The NCAA has approved Oklahoma Christian University, Lubbock Christian University, and Rogers State University to start their process for becoming members of NCAA Division II. All three schools will become members of the Heartland Conference. Lubbock Christian and Rogers State will begin conference play in 2013-14, while Oklahoma Christian University will start play this 2012-13.
Oklahoma Christian University
OC Athletic Director Curtis Janz learned of the decision by the NCAA Division II membership committee in an e-mail. If all goes well, OC could be a full NCAA Division II member by the 2015-16 academic year.
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We are honored to be given the opportunity to step into the NCAA — and we are ready to compete well,” OC President John deSteiguer said. “We are proud of our decades in the NAIA and we are thankful for the many wonderful relationships that developed on and off the fields and courts of play with our fellow competitors. We look forward to developing positive relationships with new competitors as we strive to earn full NCAA membership.”
OC will compete as a member of the Heartland Conference, a Division II league with member schools in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. OC athletic teams will play full Heartland Conference schedules, starting with the 2012-13 academic year.
In 2012-13, OC will serve what is called Candidacy Year One with the NCAA, during which time the university will work on developing organizational processes to become NCAA-ready. If the NCAA approves, OC could advance to Candidacy Year Two for the 2013-14 academic year. During that year, the processes become more stringent and OC must follow all NCAA rules and regulations.
Year three of the membership process – potentially in 2014-15 – is traditionally known as the “provisional year,” after which OC could gain full NCAA membership. The earliest OC would be eligible to compete for NCAA Division II championships would be the 2015-16 academic year. OC soon will announce its plans to provide post-season opportunities for its student-athletes during the transition process into Division II.
The Division II membership committee annually determines if an institution should be moved forward into the next candidacy year and it can require an institution to repeat a year if progress is not sufficient.
“We are honored that the NCAA has allowed us to pursue membership,” Janz said. “Oklahoma Christian is proud and excited to be associated with an organization like the NCAA that stands for excellence, competitive equality and diversity,” Janz said. “We see this as a new beginning and a chance to establish new, great athletic traditions.”
OC held membership in the NAIA from 1965 until the end of June and had been a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference since its creation in 1978. Changes in the composition of the NAIA, along with the growth of the university, led OC to re-evaluate its affiliations.
In 2006, OC began a community-wide discussion and study regarding national affiliation. The study, which was led by Janz after he became OC’s athletic director, was overseen by then-OC President Dr. Mike O’Neal, the President’s Advisory Council and the university’s Board of Trustees. The process consisted of a comprehensive study of the university’s athletic programs, institutional framework and long-term strategy and fit. This process included OC’s senior administrators, staff, faculty, students, alumni, boosters and community neighbors.
Through this process, the university determined its strategic values and long-term vision were more closely aligned with those of NCAA Division II. OC already is functioning on an NCAA Division II level in terms of budget, staffing, sports sponsorship, scholarship support, academic standards, rules and governance, marketing, competitive success, student experience and other factors.
In April 2011, the OC Board of Trustees approved the filing of an application for NCAA Division II affiliation. OC filed its most recent NCAA application this spring.
“We had great feelings toward the SAC and commissioner John Hudson, so we’ll certainly miss those long-standing rivalries and matchups, but joining the Heartland Conference and seeking NCAA membership will be a challenge we welcome, with new foes in new places,” said OC’s longtime men’s basketball coach, Dan Hays. “It will be fun to visit some of the cities in which the Heartland Conference teams reside. I think our fan base will really enjoy reconnecting with the old Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference teams that are now Division II, because we will play some of those schools.”
OC offers varsity programs in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. OC won five national team titles during its tenure in the NAIA, including two during the 2011-12 academic year – men’s cross country and men’s tennis. OC finished in the top 10 of the Learfield Sports NAIA Directors’ Cup standings each of the past three years.
Lubbock Christian University
Lubbock Christian University will have all 11 varsity athletic programs transition to compete at the NCAA Div. II level. LCU will participate as a member of the Heartland Conference, whose member presidents recently voted unanimously to approve LCU as one of 12 conference members, beginning the 2013-14 academic year. Also joining NCAA Div.II candidacy from the Sooner Athletic Conference and joining the Heartland Conference are Oklahoma Christian and Rogers State (Okla.). They join current conference members Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dallas Baptist (Texas), McMurry (Texas), Newman (Kan.), Oklahoma Panhandle State, St. Edwards (Texas), St. Mary's (Texas), Texas A&M International, Texas Permian Basin.
The Chaparrals Athletic Department has scheduled a press conference on Monday, July, 23 at 2 p.m. inside the Cardwell Welcome Center on the LCU campus. University President Tim Perrin and athletic director Paul Hise will make the official announcement concerning the transition to NCAA Div. II and will announce the plans and timeline the university will take to gain full membership status.
With its successful application for Division II Membership, RSU will now enter into a three-year transition period before earning full NCAA membership status. The Hillcats will continue as an active member of the Sooner Athletic Conference within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for the 2012-13 school year while serving Candidacy Year One with the NCAA.
Rogers State Universtiy
RSU President Dr. Larry Rice called the announcement a major milestone in the university’s recent renaissance.
“After extended conversations with students, faculty and community members, it became clear that RSU would be better served by changing its athletic affiliations to the NCAA Division II level,” Dr. Rice said. “The move allows RSU to better serve both our student-athletes and the university, while also increasing the national exposure for both the university and the communities we serve.”
RSU has also been approved for membership in the NCAA’s Heartland Conference. The Heartland is comprised of schools located in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas. Starting in the fall of 2013, RSU will play a Heartland Conference schedule in all sports as it completes Second Year Candidacy. Upon completion of Year Three of the membership process, which is the provisional year, the Hillcats will gain full NCAA membership and become eligible to compete for NCAA Division II Championships beginning as early as 2015-16. The Division II Membership Committee annually determines if an institution should move forward into the next candidacy year, and it can require an institution to repeat a year if progress is not sufficient.
“We are thrilled with the committee’s decision and anxious to begin the NCAA membership process,” said Ryan Bradley, RSU Director of Athletics. “We believe RSU is a great fit for NCAA Division II and we look forward to establishing new rivalries and traditions with many of our peer institutions in the region.”