletics for the institution.