MOBILE, Ala. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) notified Spring Hill College (SHC) on Friday that the Membership Committee recommends that Spring Hill College be advanced to full NCAA Division II membership effective September 1, 2018. The decision is subject to final approval from the NCAA Division II Management Council. SHC Director of Athletics, Jim Hall, received the official notification via telephone call on Friday afternoon.
“I know I speak for the entire Spring Hill College community when I say that we are thrilled to receive the Membership Committee’s recommendation,” said Hall. “This is the culmination of several years of dedicated work across our campus on behalf of our student-athletes. I am especially grateful to all of our student-athletes who have competed as Badgers for the last four years without access to post-season championships. They have been crucial to making this transition a success and will always be considered champions on this campus.”
As a result of this decision, the 16 SHC varsity athletic programs making the transition to NCAA Division II will now become eligible for conference and NCAA post-season competition beginning with the 2018-19 academic year. SHC student-athletes, coaches and teams will also become eligible for NCAA regional and national awards based on athletic and/or academic performance.
“I want to thank all of the members of our campus community who have worked to make this transition a success,” said Hall. “NCAA Division II membership will be an important piece of our campus culture and student experience for generations of future Springhillians thanks to the support of our Board of Trustees and the work of our faculty and staff. We look forward to providing our student-athletes with a competitive athletic experience commensurate with their Jesuit academic experience on our campus for many years to come.”
In October 2012, Spring Hill College accepted an invitation to join the 13-member Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and began the application process for NCAA membership. The College also holds affiliate membership in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) in the sports of men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s golf.
“The SIAC congratulates Spring Hill College on advancing to full membership in NCAA Division II and the SIAC,” said Commissioner Greg Moore. “We are especially pleased to welcome them given their institution’s historic leadership in promoting inclusion and social justice in the Deep South.”
Beginning this fall, SHC teams will become eligible to compete in conference championship events with access to automatic qualifiers to NCAA post-season championships. “I know this is something that our student-athletes are tremendously excited about,” noted Hall. “Our student-athletes are looking forward to getting their first taste of NCAA post-season play and hopefully hoisting some conference championship hardware.”
By becoming a member of the NCAA, Spring Hill College has now officially become the 27th of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide that are currently members of the NCAA.
Courtesy: SHC Athletics
