Point Park making plans to lift its sports programs from NAIA to NCAA Division II
Share this post:
Point Park University is preparing to make a jump from NAIA to NCAA Division II, with the aim of starting competition in the 2024-25 academic year. The downtown Pittsburgh university has received a formal invitation to join the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference.
“We will, of course, pursue this incredible opportunity by taking the next step, which is to apply for membership into the NCAA,” Point Park President Dr. Chris W. Brussalis said in a statement. “Joining the NCAA would undoubtedly raise the profile of Point Park, attaching an additional layer of prominence to both our university and its athletic programs.”
Pending acceptance in NCAA Division II membership, the Pioneers will become members of the MEC in July, participating in 15 of the conference’s 23 sponsored sports, with plans to add women’s lacrosse and tennis and men’s and women’s wrestling over the next two years.
“We are thrilled to extend an invitation of membership to Point Park University, to return the MEC to 12 full-time members in the 2024-25 season,” MEC Commissioner Reid Amos said in a statement. “As we worked with our MEC Membership Committee this fall, Point Park continued to emerge as an outstanding fit, with an athletic department that we believe will be highly competitive in the MEC. The strategic vision for Point Park’s academic and athletic future, led by President Brussalis, gives us great confidence that Point Park is well-positioned to successfully transition to NCAA Division II and to become a valued member of the Mountain East Conference.”
In addition to improving the level of competition for Point Park’s student-athletes, joining the MEC will reduce average travel times by 65%, the school said.
“The MEC is one of the most respected NCAA Division II conferences in the country,” Brussalis said. “We would give the conference a Pennsylvania member and all of our conference opponents would be much closer to our campus.”
Nine of the 11 MEC schools are located in West Virginia, including Charleston, West Liberty, Davis & Elkins, Concord, Glenville State, Fairmont State, West Virginia State, Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan. The other members are Notre Dame (Ohio) and Frostburg (Md.) State.
“Pursuing NCAA membership is a complex and rigorous process that will continue throughout the spring semester and into the summer,” Brussalis said. “As part of that process, we will assess our programs and operations and develop plans to improve what we do and how we serve our student-athletes.”
Point Park currently is a member of the Rivers States Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).