皇冠体育365赌博&M University-商务 Officially Joins NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference
从 狮子田径
皇冠体育365赌博&M University-商务 is officially a member of the Southland Conference as it reclassifies from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I on Friday.
After accepting an invitation to join the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I on September 28, 2021, the 狮子s begin the four-year transition process to garnering full-time Division I status.
The 狮子s join the nine-team Southland Conference along with fellow Texas schools Houston Baptist, 化身的词, 和德州A&M-Corpus Christi as well as McNeese, 新奥尔良, 尼科尔斯, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana. Lamar returns to the Southland in 2023-24.
All 14 狮子 varsity sports and individual athletes are immediately eligible to compete for SLC Championships.
The first official Division I contest is scheduled for August 18, when the 狮子 soccer team heads to Tulsa, 俄克拉何马州, to take on Oral Roberts. The 狮子 soccer team also hosts the first Division I contest on the A&M-商务 campus against Louisiana-Monroe on August 21.
Though no 狮子 team nor any individual student-athlete is eligible to compete for NCAA Championships during the four-year transition process, select teams are eligible to compete in alternate postseason invitational tournaments, should they meet the qualifying standards set forth by the organizing entity of each postseason invitational tournament.
The volleyball team is eligible to compete in the National Invitational 排球 Championship (NIVC), the men’s basketball team is eligible for the College 篮球 Invitational Tournament (CBI), the women’s basketball team is eligible for the 女性的 National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), and the softball team is eligible for the National Invitational 垒球 Championship (NISC).
A charter member of the Lone Star Conference, the 狮子s are changing conferences for the first time since the formation of the then five-team Lone Star Conference in 1931. All four other teams in the original iteration of the LSC, now compete in Division I as well.
Across the country, four other schools begin their transition process from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I this year: Lindenwood (Mo.)，皇后区(N.C.), Southern Indiana, and Stonehill (Mass.). All four institutions along with A&M-商务 become full Division I members in 2026-27.
