USC Upstate Accepts Invitation to Join Atlantic Sun Conference
Spartanburg, SC -The University of South Carolina Upstate’s journey towards reclassifying to Division I took its largest step Tuesday in accepting an official invitation from the Atlantic Sun Conference to become the league’s 12th member for the 2007-08 season.
“USC Upstate is honored to join in association with the outstanding public and private universities of the Atlantic Sun Conference,” said Chancellor John Stockwell. “Each member institution has a well-earned reputation for academic excellence and athletic competitiveness, and the Conference itself is widely respected, well-governed and well-administered. All this, taken together with the geographic distribution of the Conference and the array of men’s and women’s sports it offers, we could not ask for a better fit for our growing university.”
USC Upstate officially began the possibility of reclassifying to Division I status after the A-Sun representatives departed campus last fall. Interest grew from there and the university made an official announcement of its intention to explore reclassification in February. The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees met in February and approved USC Upstate’s potential move to Division I. The A-Sun sent an evaluation team to Spartanburg in April and left with a positive view of the university and the athletics department. The A-Sun President’s Council, the body that votes on membership issues, meets on June 15 and a vote would have been taken at that time. However, the A-Sun moved quickly on the membership issue and ballots were sent to each school president. USC Upstate was unanimously approved to become the newest member of the A-Sun.
“USC Upstate is an ideal fit for the Atlantic Sun Conference and the A-Sun is excited to have them counted among our number,” said A-Sun Commissioner Bill Bibb. “Through the leadership of Chancellor John Stockwell and Athletics Director Mike Hall, they gained the unanimous support of their constituents for this decision, and for that, they deserve to be commended. The university’s strengths mirror those of many other A-Sun members. USC Upstate is located in a major metropolitan area and is a dynamic, growing institution with a commitment to building a successful athletics program.”
The A-Sun and USC Upstate have received word from the NCAA that the university’s application for reclassification has been approved, leaving the A-Sun invitation and USC Upstate’s acceptance as the final hurdle in the process of reclassifying. USC Upstate athletic teams will compete as a member of Division II and the Peach Belt Conference next year and will become provisional Division I members playing a full Division I schedule in 2007-08.
The Atlantic Sun Conference currently has 11 members. Florida Atlantic is leaving the league at the end of this year to become a member of the Sun Belt Conference. USC Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast University, which accepted an invitation on May 10 to join the A-Sun starting in 2007-08, will allow the A-Sun to become a 12-member athletic conference. USC Upstate will join former Peach Belt Conference foes North Florida and Kennesaw State as members of the A-Sun. North Florida and Kennesaw State joined the league as provisional Division I members in 2005-06. Starting in 2007-08, the A-Sun will have schools in five states - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The member schools will be Belmont, Campbell, East Tennessee State, Florida Gulf Coast, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, North Florida, USC Upstate, and Stetson.
USC Upstate will serve its Division I exploratory year in 2006-07. The Spartans will become provisional Division I members in 2007-08 and will play a full A-Sun conference schedule. USC Upstate’s athletic teams will not be eligible to participate in A-Sun conference tournaments or postseason NCAA play for five years starting in 2007-08. However, two sports are allowed by the NCAA to be “fast-tracked” and would become full Division I playing sports within a two-year period. The perennial national power men’s soccer team, arguably the most successful athletic program at the university, and the softball team, which has advanced to the NCAA Tournament the last three years and has shown a remarkable level of consistent success for years, have been picked to be “fast-tracked” and will be eligible for postseason conference and NCAA play in 2009-10. In moving to NCAA Division I, the university must add sports to get to the required 14 by the NCAA. USC Upstate will field men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field starting in 2007-08, giving the university 15 intercollegiate athletic programs.
The history of the University of South Carolina Upstate is a chronicle of remarkable development. Since its founding, USC Upstate has grown from a small, two-year campus helping address a nursing need into one of the leading metropolitan universities in the Southeast. This growth has been a direct response to the needs of the Upstate - a tradition that began with the university’s creation. The university has expanded well beyond nursing to include 40 bachelor’s and master’s programs in the liberal arts, sciences, business, information systems, teacher education and nursing. Today’s thriving campus boasts 280 acres and an enrollment of 4,500 students.
USC Upstate has enjoyed a proud athletic history. The men’s basketball program won the 1982 NAIA National Championship and all programs have performed with a high level of success as a member of NCAA Division II since joining the ranks in 1991. USC Upstate athletic teams have won four Peach Belt Conference Commissioner Cup championships, 21 regular season Peach Belt championships, and 18 Peach Belt Tournament titles. USC Upstate athletic teams have made 31 appearances in NCAA Tournaments, including six this year.
Individually, USC Upstate’s student-athletes have excelled both on the field and in the classroom. The student-athletes have earned 198 All-Conference, 123 All-Tournament, 20 Player of the Year, and 15 Freshman of the Year honors in the Peach Belt. Spartan student-athletes have received All-America honors 27 times, two have been named the NCAA Woman of the Year for South Carolina, and the university averages over 60 selections a year to the Peach Belt Conference Presidential Academic Honor Roll.
“Today is a great day for our university,” said Athletic Director Mike Hall. “This affiliation with the Atlantic Sun is more than an athletic identity. This relationship will strengthen our academic profile, our metropolitan mission and the public awareness that USC Upstate is truly a major catalyst in the Upstate of South Carolina and beyond.
“Personally, this is an answer to my prayers and a dream come true to be able to lead our coaches, staff and student-athletes into NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Conference has very strong leadership and institutions with outstanding reputations, both academically and athletically. I am very excited to be able to implement our plan to join the A-Sun and am very grateful for the widespread campus support for this special day in the history of the university.”
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