College Realignment Report for April 15, 2024

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 March 31, 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 changes 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.

College Football “Super League” Proposed

College Sports Tomorrow – a group of college presidents and well-known sports leaders – is proposing a system of promotion and relegation within college football akin to a “Super League” proposed for European soccer’s top teams. The proposal would make all current members of the Power 5 conference (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC), Notre Dame, and SMU – 70 teams – permanent members. Another 10 teams would compete in a separate group that would have promotion and relegation just like European soccer.

The 8 division winners and 8 wild card teams would then compete in an expanded 16-team playoff. The biggest hurdle is getting the most important pieces – the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC – to agree to a new structure, which is unlikely at this time. In addition, there are also contractual TV obligations involving each conference that would need to be resolved.

Mercyhurst Moving to Division 1

Mercyhurst University (Erie, Pennsylvania) will leave the Division 2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and move up to Division 1’s Northeast Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The NEC will be up to 8 football members and 9 full members in 2024. Of those 9 schools, three will still be reclassifying from D2: Le Moyne (eligible in 2027-28), Mercyhurst (eligible in 2028-29), and Stonehill (eligible in 2026-27). Seven of Mercyhurst’s sports will not participate in the NEC in 2024-25 with men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s track & field (indoor and outdoor), and men’s volleyball competing elsewhere.

Manhattan College Financial Issues

Manhattan College is facing financial issues but is not planning to close according to school president Milo Riverso. Manhattan has a deficit of $17 million and has seen a 30% decline in enrollment, which has necessitated faculty layoffs. Manhattan was founded in 1853 and is a Division 1 member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

AAC Selects New Commissioner

The American Athletic Confernece (AAC) has selected Tim Pernetti as its next commissioner. Pernetti was the athletic director at Rutgers from 2009 through 2013 and helped position the school in its move from the AAC to the Big Ten starting in 2014. Most recently, Pernetti has been president of the IMG Academy since 2015. Pernetti will take over for former commissioner Mike Aresco who was in charge of the AAC since its founding in 2013.

NCAA Division 1 Sports Changes

Alabama State (Montgomery, Alabama) is adding women’s flag football beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. As noted by HBCU Sports, Alabama State is the second HBCU to add the sport following Florida Memorial in 2021. ASU is a full member of the Southwestern Athletic Confernece (SWAC) and the only Division 1 HBCU to offer women’s flag football.

Delaware’s men’s soccer team will join the Summit League beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. While Delaware is currently a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, the school is moving to Conference USA in 2025-26 but C-USA doesn’t sponsor men’s soccer. The Blue Hens joining the Summit League will give the conference 6 men’s soccer teams along with Denver, Missouri-Kansas City, Nebraska-Omaha, Oral Roberts, and St. Thomas (MN).

According to a recent report, Michigan may look to add a varsity women’s hockey team in the future. Current Michigan Regent Denise Illitch is leading the charge to add a varsity team, which would be the first Division 1 varsity women’s team in the state. Michigan has a women’s club hockey team that began in 1994 and competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). A feasibility study is expected to be completed and additional institutional approvals would be required before moving ahead with a varsity program. A concrete timeline for a potential team was not provided but is likely to be part of the feasibility study.

The Missouri Valley Conference will begin sponsoring men’s swimming and diving beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Seven schools will compete in the first season: Evansville, Illinois-Chicago, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso from the MVC and Ball State and Miami (OH) from the MAC. All seven programs previously competed in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

San Francisco is dropping its men’s and women’s tennis programs at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. USF cited high costs as the main reason and stated it spends about $1 million per year to operate the tennis programs. USF is a full member of the West Coast Conference (WCC) and both programs competed in the WCC for tennis. The school has no plans to discontinue any other sports at this time.

NCAA Division 2 Sports Changes

Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk, North Carolina) is bumping its skiing and snowboarding club team to varsity status beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. the Bobcats will continue to compete in the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA).

Shorter University (Rome, Georgia) is bringing back men’s wrestling effective with the 2024-25 academic year. Shorter is currently a member of the Gulf South Confernece but is moving to the Conference Carolinas in 2024-25 and the CC does sponsor men’s wrestling. Shorter last sponsored men’s wrestling in 2016-17 and discontinued the sport due to sparse competition in proximity to the school’s location.

Walsh University (North Canton, Ohio) will absorb the men’s and women’s rugby teams from Notre Dame College beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio) will close after the 2023-24 academic year. The two teams will compete in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) league as the NCAA does not sponsor the sport.

Ferrum College Jumping to D2 and Conference Carolinas

Ferrum College (Ferrum, Virginia) is moving from Division 3’s Old Dominion Athletic Confernece (ODAC) to join Division 2’s Conference Carolinas beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Ferrum will have a three-year reclassification process beginning in 2025-26 and will be a full member in 2028-29 pending approval from the NCAA. The ODAC will have 14 full members upon Ferrum’s departure while the Conference Carolinas will have 16 members.

East Coast Conference Designates New Commissioner

The East Coast Confernece (ECC) has selected Jessica Grasso as its next commissioner and she will begin her term on July 1, 20224. Grasso was the deputy commissioner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for the past 9 years and will replace Bob Dranoff who was in charge of the ECC since 2008. The ECC has 9 full members with 8 located in New York and the ninth in Washington, D.C.

NCAA Division 3 Sports Changes

Northland College (Ashland, Wisconsin) is canceling the remainder of its 2024 softball season due to injuries. The LumberJacks LumberJills finished the season winless at 0-19 and an 0-8 record in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Northland is a full member of the UMAC and facing financial issues that may impact its future.

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is adding Hobart and William Smith (Geneva, New York) for both men’s and women’s hockey and Skidmore (Saratoga Springs, New York) for men’s hockey. All three schools will move from the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) to the SUNYAC beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

That wasn’t the only news involving the SUNYAC as Hilbert College (Hamburg, New York) and SUNY Delhi (Delhi, New York) will move some sports to the conference in the next few years. Hilbert’s (from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference; AMCC) and Delhi’s (from the North Atlantic Conference; NAC) men’s and women’s track & field programs (both indoor and outdoor) will join the SUNYAC beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. SUNY Delhi will also join the SUNYAC in men’s and women’s cross country beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

The University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Virginia) will leave the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference to join the recently created Collegiate Field Hockey Conference (CFHC) run by the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. UMW will compete against Centre, Concordia (WI), Marian, Rhodes, and Sewanee. Mary Washington is a primary member of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference. With 6 members, the CFHC will spend two years as a probationary conference and will receive an automatic bid in 2026-27 should they maintain the minimum membership requirements.

NCAA Recommends Exploratory Year Changes for D3 Members

The NCAA Division 3 membership committee is recommending a change to the current application process for new members. The committee is proposing an integration of the exploratory year into the provisional application provided the institution meets the 6 criteria outlined by the committee. The criteria are an invitation to a D3 multisport conference, a viability statement, a letter of recommendation, a function compliance system, the school meets the minimum sport-sponsorship requirements in the year preceding the first year of provisional membership, and no financial aid awards to any student-athletes.

If a school does not meet the criteria, they will not be able to combine the exploratory year into the provisional application. Schools that do meet the criteria can still choose to complete the exploratory year. The changes would take effect with the 2024-25 academic year and will still require a three-year reclassification process as part of the D3 membership application.

SUNY New Paltz On the Move

The State University of New York at New Paltz is leaving the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) following the 2025-26 academic year. SUNY Paltz did not specify which conference it would join beginning in 2026-27 but cited travel concerns as a top priority for its next home. New Paltz has been a member of the SUNYAC since 1958.

Northland in Financial Trouble

Northland College (Ashland, Wisconsin) has declared a financial exigency after failing to raise $12 million. The college only raised $1.5 million of that target, which led to the declaration. The school’s future will be decided within the next two weeks although the school has stated it plans to finish the academic year without interruption. Northland is a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).

NAIA Sports Changes

Taylor University (Upland, Indiana) is bringing back its men’s and women’s tennis programs beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Taylor shut them down in 2020 as the school reassessed its sports offerings during the pandemic. Taylor is a full member of the Crossroads League, which is where the programs will compete.

Two New NAIA Members Announced

The NAIA announced two new members with Carolina University (Winson-Salem, North Carolina) joining in 2024-25 from the National Christian Collegiate Athletics Association (NCCAA) and Bismarck State (Bismarck, North Dakota) joining in 2025-26 from the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA). Carolina will add men’s and women’s cross country and track & field beginning in 2025-26 as part of the move while Bismarck State will add men’s and women’s wrestling by 2025-26.

Two Teams Moving from American Midwest Conference to HAAC

Missouri Baptist University (Creve Coeur, Missouri) and William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri) will leave the American Midwest Conference (AMC) and join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The moves will put the HAAC up to 15 full members while the AMC will be at 12 members for 2024-25 with the addition of Crowley’s Ridge and Mission but drop back to 10 members for 2025-26.

Photo courtesy of Mercyhurst University