Written by John Mark Adkison
Next season, Harding University’s athletics programs will no longer play in the Gulf South Conference; instead they will become a member of the newly dubbed Great American Conference. Harding began discussions to change conferences this past summer, but the formal announcement to join the league was made last week on Tuesday, Nov. 23. “Much of the impetus for the new league, according to the CEOs, was to bring together institutions with similar athletic and academic profiles as well as those in geographic proximity to lessen travel costs and missed class time for student-athletes,” said Scott Goode, Harding’s sports information director. Along with Harding, the Great American Conference will contain eight other institutions, five from Arkansas and three from Oklahoma.”One change that people will notice is that it is possible that Harding and the Great American Conference will be in a new region,” Goode said. “Currently, Harding and the Gulf South Conference are in the NCAA II South Region, which also includes the Sunshine State Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Because the regions are aligned based on geography, it is likely that Harding will be in a different region in the new conference. It is also possible that the NCAA will have to readjust all the regions to accommodate the new conference.”The conference’s name was also announced on Tuesday, Nov. 23. In a joint statement made by the member institutions’ presidents and chancellors, as reported by Harding’s Sports Information, the conference’s name was chosen to “reflect the diversity of the league’s geographic regions, from the Mississippi Delta of southeast Arkansas to the plains of western Oklahoma.”Women’s basketball head coach Tim Kirby said he was excited for the change in scenery and the conference’s new name. “I think the Great American Conference has a good sound to it and one that will attract the attention of student athletes being recruited,” Kirby said.While Harding will now be facing off against new opponents, the Bisons will still be seeing many of the same faces.”I am most excited that we will still maintain our traditional rivalries with the five other Arkansas schools,” Goode said.Another special difference in this new conference is who will be the conference president, and it is none other than Harding’s own president, Dr. David Burks.”This is the start of an exciting and promising era of athletic competition for our member institutions,” Burks said. “It’s a win for the institutions, for our athletic programs, our students and our alumni.”
