The wind of change will hit North Idaho College in the fall, then again in the spring, but as far as athletics go, they'll still be cozy for a few more years.

At least.

STARTING WITH the 2016-17 school year, NIC will transition completely to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

This fall, both men's and women's soccer teams will move to the Eastern Region of the NWAACC, as will the softball team next spring.

Volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball will remain in the NJCAA's Scenic West Athletic Conference until then.

"Primarily because of the size of our conference, we get automatic bids for basketball and get two bids for volleyball," NIC athletic director Al Williams said. "If we would have left immediately, it would have impacted our national automatic bids for those sports."

Southern Nevada and Western Nevada compete in softball and baseball, but field no other teams in the SWAC.

"It still leaves the SWAC with six teams, and there are enough quality teams in Arizona, so we would retain our automatic bids. This year is a districting year for the NJCAA, so it was important to have six teams in volleyball and basketball to retain our automatic bids."

Voting was done at the annual NJCAA meeting in early April.

"Retaining volleyball was even more important since our conference gets two bids based upon the quality of the league," Williams said. "We have been to nationals in volleyball four consecutive years and six times in nine years. Women's basketball has qualified for nationals four times in the past six seasons, including the 2011 national championship, so our absence would have had a severe negative impact on the national bid discussions."

Williams added that scheduling for next year has already been completed as far as volleyball and basketball.

"It just would have been tough to leave the league so quickly," Williams said.

To be eligible for the postseason in the NWAACC, NIC must get its roster to the same level as the other schools.

"We can't provide them money for room and board, books and other expenses," Williams said.

In the Eastern Region, they'll join the Community Colleges of Spokane, Columbia Basin, Walla Walla, Treasure Valley, Wenatchee Valley, Big Bend, Blue Mountain and Yakima Valley.

"It will be fun," Williams said. "I'm looking forward to having some regional competition. In soccer, we play a lot of the schools in the west and NWAACC schools already."

With the NWAACC, conference tournaments are held at the Toyota Center in Kennewick (volleyball, men's and women's basketball) and at the Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

In previous years, NIC often times had to travel to Utah or Colorado for tournaments, leaving fans unable to travel.

"With conference tournaments a little closer, it gives fans a chance to get to see some postseason play," Williams said. "All of the tournaments are played within a five-day span and have a regional championship as close as 2 1/2 hours away is good. Seattle, it's still close, but it is just more accommodating and more friends and families can come watch. It will just make for some better rivalries."

FOR NIC men's basketball coach Jared Phay, they'll approach recruiting much the same way as in the previous decade.

"We're not going to the NWAACC for two years," Phay said. "It's going to be business as normal for the next two years. We have a lot of returners from last year coming back."

The only sophomores on last year's team were Nathan Rathbun, Bryce Leavitt and Jason Wheelock. Of the freshmen, only Braxton Tucker (signed with Portland State) and Cole Kesler (LDS mission) won't return as of now.

"We kind of knew that all along with Cole," Phay said. "He's going to Russia, and kind of knew he'd be gone after a year when he came here."

WILLIAMS ADDED that the school is still a couple weeks away from hiring a new volleyball coach.

"We're pretty close," Williams said. "(2012-13 assistant coach) Kelsey (Stanley) has been doing a good job of leading the team on an interim basis, but is out on maternity leave now. We'll make a decision real quick, and hopefully have something within a couple of weeks."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.