Covenant to submit DIII application by May 15

Administration, coaches prep for probable switch

Covenant athletics may soon be tying the knot with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, having arrived at the end of the “exploratory year” requisite for admission. Covenant intends to submit its application for admission into Division III of the NCAA by the May 15 deadline.
Around eight schools will apply for admission to DIII this year, but the NCAA will only select four. The membership selection committee will look for colleges in areas where the NCAA is under-represented and could join a conference nearby. Admitted schools must also be capable of moving from athletic to non-athletic financial aid.
Covenant meets all these requirements. In fact, the NCAA’s Great South Athletic Conference has already contacted Covenant.
“They have been asking us for several years to consider joining them if we made the switch to NCAA DIII,” Nielson said.
The DIII Membership Committee meets the second week of June and will inform Covenant of their decision by July 1.
If the NCAA accepts Covenant, the school will begin four provisional years of transition, after which it will become a full member, probably of the Great South Athletic Conference. During the first two of these years, the school will not be allowed to compete in the NCAA postseason.
For this reason, this spring Covenant will also submit an application to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The NCCAA will allow Covenant to participate in a postseason during its provisional period in DIII.
“The NCCAA provides a great opportunity for postseason competition,” Nielson said.
Because DIII forbids athletic scholarships, some Covenant students have feared that their financial aid will decrease. However, over the past few years Covenant has been moving to a system where students receive similar financial aid packages regardless of whether or not they are athletes.
“This year there was no difference between an athlete and a regular student in financial aid,” Anderson said.
The administration says that most incoming Covenant athletes should be able to receive academic and need-based financial aid that will make up for the loss of any athletic scholarships they would otherwise have received. So far, the enrollment of athletes for next year equals those enrolled this year.
A departure from athletic scholarships will also have repercussions on the type of recruiting done by Covenant coaches. The new recruiting process will need to focus on other aspects of Covenant sports than athletic scholarships.
“The coaches have to make a transition to a different kind of recruiting, and so far they’re doing a marvelous job,” Nielson said.
Many of the athletes have a positive attitude about the change. Boys Soccer Coach Nathan Pifer explained that his team welcomes the move to DIII.
“It’s a lot more fun looking at it as a player, thinking: ‘It’s not going to be this skewed group of teams – we’re going to have a chance, we work hard and play hard.’ I think the guys are excited about it,” Pifer said.
Covenant will be happy to say goodbye to several frustrating issues it faces as part of the NAIA.
“We have student-athletes who are excellent students and fine athletes, and yet we often find that we are competing against teams with many international students who are recruited primarily to play sports,” President Nielson said.
Dean of Admissions Wallace Anderson has even been solicited by multiple international recruiting services that, for a fee, would help the school land talented international athletes so that Covenant could remain competitive in the NAIA.
DIII also regulates athletic seasons in a way that the administration thinks would be beneficial to Covenant academics.
“One of the tensions we experienced with our current conference in baseball is they were increasing the number of conference games in a way that would seriously conflict with class attendance,” Nielson said. “DIII has a philosophy that is more intentionally supportive of academics, including shorter playing seasons.”
Pifer, who has coached in DIII previously, looks forward to returning.
“They do things very professionally,” Pifer said. “They do things fair. It’s positive to be a part of that.”
The administration looks forward to the effects the move will have on the school.
“I really do believe that this is the right direction for Covenant College and I believe it will be the right direction for Covenant student athletes in the long run,” President Nielson said.