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 September 15, 2025, and provide updates on previously discussed topics. As a reminder, all official moves starting with the 2025-26 academic year can be found here and those starting in 2026-27 are 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 the corresponding section.
| School(s)/Conference | News Item |
|---|---|
| Andrew College | Joining NAIA and SSAC |
| Concordia Wisconsin | Joining CCIW |
| Elon | Merging with Queens University |
| Great Lakes Valley Confernce | Media Deal with Hudl |
| Keystone College | Hopes to Rejoin Landmark in football |
| NCAA D1 | Cross Country Championships Expanding |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Extending Media Rights Deal with ESPN |
| Queens (NC) | Merging with Elon University |
| Simon Fraser | Independent Consultants to Review Non-NCAA Athletic Options |
| Wesleyan College (GA) | Joining NAIA and SSAC |
NCAA Division 1 News
Cross Country Championships Expand
The NCAA expanded the men’s and women’s cross country championships starting with the 2025-26 academic year. Both championships will now feature 32 teams each, up from the 31 that participated in previous championships from 1998 through 2024. The field size for each championship will also increase from 255 to 262 runners. The 2025 NCAA Division 1 cross country championships will be held in Columbia, Missouri, on Wednesday, November 22.
Elon and Queens to Merge
Elon University (Elon, North Carolina) and Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina) announced an intent to merge. The merger is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026 and will result in Elon operating Queens. Both schools are NCAA Division 1 members, but the announcement stated athletics will continue to operate at both campuses. Elon is a member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), while Queens competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). Don’t be surprised if there are some athletic reductions a few years after the merger is completed, which is a common occurrence for mergers between institutions.
OVC Extends Media Rights Deal with ESPN
The Ohio Valley Conference has extended its media rights deal with ESPN for an additional six years. As part of the deal, some regular season broadcasts will be shown on linear TV via ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU. Overall, at least 725 athletic events will be shown on ESPN+. Notably, the OVC will be allowed to retain as many as 50 linear events per year for local broadcasts within the conference’s geographic footprint.
NCAA Division 2 News
GLVC Partners With Hudl for Media Rights
The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Hudl have agreed to a five-year exclusive streaming partnership. The deal will begin with the 2025-26 academic year and run through the 2029-30 academic year. Hudl will distribute all GLVC home athletic events, both in the regular season and postseason, as part of the deal.
Simon Fraser to have Independent Consultation Completed
Simon Fraser University (British Columbia, Canada) is having an independent consultation report to review its NCAA membership status and look for possible alternatives in Canada. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Back in August, it was reported that SFU would explore a move out of the NCAA. The university has concerns about the long-term viability of remaining with the NCAA and is going to pay an initial application fee to U Sports to keep all options open. The report and decision on SFU’s future are expected to occur in November.
NCAA Division 3 News
Concordia Wisconsin to Join CCIW
Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon, Wisconsin) will leave the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) and join the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. The move will bring the CCIW to 10 full members, marking the first full member change since 2016, when Carroll University (Waukesha, Wisconsin) joined from the Midwest Conference. The NACC will have 13 full members starting in 2027-28, assuming no additional membership changes.
Keystone Football Hopes to Rejoin Landmark Conference
Keystone College (La Plume, Pennsylvania) hopes to rejoin the Landmark Conference as a football member in the future. The Giants played in the Landmark Confernece in 2023 and 2024, but institutional issues led the school to play a developmental schedule for 2025. The Landmark currently has 7 football members, with Western Connecticut State replacing Keystone this season.
NAIA News
Two Schools Joining NAIA
The NAIA announced the addition of two schools for the 2026-27 academic year: Andrew College will leave the NJCAA, while Wesleyan College (Macon, Georgia) will leave the NCAA Division 3 Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS). Both schools will join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), which will have 15 full members, as Xavier University of Louisiana is also joining the SSAC in the 2026-27 academic year. The CCS will be down to 7 members by 2026-27, assuming no additional membership changes.
Photo courtesy of Concordia University Wisconsin