Southern Indiana Athletic Conference could lose Vincennes Lincoln
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Changes could be coming to the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference again.
Multiple local high school officials have told the Courier & Press that Vincennes Lincoln High School is exploring an exit from the conference. It comes less than two years after the Alices joined the SIAC following the 2019-20 school year.
The reasoning? A lack of success. Most of Vincennes’ team sports have struggled to finish high in conference standings. A move, if one does occur, would likely happen after the 2022-23 school year due to game contracts.
More: SIAC will add Vincennes Lincoln and Jasper amid conference reshuffling
The other current SIAC schools are Bosse, Castle, Central, Harrison, Jasper, Mater Dei, Memorial, North and Reitz.
"Right now, we are a member of the SIAC," Vincennes Athletics Director Mike Quinn said in an email to the Courier & Press. "If options come our way, we will look to see if it is in the best interest of our student-athletes and school."
The Alices have a history of success in multiple sports, including state championships in boys basketball (1923 and 1981) and baseball (2002). They were a founding member of the Big Eight Conference in 1980 and consistently competed well against those schools. Here is where they stood in terms of Big Eight titles: boys basketball (first), football (second) and girls basketball (third).
The success hasn’t immediately followed them to the SIAC. Aside from volleyball (third in 2020), girls basketball (fifth in 2020-21 and currently fourth this season) and boys tennis (fourth this fall), no other team sports have finished in the top half of the standings. The football program won seven games over the past two seasons combined, with three of those in state tournament play. Vincennes finished last in the SIAC in football last fall.
What could be the next step for the Alices?
Option 1: Status quo
Vincennes would remain a member of the SIAC. Athletic success at the high school level comes in cycles. The conference wants them to remain a member. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have invited them three years ago.
Option 2: Move to the PAC or WIC
The Alices join a conference they feel is a better fit. Two are geographically reasonable.
The first is the Pocket Athletic Conference. Officials tell the Courier this is the school's preferred route. Although the PAC board hasn’t had any official discussions, a representative from Vincennes has reached out to member schools to inform them of their interest. But it’s not guaranteed anything will come of this.
Vincennes, an enrollment of 735 in the latest IHSAA numbers, would compete against many of the old Big Eight schools. The biggest hurdle is the PAC already features 12 schools in football (Tecumseh is an independent).
The other option is the Western Indiana Conference, which has 11 schools and operates to the northeast. Some of its members: Northview, Sullivan and West Vigo.
Option 3: Independence
This isn’t an issue in most sports. Football is the exception and would be a major task to fill nine games each season.
"This was all about the stability of scheduling, particularly when it pertains to football,” former Vincennes Lincoln Principal Steve Combs told the Courier & Press when the school joined the SIAC in 2019.
Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Vincennes Lincoln exploring departure from SIAC, sources say
