Post-merger student-athlete possibilities: What’s the sitch?

Editor’s Note: Michael is an Electronic Journalism Arts student at Lyndon State College. This piece is the first in a collaboration with Basement Medicine to better represent our unified community.

 

With the unification of Johnson and Lyndon approaching, students have heard the benefits of combining two colleges to form a university. Students can enroll in classes at both colleges and now have double the resources they would have had before the merger. 

 

But where does this leave athletics for both colleges? Will the athletic departments be merging along with the colleges? What if a student enrolled at Johnson State wants to play baseball? Johnson doesn’t have a baseball program, but Lyndon does. Is it possible for that student to play for NVU-Lyndon while attending NVU-Johnson?

 

For students wondering if they can attend one school but play a varsity sport at the other, Johnson State Athletic Director Jamey Ventura has a simple answer: No. 

 

“Incoming student athletes to NVU will be recruited specifically to a specific team on a specific campus,” said Ventura, who has been the Athletic Director at Johnson since 2011. 

 

According to Lyndon State Athletic Director Chris Ummer, who also coaches cross country at Lyndon, it made sense for Lyndon and Johnson to keep their athletic departments separate due to the distance between the two schools.

 

Ventura also explained how Chancellor Jeb Spaulding asked the NCAA if it would be possible to keep the athletic departments separate. 

 

“It is possible to do so,” said Ventura, “but those departments must maintain separate budgets, staffs, and varsity programs and cannot be combined by two campuses.” 

 

Although the colleges’ athletic departments will remain separate following the merger, both Athletic Directors feel that merging the two colleges academically will be beneficial for both departments. 

 

“I am certain the unification will help our two athletic departments in recruiting,” said Ventura. “The fact that we will become a University is a plus when recruiting students because of the additional [academic] opportunities.”

 

Ventura continued to explain how the name of the University will benefit recruiting. 

 

“Vermont being in the school name is also a huge bonus to out of state students and families,” said Ventura. “People out of state have a positive image on Vermont.”

 

Ummer discussed the importance of keeping both departments separate in regards to Lyndon’s enrollment: “Our total full time undergraduate body is about 950 students — the athletic department makes up roughly 22 percent of that.”

 

Ummer continued to explain how if the athletic departments were combined, then both colleges would likely drop athletic enrollment, which would ultimately impact both Lyndon and Johnson’s overall enrollment. 

 

“Keeping the departments separate helps maintain the overall enrollment numbers on each campus,” said Ummer. 

 

 

COMPARING THE COMPETITION:
Lyndon State currently has 15 varsity sports that make up their athletic department, including baseball which Johnson does not have. However, Johnson State offers men’s golf, along with 13 other varsity sports.

 

Lyndon State’s men’s cross country team has taken the NAC Championship seven out of the last nine years. As for Johnson, the Badgers haven’t won any recent championships, but the 1980 cross country team was inducted into the Johnson Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

When it comes to men’s and women’s basketball, both schools haven’t made much noise in the standings. This year, Lyndon State welcomed new head coach, David Pasiak, to the men’s basketball program. Pasiak replaced former head coach and Lyndon alum, Chris Dorsey, who accepted the Men’s Head Coaching position at Centenary College in Louisiana.

 

Johnson’s women’s soccer team is currently 2-0 on the year, while Lyndon lost their first two matchups. 
Johnson’s men’s team is currently atop of the conference with a 2-0 record, despite being placed 9th in the NAC preseason rankings. Lyndon won their first match of the year. 

 

For men’s lacrosse, Johnson has found themselves at the bottom three of the standings in the past few years. Lyndon’s program is on the rise as the Hornets have made the playoffs the last two years, after head coach Kevin Pezanowski took over the program in 2014. Pezanowski was named coach of the year in both 2015 and 2016.