S P O R T S
LEAP TO
NCAA
sports PROGRAMs
TAYLOR JONES
10
benefits
This fall, St. Edward’s University joined 262 schools across the country as members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II, marking a new era in Hilltopper sports history. Athletic department administrators said joining NCAA Division II was the next step for the program. Previously, St. Edward’s University was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA). “The move was a natural, really,” said Dr. John Knorr, athletic director. “When we were NAIA, we were victorious — across the board — five out of seven times against Division II teams. So it wasn’t a quantum jump to say we were going to NCAA Division II to compete. We were already competing.” Five years ago, St. Edward’s and eight other Texas schools began exploring the possibility of changing to NCAA Division II. As time passed, a number of the schools pulled out from the plan, opting to join the NCAA Division III, which is a non-scholarship division. In the end, St. Edward’s joined Texas Wesleyan University of Fort Worth; Rockhurst College of Kansas City, Mo.; Lincoln University of Jefferson City, Mo.; University of Incarnate Word of San Antonio; Drury University of Springfield, Mo.; and St. Mary’s University of San Antonio to form the Heartland Conference, one of the newest conferences in the NCAA. “We have seven schools with similar missions and academics that are committed to making the conference work,” said Dr. Knorr. There are a number of benefits that come with the change to NCAA Division II. Student athletes will be eligible for more scholarships and will enjoy a higher level of competition. Also, the new con-
ference affiliation may help with student recruitment. “The NAIA has been really good to us over the years,” said Dr. Knorr. “It was a very viable institution for the smaller, private schools, and we made our niche there. We were nationally known and all the sports did very well. On the other hand, the NCAA is so recognizable. Everybody knows the NCAA because of the Division I teams. Of course, we don’t compete at that level, but when we go to recruit students, it means something to say they will be NCAA athletes.” Amanda Smitheal, ’00, a senior volleyball player, said competing at the NCAA Division II level has been a positive experience. “Competition has been very spirited,” Smitheal said. “So far, our games are better attended than in past years, especially when we travel to other schools. I think it’s been good for our team overall because we had to step up our play.” News of the conference change came on the heels of an outstanding year of play by the Hilltopper teams. The university sent seven teams to the playoffs in the 1998-1999 school year, and four went on to national tournaments. The softball team and the men’s tennis team won conference championships in the spring. The softball team beat the topranked team in the nation, Oklahoma City University, in the regional championships, and finished seventh at the NAIA Softball World Series. Last year, St. Edward’s University had eight Academic All-Americans, and 64 athletes were named All-Conference for academics. St. Edward’s University won both the Heart of Texas Conference All-Academic Sports Award and AllSports Trophy. Last year, the university’s 177 student athletes boasted an overall grade point average of 3.02. ■