Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Grand Island soccer standout Logan Mendez was bound for Morningside College. His deposit was paid. He had a roommate. And he knew what day he would register for classes.
And then in March, UNO announced it was starting an NCAA Division I men's soccer program.
A few months later, Morningside, an NAIA school, was out and the Mavericks had their first recruit for their new program — Mendez.
Everything changed in area men's soccer recruiting as a bigger school with more resources entered the competition just when most of the best players were securing their college plans.
The University of Nebraska at Omaha's men's soccer start-up has sent a jolt through the Great Plains Athletic Conference, of which Morningside is a member.
The GPAC plays at the NAIA level, and its soccer teams are full of athletes from Nebraska high schools — players like Mendez who dreamed of playing Division I soccer but, because of limited opportunities, found homes in the GPAC.
Mavericks coach Jason Mims makes no bones about it. As he scrambles to fill his roster for the start of competition this fall, he's going after the best players in the area. And, yes, he knows some of them had previously been committed to GPAC schools.
“We're going to build a team here, so we're going to explore every option that we can, recruiting-wise,'' Mims said.
Since the NCAA and NAIA are different organizations, UNO and Mims are breaking no rules by going after players previously headed for NAIA schools.
But it still doesn't sit well with Morningside coach Tom Maxon, who before the UNO news, was thrilled to have a player of Mendez's caliber headed for his program.
“We do honor each other's written agreements,'' he said. “Even in Division I, no one has challenged it before.''
Mims, a former assistant at Creighton, Nebraska's only other Division I soccer program, said he's spoken to several area GPAC coaches about his recruiting goals, including Maxon, Hastings College's Chris Kranjc and Doane College's Greg Jarosik.
“They put themselves in my shoes, and I think they understand the timing of the situation is very difficult,'' he said.
Enough GPAC coaches were concerned, however, that the issue was discussed at a recent league meeting. Maxon said schools were advised to send individual letters to UNO, which Morningside plans to do.
Kranjc, who won an NAIA national championship last fall, said Hastings will not send a letter even though at least two of his previously committed players have decided to switch to UNO.
“I don't agree with the process of them recruiting players already signed,'' Kranjc said. “I understand they need players and they are a new program. We are in the same boat.''
UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts said he's received no communication from any GPAC schools. He said he understands the coaches' frustration, but he said the Mavs had no choice but to start their men's program this fall to comply with NCAA regulations. It makes for an unusual but not unethical recruiting situation, he said.
Mims, Alberts said, is “in a difficult position to try and find young people to be part of a program.”
But so now are Maxon and other GPAC coaches, who aren't sure exactly who remains in their recruiting classes and likely won't for a while.
“We don't know where it's going to stop,'' Maxon said.
Hastings' Kranjc said he's frustrated with the situation, not in any individuals involved. He hopes the GPAC schools can build the same positive relationship with UNO that they now have with Creighton.
Having another Division I program in the state is only going to strengthen area soccer, he said.
“In the end, we'll all benefit from it,'' he said. “The training is going to get better, the competition is going to get better. It's only going to help everybody. And that's what we want.''
Kranjc said there will be enough good players for GPAC schools to bounce back and field competitive teams.
“It's so brand new right now,'' he said, “and we're all trying to adjust to it.''
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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Video: Goalie practice with all-staters Logan Mendez and Rachel Brennan
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