Sunday, November 7, 2004
UC-Clermont moving on up
College update
The University of Cincinnati-Clermont athletics program has "come a long way" in its 15 years of existence, athletics director Phil Sinkovich said. But perhaps some of the biggest gains have come in the past year.
For the first time this year, after much negotiating in the months leading up to the new school year, UC-Clermont is recognized as a senior college rather than a junior college by the NCAA and the NAIA. The Cougars have joined a national organization called the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
They've finally found a home for their athletes' practices and games, and they're also adding a new sport - women's softball - to their four other sports, basketball, golf, tennis and women's volleyball.
"We've made tremendous strides in a year's time," second-year men's basketball coach John Hurley said. "This is sort of a test year, a year where everybody can get a feel for what we're trying to do here."
Hurley's team will be the one making the biggest leap in the upcoming season. The school's newly recognized senior-college status means Clermont will be able to schedule NCAA and NAIA teams, and the games will count toward those schools' records and statistics.
The new schedule flexibility will benefit both Clermont and the schools it plays, Sinkovich said.
"Everybody wants to schedule you as an opponent that they can use to get wins on their schedule. Before they get into conference games, they want to feel a win," said Sinkovich, who coached the men's team from 1990-2001. "But it's our chance to get out and upset these teams. If we do well, it's recognition for our program. And it's an opportunity for our players to play in front of bigger crowds and in a better environment."
The men's basketball squad, a traditional leader in its Ohio Regional Campus Conference, has scheduled games this season against NCAA Division II schools such as Northern Kentucky University, Division III schools such as Mount St. Joseph and NAIA schools such as Georgetown (Ky.).
"In order to attract players, it's good to put a good schedule together," said Hurley, a coach at Cincinnati State for 26 years. "The players are very excited about it. They're looking forward to it. There's an understanding that we probably scheduled over our heads, but as an athlete, you want to put yourself against the best people and teams, or better."
Adding to the excitement is the fact that the UC-Clermont teams, with their new USCAA affiliation, will have the opportunity to make a postseason national tournament for the first year.
"It's definitely big motivation," Hurley said. "I think we were the only college program around that didn't have that opportunity before."
A new home for the Cougars has been made at the Union Township Civic Center, where the teams now practice and play home games. In the past, the teams were forced to bounce to different high schools for home games.
Sinkovich has his eye on even more athletics improvements in the future, including an on-campus athletic facility.
"I'm very happy with where (the program) is right now," Hurley said.
Others
• The Cincinnati Christian men's soccer team (9-9-2) earned a berth in this week's National Christian College Athletic Association tournament when it beat Kentucky Christian for the regional title. This is the team's third appearance in the national tournament.
