Valparaiso will join for 2007-08

The Crusaders sponsor every Horizon League sport except men's and women's golf.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Valparaiso University will begin competition in the Horizon League effective with the 2007-08 academic year.
The announcement was made by Valparaiso president Dr. Alan Harre at a news conference Wednesday.
Valparaiso had been a member of the Mid-Continent Conference since 1982.
President Harre said the decision was based on the welfare of the university's student-athletes, especially as it relates to travel. The eight-team Mid-Continent Conference has schools ranging from Michigan to Oklahoma and from Utah to Louisiana. The Horizon League is composed of nine teams in five Midwestern states.
Negative impact
"Concerns about the demands of extensive travel in a conference of such great geographic breadth and the negative impact of such travel on academic performance have been expressed regularly by our student-athletes and their families, our faculty and our coaches," Harre said. "Institutions in the Horizon League are much more geographically centralized than the institutions within the Mid-Continent Conference."
Youngstown State athletic director Ron Strollo said Valparaiso made an attractive addition to the Horizon League for a variety of reasons.
"For men's and women's basketball, it will make scheduling easier, because it gives us 10 [league] teams," said Strollo. "From a geographic sense [for YSU], it's a perfect fit."
Valparaiso's basketball programs have been consistent qualifiers for the NCAA tournament and the men's team had a strong rivalry with YSU in the Mid-Con.
"There's a picture in our basketball media guide of a full house at Beeghly [Center]," said Strollo. "That was one of our games against Valparaiso."
Valparaiso will add stability in all sports, added Strollo. The Crusaders sponsor every Horizon League sport except men's and women's golf.
Baseball breathing room
"Right now, there's six baseball programs in the Horizon League, which is the NCAA minimum for automatic qualification [to the NCAA tournament]," said Strollo. "So [Valparaiso] will give us some breathing room there."
Cleveland State, Illinois-Chicago and Wisconsin-Green Bay were charter members along with Valparaiso of the Mid-Con. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State and Youngstown State were in the Mid-Con at one time. Butler and Valparaiso are also members of the Pioneer Football League, a Division I-AA non-scholarship alliance.
The Horizon League sponsors competition in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field for men and in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field for women.