DAC will stick around for another year

The Dakota Athletic Conference will live on for another year, albeit a little smaller.

Jamestown College, Valley City State, Mayville State and Dickinson State will operate as a four-team league, and will continue to award conference champions, all-conference athletes and many of the things they have done for years. However, they will not have an automatic bid into NAIA national tournaments. Six teams are required to receive an automatic bid.

The plan is for the 2011-12 year only, beyond that nothing has been determined.

“I don’t think anyone viewed this as a major announcement or initiative. It’s something our President’s decided on at a meeting in December,” JC athletic director Lawrie Paulson.

The league is losing four conference members. Minot State has been accepted to the NSIC, while Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines are also going NCAA Division II. Dakota State is becoming an NAIA independent.

“I don’t know if this is intended as a response to what has been portrayed as the death of the DAC or not, but we will continue to operate as a conference next year,” Paulson said. “Beyond that I don’t think that anybody knows what will happen.”

—Dave Selvig

Tags: college sports, sports, jimmies, dac