This is part of an ongoing series covering various college realignment news for all three NCAA Divisions as well as the NAIA. The roundup below will cover news and reports since January 15, 2024, and provide updates on previously discussed topics. As a reminder, all official moves starting with the 2023-24 academic year can be found here while anything happening in 2024-25 or later can be found here.
We’ll break out the reports for each Division in the following order: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and NAIA. Clicking the links will bring you to that specific section. If a division is not highlighted, there has been no news in the preceding two weeks. We’ve also summarized the news items in a table below if you are more interested in a summary or specific news item rather than having to scroll to find it.
| School(s) | News Item | Realignment Change / Effective Year | Current Conference | New Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Bible College | Changing name to Mission University | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
| Brescia | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Campbellsville | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Capital University | Adding Bowling Teams | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | Ohio Bowling Conference (Multiple) |
| Cleveland State | May Acquire Notre Dame College | No | N/A | N/A |
| Colorado State Pueblo | Lacrosse Dropping to Club Status | Yes – 2024-25 | RMAC (D2) | N/A |
| Cumberland | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| D2 Rowing Championship | May Be Discontinued | Yes – 2027-28 | N/A | N/A |
| D3 Championship Broadcsts | Certain Broadcasts to be on ESPN+ | No – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
| Gallaudet | Cancels Baseball Season | Yes – 2023-24 | United East (D3) | N/A |
| Georgetown (KY) | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Lake Erie College | Financial Difficulties | No | N/A | N/A |
| Lesley Univeristy | Discontinuing Men’s Volleyball | Yes – 2024-25 | NECC (D3) | N/A |
| Lesley University | Adding Men’s Golf | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | NAC (D3) |
| Loyola Marymount | Dropping 6 sports | Yes – 2024-25 | Independent/PCS&DC/ WIRA/WCC (D1) | N/A |
| Midway | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Mississippi University for Women | Another New Name | No – TBD | N/A | N/A |
| Mount Aloysius | Adding Rifle Team | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | TBD (Multiple levels) |
| New England College | Adding Nordic Skiing | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | TBD (Multiple levels) |
| Notre Dame College | May be Absorbed by Cleveland State | No | N/A | N/A |
| Oakland City | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Independent (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Oregon State | Baseball to be independent in 2025 | Yes – 2024-25 | Pac-12 (D1) | Independent (D1) |
| Pittsburg State | Adding Golf Programs | Yes – 2024-25 2025-26 | N/A | MIAA (D2) |
| Redlands | Merging with Woodbury | No – TBD | N/A | N/A |
| Regent University | Adding Men’s Volleyball | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | NCCAA |
| Rice | Reinstating Women’s Diving | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | AAC (D1) |
| River States Conference | Sponsoring Men’s Volleyball | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | N/A |
| Rockford | Adding Women’s Bowling | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | TBD (Multiple Levels) |
| Sacred Heart | Will Play FCS Independent Schedule in 2024 | Yes – 2024-25 | NEC (D1) | FCS Independent (D1) |
| Saint Mary of the Woods | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | WHAC (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| SUNY Oswego | Men’s Tennis Moving to new Conference | Yes – 2024-25 | Independent (D3) | Empire 8 (D3) |
| University of Rio Grande | Men’s Volleyball to River States | Yes – 2024-25 | Mid-South (NAIA) | River States (NAIA) |
| Wells College | Field Hockey has New Home | Yes – 2024-25 | NAC (D3) | Atlantic East (D3) |
| Western New Mexico | May Add 2 Sports | TBD | N/A | N/A |
| Wilberforce | Adding 2 Programs | Yes – 2024-25 | TBD (NAIA) | TBD (NAIA) |
| Wingate | Adds Beach Volleyball | Yes – 2024-25 | N/A | TBD (D2) |
NCAA Division 1 Sports Changes
Loyola Marymount (Los Angeles, California) is dropping six sports after the current academic year. The six sports that will not return in 2024-25 are men’s cross country (West Coast Conference), men’s rowing (Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association), men’s track & field (independent), women’s rowing (WCC), women’s swimming & diving (Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference), and women’s track and field (independent). LMU is a full member of the West Coast Conference and will maintain the 14 remaining varsity sports with no additional cuts planned.
Oregon State’s baseball team will play the 2025 season as an independent instead of joining the West Coast Conference. OSU and Washington State agreed to send most sports to the WCC to have access to the NCAA Championships but the Beavers feel the best route for baseball is to put together an independent schedule. OSU has made 6 CWS appearances since 2005 (2005-2007, 2013, 2017, and 2018) and won CWS titles in 2006, 2007, and 2018.
Rice is bringing back its women’s diving team beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Owls already have a women’s swimming team that competes in the American Athletic Conference but discontinued the diving portion in 1991 after the NCAA changed pool facility requirements. Rice will compete in the AAC.
Sacred Heart (Fairfield, Connecticut) will play as an FCS Independent in 2024. SHU is already leaving the Northeast Conference to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2024-25 but the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football. Complicating matters was that the NEC typically doesn’t retain members as football-only affiliates although that stance has softened with Robert Morris returning in 2024-25. It remains to be seen where fellow NEC to MAAC member Merrimack ends up for 2024 although an independent schedule is not out of the question.
Cleveland State and Notre Dame College (Ohio) Discuss Acquisition
Cleveland State and Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio) have had multiple discussions that would result in CSU absorbing NDC. A decision is expected by February 15 but how long the actual process would take remains unclear. Notre Dame College is an NCAA Division 2 member of the Mountain East Conference and was first established in 1922. Recent enrollment struggles – an often mentioned issue among higher education – were the impetus for the talks with Cleveland State. Cleveland State is a primary member of the NCAA Division 1 Horizon League and it is unknown how the two athletic departments would merge. Among the sports at the two schools is football, which Notre Dame College offers but Cleveland State does not.
NCAA Division 2 Sports Changes
Colorado State Pueblo (Pueblo, Colorado) will transition its men’s lacrosse team from varsity to club status following the 2023-24 academic year. The school cited a lack of geographical travel partners in its decision. CSU Pueblo competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for men’s lacrosse, which has only five members for the 2024 season. The school said no other programs will be impacted beyond this decision.
Pittsburg State (Pittsburg, Kansas) is bringing back men’s golf and adding a women’s golf program. The men’s program will begin competing in 2024-25 while the women’s program will start a year later in 2025-26. Both teams will compete in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is Pittsburg State’s primary conference.
Western New Mexico University (Silver City, New Mexico) wants to add men’s baseball and women’s soccer. The school is requesting funding from the state of New Mexico for numerous projects and part of the funding would allow those two programs to be added. A timeline of when the sports could be added was not provided. WNMU is a full member of the Lone Star Conference and the LSC sponsors both sports.
Wingate University (Wingate, North Carolina) is adding beach volleyball beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. It is not known which conference Wingate will compete in as its primary home – the South Atlantic Conference – does not sponsor the sport. However, Wingate is the fourth SAC school to add the sport following Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Tusculum.
Women’s rowing may see its NCAA Championship discontinued starting with the 2027-28 academic year based on recent legislative proposals. The new proposal would require a minimum of 35 schools that sponsor the sport in order to maintain its championship. Women’s rowing at the Division 2 level has only 15 members and needs another 20 teams in the three-year grace period to reach the minimum.
Lake Erie College Facing Financial Troubles
Lake Erie College (Painesville, Ohio) is the latest school to face financial issues. The school reportedly defaulted on a bond repayment and has only a week’s worth of cash reserves. Lake Erie is required to have 25 days of cash reserves as part of the bond deal it made in 2019 to finance various projects. Lake Erie is a full member of the NCAA Division 2’s Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
D3 Championship Broadcast Deals
More details have been revealed regarding the NCAA Division 3 Championship broadcasts after the recent TV rights deal between ESPN and the NCAA. For football, the semifinal games will remain on ESPN+ while the national championship will be shown on ESPNU. ESPN will broadcast the semifinals and championship games on ESPN+ for men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball according to a summary provided by the division.
The release noted that the current agreement with CBS for the men’s and women’s basketball championship ends after this 2023-24 academic year. Additional championships not covered under the agreement will be broadcast by the NCAA on its website.
NCAA Division 3 Sports Changes
Capital University (Bexley, Ohio) is adding men’s and women’s bowling teams beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The newly added programs will compete in the Ohio Bowling Conference, which has members from both the NCAA and NAIA. Capital is a full member of the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.) will not play baseball in the upcoming 2024 season due to a lack of players. The Bison play in the United East Conference and hopes to return for the 2025 season.
Lesley University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) is making two athletic program changes. The school has decided to discontinue men’s volleyball but will add men’s golf with both changes effective with the 2024-25 academic year. Men’s volleyball competed in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) while men’s golf will compete in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), which is Lesley’s primary conference.
Mount Aloysius College (Cresson, Pennsylvania) is adding a co-ed rifle team beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. It is not yet known which conference, if any, Mount Aloysius will compete in. The collegiate rifling programs from all levels of the NCAA compete against one another in the same division. The Mounties are a full member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
New England College (Henniker, New Hampshire) is adding Nordic skiing as a varsity sport beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Pilgrims compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, which doesn’t sponsor the sport. The conference the new Nordic skiing program competes in, if any, will be determined at a later date. The collegiate skiing programs from all levels of the NCAA compete against one another in the same division.
Regent University (Virginia Beach, Virginia) is adding men’s volleyball beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Regent is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) but is pursuing NCAA Division 3 membership and adding men’s volleyball will aid its application. Regent is hoping to use the 2024-25 academic year as an exploratory year before embarking on a three-year reclassification process beginning in 2025-26.
Rockford University (Rockford, Illinois) is adding women’s bowling beginning with the 2024-25 academic year where it will compete against programs from all three divisions of the NCAA. It is not known where the women’s bowling team will compete since the Regents’ primary conference – the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) – doesn’t sponsor the sport.
SUNY Oswego (Oswego, New York) will move its men’s tennis team to the Empire 8 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Lakers currently play as an independent team because their primary conference – the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) – doesn’t sponsor the sport. They will be the fifth team in the E8 for men’s tennis and play alongside Alfred, Houghton, Nazareth, and St. John Fisher.
Wells College (Aurora, New York) is moving its women’s field hockey program from the North Atlantic Conference to the Atlantic East Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Wells is a full member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) but the AMCC doesn’t sponsor women’s field hockey.
Redlands to Merge with Woodbury
The University of Redlands (Redlands, California) will merge with Woodbury University (Burbank, California) although the timing of the merger has not been confirmed. While this has no impact from an athletic standpoint due to the lack of athletic programs at Woodbury, it will help Redlands increase its enrollment and potentially reach more student-athletes. Redlands anticipates it will use the Woodbury facilities as a branch of its university. Redlands is a full member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in NCAA Division 3.
Mississippi University for Women Looking for New Name
The Mississippi University for Women (Columbus, Mississippi) is accepting additional potential name changes after getting a negative reception for its original proposed name to Mississippi Brightwell University. The school received feedback from alumni who were not happy with the change to Brightwell and will accept more names in a survey that lasts until January 29. MUW will make a recommendation by February 1, announce the selection before February 14, and submit it to the state legislature by the February 15 deadline.
NAIA Sports Changes
The River States Conference will sponsor men’s volleyball beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. It will be the 18th championship sponsored by the RSC and the first season will have eight teams competing for an automatic qualifying bid. Five teams will be members of the RSC – Brescia University, Midway University, Oakland City University, Saint Mary of the Woods College, and the University of Rio Grande – and three will be affiliate members from the Mid-South Conference – Campbellsville University, Cumberland University, and Georgetown (KY) College.
Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio) is adding two sports – women’s soccer and volleyball – beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Bulldogs are joining the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) beginning in 2024-25 but it is not yet known which conference the two newest sports will compete in. The GCAC does sponsor women’s volleyball but doesn’t sponsor women’s soccer.
Baptist Bible College Changing Name
Baptist Bible College (Springfield, Missouri) is changing its name to Mission University as part of a wider effort to modernize the school. Mission University will keep its nickname of the Patriots. Mission is leaving the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and joining the NAIA’s American Midwest Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.
Photo courtesy of Oregon State Athletics