Go, Lancers!

We knew you could do it.

Wait. Let's rephrase that.

We knew they could do it.

We knew the Big South Conference would finally pass the ball to Longwood University for a winning shot as a conference teammate.

The long-awaited, long-sought inclusion of Longwood University into the Big South Conference will be a win-win-win situation.

A win for Longwood University.

A win for the Big South Conference.

And a win for the Farmville community.

There is nothing but admiration from these pages for the indefatigable resolve of Longwood University's teams, coaches and student-athletes, in particular, for maintaining the unusually high level of personal commitment in response to the rigorous demands of being a Division I Independent.

The lack of an athletic conference home for all sports created a tremendous burden for those LU teams, but Longwood University possessed the heart necessary to carry that weight across the finish line into the Big South Conference.

As Longwood University Patrick Finnegan noted, “By limiting the travel time for our student-athletes through conference play close to home, we will be able to continue to put the 'student' first. We look forward to showing that our Lancers can be competitive both on the field of play and in the classroom, while increasing the visibility for our outstanding institution.”

A win for Longwood University.

“Longwood University will be an outstanding member of the Big South Conference,” noted conference commissioner Kyle B. Kallander. “Longwood features strong leadership, an outstanding academic reputation, a commitment to Division I athletic success, and values student-athlete well-being. These are all characteristics that are shared by Big South members and make Longwood a wonderful fit. We are excited to welcome the Longwood Lancers to the Big South family.”

A win for the Big South Conference.

Anything that strengthens Longwood University automatically benefits the Farmville community. That is a given. But with two of the conference's 11 other members being down the road on U.S. 460-Liberty University and Radford University-the rivalries waiting to emerge will create another reason for folks to drive to Farmville for a game, and a meal and some economy-boosting shopping while they are here.

A win for the Farmville community.

So, again-Go, Lancers!

March Madness, anyone?

-JKW-