When the rest of the Mountain East Conference tuned into ESPN2 on Dec. 19 to watch conference-mate Shepherd take on Northwest Missouri State for the NCAA Division II national title, there might have been some feelings of longing. The spotlight of the season's final game is a place every other MEC team would love to find itself.
There also were some smiles. The Rams' spot in the title game was just one of the postseason bright points the young league has enjoyed over the last two seasons. And MEC members - as preseason camps begin around the conference starting Monday - know the foundation that has laid for future campaigns. They know this early success could help other teams down the line.
The Rams' national runners-up finish was joined in 2015 with the University of Charleston's inaugural Division II playoff berth. The Golden Eagles hosted Indiana University of Pennsylvania, falling in the first round. It was the first time the MEC had qualified two teams for the postseason in the same year.
In 2014, Concord surged into the national semifinals, falling to Minnesota State-Mankato. In the MEC's inaugural season of 2013, Shepherd got the quarterfinals, losing to West Chester.
It has been a steady build since the MEC's inception, and last season was a boost across the conference on the recruiting trail. For UC coach Pat Kirkland, the benefits were obvious.
"I can go out there and say, hey, our one loss in the regular season was to a team that played in the national championship game," Kirkland said. "That's a pretty big statement to make."
But he doesn't just see positives from touting his own team's record and strength of schedule. Shepherd's success plays a part, too, and can for the rest of the conference's football teams. Playoff berths equal notoriety, and the more, the better.
"It's huge," Kirkland said. "It's a big deal. Young people want to go to programs that have success, to have the ability to have success. For us, it's helped drastically in recruiting. With just the recognition that we're able to compete for championships and make the NCAA playoffs ... then other schools go out and say, hey [the MEC] sent two teams to the NCAA playoffs. That's big for them also."
West Liberty coach Roger Waialae agreed that the rising tide of the MEC's playoff participants has lifted all the conference's boats. It's not just in football, either. It helps that three MEC teams - West Liberty, Fairmont State and Wheeling Jesuit - sat in the national top five at the end of last regular season. It helps that the conference's other sports have played for and won national titles.
Those bright points have made the MEC a much more recognizable name, Waialae said.
"Before, when we were out on the road, people were asking, 'Who do you play?' " Waialae said. "Now, with the Mountain East Conference, kids know. That was something I got early, when I was first here - "Who's in your conference? Who do you play?" Now with the success of the Shepherds and the Concords and our basketball team and Wheeling Jesuit's volleyball team and UC's soccer team, everybody knows about the Mountain East Conference."
And that goes for selection committees as well. With Shepherd, UC and Concord building a strong reputation for the Mountain East, other coaches believe it will benefit them if they can climb to the top of the conference standings. It could help the conference continue to qualify multiple football teams for the playoffs. It can push them to the top of the regional seedings rather than keep them on the lower rungs. Shepherd was No. 1 and UC No. 3 in the 2015 Super Region One football rankings.
West Virginia State coach Jon Anderson aspires to reach the conference's top, as does every other coach in the league. As much as they'd love to be there right now, they know the groundwork already laid will make a difference in the future.
"Any time anyone from your league can make the playoffs and do well, your league is looked upon a certain way nationally," Anderson said. "We have a positive outlook with our league. We're going to continue to get teams in the playoffs. We're going to continue to get ranked highly in the region and allow more access for this league.
"You want that to be the expectation based on the strength of the league," he continued. "Everyone has talked about how it's a really strong league and improved from year to year and I've seen that. Any time you're part of something successful, it's going to pay off for you in the end."