(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Atlantic University Sport held its 2016 annual general last week in Baddeck, N.S. Cape Breton University athletics hosted the annual meetings, attended by representatives from all 11 member institutions, at the Inverary Resort in Cape Breton.
Phil Currie, executive director of Atlantic University Sport, chaired the meetings. Each AGM includes receiving reports from the various AUS committees, discussion on any motions coming forward for the 2016 CIS AGM scheduled for June 6-9 in Toronto, finalizing the 2016-17 AUS playing schedules and reviewing sport-specific motions that come from the coaches’ associations of the winter sports.
“Our annual general meetings are always a productive time for our conference,” said Currie. “We made a decision earlier this season to extend our 2012-2015 strategic plan by another two years to ensure that we accomplish all of the things we set out to do. We had some very positive dialogue at this year’s meetings and I am confident that we are continuing to make strides and positive changes which will benefit our student-athletes, our fans and all of our stakeholders.”
Highlights of items discussed at these meetings are as follows:
AUS management council names new president
Leo MacPherson, director of athletics for St. Francis Xavier University, officially began his term as president of the AUS management council, while Kevin Dickie, director of athletics at Acadia University, wrapped up a two-year term as president.
“We’re very grateful to Kevin for all of his hard work and dedication these past two years,” said Currie. “His passion and commitment to excellence in athletics were very evident throughout his term as president and we would like to thank him for his leadership.”
Incoming president Leo MacPherson brings a wealth of experience to the seat. He is one of the conference’s longest serving athletic directors, having begun his tenure at StFX in 2005. From 2011 to 2013, MacPherson served as the president of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. He also served on the CIS board of directors for six years.
Men's hockey regular season and playoff format determined
The AUS men's hockey regular season format was determined based on seven participating teams.
The 2016-17 league schedule will see all seven teams play each other five times for a total of 30 regular season games.
All teams will play 15 home games and 15 away games, with the additional home game against each team alternating on a yearly basis. (In each two-year cycle, Team A will play two home and three away games versus Team B in Year 1. In Year 2, Team A will play three home and two away games versus Team B.)
The standings will consist of a single division with the top six teams qualifying for the AUS playoffs. The playoff format will remain the same.
Men’s hockey overtime format changed
Beginning in the 2016-17 season, the AUS men’s hockey overtime format will consist of a five-minute three-on-three sudden death overtime period, followed by a shootout, if necessary.
Previously, the format consisted of a 10-minute four-on-four overtime period, followed by a shootout.
Subway AUS Basketball Championships pilot-project extended
In 2014, management council initiated a two-year pilot project to have the conference office host the women’s basketball championship concurrently with the men’s, at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax in 2015 and 2016.
Given the event’s success, the conference has decided to extend this pilot project for another year. An overall review of the two championships will be conducted following the 2017 event.
Women's volleyball championship format moves to Final Four
Starting in 2016-17, the top four ranked women's volleyball teams following regular season play will qualify for the AUS championship.
The championship will take place over two days, where the first day will consist of two semifinals. The top-seeded team will face the fourth seed, while the second seed will face the third seed. The second day will see a third-place match and a championship match contested.
The host of the Subway AUS Women's Volleyball Championship will be determined on a rotational basis, however the host must finish in the top four in that particular season. If the host does not finish in the top four, the next team in the rotation (who has finished within the top four) will become that season’s championship host. The team which did not qualify will become the host for the following year.
The six-year rotation is as follows: 2016-17: Saint Mary's, 2017-18: Moncton, 2018-19: Memorial, 2019-20: Dalhousie, 2020-21: UNB and 2021-22: Acadia.
2017 AUS winter championship hosts announced:
The scheduling for the 2016-17 season was concluded and the following dates and locations have been confirmed for the AUS winter championship events:
- UPEI will host the 2017 Subway AUS Swimming Championships, February 10-12 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
- Université de Moncton will host the 2017 Subway AUS Track and Field Championships, February 24-25 in Moncton, N.B.
- Atlantic University Sport will host the 2017 Subway AUS Basketball Championships, March 3-5 in Halifax, N.S.
The 2016-17 regular season schedules for men’s and women’s hockey, basketball and volleyball will be released next week.