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Gannon Joins The PSAC
Sports
Information Department, Dan Teliski, Director
Phone: (814) 871-7418
Date: June 27, 2007
PSAC
ADDS GANNON UNIVERSITY AND
MERCYHURST COLLEGE TO MEMBERSHIP
ERIE,
PA --- Gannon University and Mercyhurst College have accepted an offer to
join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference as full-time members, it
was announced at a joint press conference today. The conference took
place at Gannon University’s Waldron Campus Center in Erie, Pa.
Speaking for their respective institutions, Gannon President Dr. Antoine
M. Garibaldi and Mercyhurst President Dr. Thomas J. Gamble announced they
will begin their association with the PSAC in the 2008-09 academic year.
Both schools will participate one more academic year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate
Athletics Conference, of which they have been members since 1995.
“Gannon University is very excited to join the PSAC and we are looking forward
to many spirited competitions and regional rivalries with our in-state universities,”
said Garibaldi.
Gamble echoed those sentiments. He said, “Mercyhurst College is excited
to be joining the PSAC for the 2008-09 season. This move provides benefits
for our student-athletes, coaches and administration. We already have developed
great rivalries with some of the PSAC members such as Edinboro and IUP, and
we anticipate this move to enhance that across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The inclusion of the two Erie-based schools elevates the PSAC to 16 full-time
members. They become the first schools to be added to the league since
its official formation in 1951. The league’s current members – Bloomsburg,
California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown,
Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West
Chester Universities of Pennsylvania were all charter members. The
only variation to the membership came in the mid 1980s when West Chester
explored a move to Division I.
“Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to welcome Mercyhurst
and Gannon into the PSAC,” said Dr. Robert J. Dillman, President at East
Stroudsburg University and Chairman of the PSAC’s Board of Directors.
“The attributes they bring in terms of quality competition and their dedication
to academic and athletic success make us all confident this is going to be
a beneficial partnership.”
PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray also expressed his thoughts on the association.
“There is no question that today is a historic day for the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference. The addition of two top-notch institutions such
as Gannon and Mercyhurst will only enhance what I consider to be one of Division
II’s most competitive conferences. In our efforts to expand, we did
not have to look very far to find a pair of schools that would fit in well
with our current members.”
Gannon and Mercyhurst’s inclusion is significant in several ways. Most
notably, they are both private schools, while the current membership is made
up solely of state-owned institutions within the same academic system – Pennsylvania’s
State System of Higher Education.
Subsequent to the league’s expansion and the addition of the private schools,
the PSAC Board of Directors voted to amend its policies in relation to scholarships.
Currently operating under the restriction of 70 total athletics equivalencies,
the league will allow all members to grant 125 equivalencies. Furthermore,
the PSAC will no longer impose any sport-specific caps outside of the NCAA
requirements. Currently the league has restricted football programs
to 25 equivalencies, while the NCAA allows for 36.
Already considered one of the largest conferences, the PSAC will now feature
the second most members of any Division II conference. The Gulf South
Conference serves 17 members while the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference also has 16. The league will continue to boast its claim
of the largest conference on any Division II level with all of its full-time
members in the same state.
Furthermore, the PSAC is second among Division II leagues with its sponsorship
of 22 sports. The PSAC supports 21 team championships, hosts an individual
championship in men’s and women’s tennis, and crowns divisional champions
in football. Mercyhurst sponsors 16 of the league’s 22 sports, while
Gannon adds competition in 15.
The membership expansion will not only have an effect on championship competition,
but also impacts league scheduling. Currently the league requires sponsorship
by 10 members for divisional play to occur. With the Gannon and Mercyhurst
in the fold, divisional play will increase from six team sports to nine team
sports, which may aid travel costs and missed class time for student-athletes.
The PSAC has also extended invitation to C.W. Post – Long Island University
as an associate member in football and field hockey. Like Gannon and
Mercyhurst, C.W. Post was given a deadline of July 2 to state its intentions,
however, an announcement is expected by the end of the week.
Gannon University~University Square ~ Erie, PA 16541-0001
Toll
Free: 1-800-GANNON-U
Sports Press Box E-mail
updated
6/27/07 by: drt
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