(Council Bluffs, IA) — The Hawkeye Ten Conference members had a meeting today and have vowed to explore changing the structure of its conference and pursue possible expansion. In a release by the President of the H-10 Conference Pat Ryan of St. Albert says “As part of our ongoing mission to provide meaningful, equitable, and competitive opportunities for student athletes, the Hawkeye Ten Athletic Conference is actively exploring a new structural model for certain activities. Specifically we are pursuing a plan to implement large and small school divisions within the conference for select sports and activities.”
Ryan further went on to say that in the next two weeks they will “assess the feasibility and interest” in either realigning the conference or possibly inviting new members to join the H-10. Ryan says that all conversations are preliminary and are focused on exploring all options. Ryan also stated that they are not releasing any names of schools involved in the discussions to “preserve the integrity of the process.”
Ryan was contacted by KSOM/KS 95 but declined an interview saying that the conference will not comment any further until after their next scheduled meeting on Monday, July 7.
The Hawkeye Ten could be fighting for their survival with six current members having invitations from other conferences. Red Oak and Shenandoah have been invited to join the Western Iowa Conference and Denison Schleswig, Glenwood, Harlan, and Lewis Central have been invited to join the Missouri River Conference. That leaves five members — Atlantic, Clarinda, Creston, Kuemper Catholic and St. Albert without any current options.
West Central Iowa has been engulfed in conference realignment this summer — Des Moines Christian left the West Centra Activities Conference for the Little Hawkeye and Audubon and IKM Manning have decided to leave the Western Iowa Conference for the Rolling Valley. Those dominos have triggered the WIC sending out invitations to 10 schools and the MRC looking to expand by sending invitations to four schools.
Read the full release from the Hawkeye Ten Conference below
