Alaska-Anchorage is dropping their D1 sports after the 2020-21 season.

* Men's Ice Hockey
* Women's Gymnastics
* Skiing

They will need to add a men's team sport to remain NCAA compliant. Soccer is probably the best option.

UAA announces reconfiguration of athletics programs






So much for DavidSt's dreams of the Seawolves moving to D1.

I recall there was an alumnus off one of the Alaska schools that use to post on the WAC board wishing that both schools in Alaska could move up to the WAC. Too bad, but travel was already a pain in the WAC as it is now.

Anchorage was an iconic host of the Great Alaska Shootout and would’ve been a hoot to get the state of Alaska in D1 one day. That dream is dead which sucks - all 50 states should be represented.

Now is the time to merge UAA and UAF.

Didn’t Dr. DavidSt say they were starting a FBS football program?

They are down to just basketball and track (CC/IT/OT) for men.

No skiing or hockey at a school in Alaska lol? They should just drop the NCAA completely and have hockey in ACHA, skiing in the USCSA, find similar associations for as many other sports as possible and drop the rest. Not having basketball may be missed, but the true Alaskan sports will be as well. Hell, stick basketball in the USCAA or just play an independent schedule if need be. Play Canadian. Do anything that works. Screw the NCAA, it just doesn't work for everyone in all circumstances. They must spend an ungodly amount on sports as it is at the D2 level--an amount that would yield more for less playing as I suggested above.

They barely have a dozen Alaskans in M&W basketball and volleyball combined. The loss of opportunity can't be considered that great.

(08-19-2020 09:49 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Anchorage was an iconic host of the Great Alaska Shootout and would’ve been a hoot to get the state of Alaska in D1 one day. That dream is dead which sucks - all 50 states should be represented.

Yes, I miss that tournament. It was great to see it back – albeit a different title – last year.

(08-19-2020 10:35 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Now is the time to merge UAA and UAF.

I agree, and maybe this is one of the steps in doing so UAF sponsors Men’s Hockey and Men’s skiing. Assuming the right sports are dropped at UAF. You could have the following sports. Parentheses indicate which campus would host the sport

MEN’S
Basketball (UAA)
Cross Country (UAA)
Track and Field Indoor (UAF)
Track and Field Outdoor (UAF)
Ice Hockey (UAF)
Skiing (UAF)

WOMEN’S
Basketball (UAA)
Cross Country (UAA)
Track and Field Indoor (UAF)
Track and Field Outdoor (UAF)
Swimming (UAF)
Skiing (UAF)
Volleyball (UAA)

Co-ed
Riffle (UAF)

In the event of a merger they could probably cut their athletics budget in half. In the long run, if they could find a D1 Conference (WAC maybe) to accept them the could move up to d1 and still have a major savings over running two d2 programs

All part of the grand plan of the Great Northern Conference.

Anchorage and Fairbanks are 6 hours apart.

The capital, Juneau, is 20 hours from Anchorage and 17 hours from Fairbanks.

Those are the only 3 cities above 20k in population.

Man, that must be a tough state to live in, especially for athletics.

Sarah Palin had her work cut out.

That sucks

(08-20-2020 11:15 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Anchorage and Fairbanks are 6 hours apart.

The capital, Juneau, is 20 hours from Anchorage and 17 hours from Fairbanks.

Those are the only 3 cities above 20k in population.

Man, that must be a tough state to live in, especially for athletics.

Sarah Palin had her work cut out.

The "drive" from Juneau to Anchorage or Fairbanks includes a 5 hour ferry ride, and almost 6 hours of driving through Canada. About 4 of those hours are on Yukon Highway 1, which was built during WW2 by the US Army, and was finally paved in the early 1990s.

They lost their ECHL team too. We had the Alaska Aces in that league for a long time. I remember in 2009 they made it to the Kelly Cup Finals against my South Carolina Stingrays. The travel budgets were ridiculous for them. Each team had to take 2 separate airplane flights going from Alaska and back because they couldn’t fit their gear on all of them.

The Alaska games were 11pm starts here. When they played here in Charleston, the games were broadcast locally to Alaska. They took a TV crew and everything. I remember going to one of the games and Alaska actually had a few fans in attendance.

(08-20-2020 03:29 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(08-20-2020 11:15 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Anchorage and Fairbanks are 6 hours apart.

The capital, Juneau, is 20 hours from Anchorage and 17 hours from Fairbanks.

Those are the only 3 cities above 20k in population.

Man, that must be a tough state to live in, especially for athletics.

Sarah Palin had her work cut out.

The "drive" from Juneau to Anchorage or Fairbanks includes a 5 hour ferry ride, and almost 6 hours of driving through Canada. About 4 of those hours are on Yukon Highway 1, which was built during WW2 by the US Army, and was finally paved in the early 1990s.

It's amazing how people are able to live there. Looks like there's no roads to get to other places like Nome as well. Then there's Barrow with the blue football field feet from the Arctic Ocean. How do they get everyone in one spot for their state tournaments?

Does UAF still have hockey or are they dropping it now too, since UAA is?

(08-20-2020 04:32 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  Does UAF still have hockey or are they dropping it now too, since UAA is?

UAF still has hockey and is not dropping any sports. They can't drop any sports since they are already at the D2 minimum of 10.

Commitment to Alaska Nanooks Programs

I want to be surprised, but I can't be. They already were moving into an 800 seat arena for their hockey team. You can't get by in D1 when you're expecting that kind of support, and definitely not west of the Appalachians.

(08-20-2020 10:22 AM)pki1998 Wrote:  

(08-19-2020 10:35 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Now is the time to merge UAA and UAF.

I agree, and maybe this is one of the steps in doing so UAF sponsors Men’s Hockey and Men’s skiing. Assuming the right sports are dropped at UAF. You could have the following sports. Parentheses indicate which campus would host the sport

MEN’S
Basketball (UAA)
Cross Country (UAA)
Track and Field Indoor (UAF)
Track and Field Outdoor (UAF)
Ice Hockey (UAF)
Skiing (UAF)

WOMEN’S
Basketball (UAA)
Cross Country (UAA)
Track and Field Indoor (UAF)
Track and Field Outdoor (UAF)
Swimming (UAF)
Skiing (UAF)
Volleyball (UAA)

Co-ed
Riffle (UAF)

In the event of a merger they could probably cut their athletics budget in half. ...

If they are doing it to save money, seems like the cross country, indoor and outdoor track would all be at the same school. Basketball and Track/XCountry at Anchorage, Skiing, Men's Hockey, Women's Volleyball and Swimming, and co-ed Rifle at Fairbanks.

One set programs makes the most sense. Nothing would prevent some of the sports like basketball from playing a few home games in the other city each season.