GRAND FORKS, N.D. ? University of North Dakota President Dr. Robert Kelley and Athletic Director Brian Faison announced today that UND is one of six schools nationwide combining to join an expanded Great West Conference beginning this fall.
Also joining the Great West are the University of South Dakota, Utah Valley State, Texas-Pan American, Houston Baptist and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Kelley said joining the Great West will allow UND to continue its outstanding athletic tradition.
“UND is very pleased to be joining the Great West Conference,” Kelley said. “This comes at an excellent time as we transition our entire athletic program into Division I, a move that will benefit UND and our athletes and fans for generations to come. This is the beginning of the next great chapter in the long and much admired UND athletic tradition.”
Faison said joining the Great West was UND's next move in its five-year transition to NCAA Division I.
“Membership in the expanded Great West Conference represents an important next step for UND athletics in our Division I transition,” Faison said. “I am particularly excited for our student-athletes, who now will have an opportunity to compete for conference honors much earlier in the transition process than had been thought possible.”
UND announced in August 2007 that its football team would join the Great West Football Conference and compete for a conference football championship beginning in 2008. The other Great West Football Conference members include South Dakota, UC Davis, Cal Poly and Southern Utah.
Today's announcement means that 14 additional UND sports will have conference membership in the Great West. Those sports include men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, all of which will compete for Great West championships in 2008-09.
UND sports joining the Great West but not competing for conference championships until 2009-10 include volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and women's tennis.
Fighting Sioux head women's basketball coach Gene Roebuck and head men's basketball coach Brian Jones each said they looked forward to joining the new league.
“I'm excited for our players and our team to be able to play in a conference so soon,” Roebuck said. “It will really shore up our schedule. We'll also have conference stat leaders and will be able to play for a conference championship. The fans will have something to sink their teeth into as far as meaningful games, and we'll be able to continue our conference rivalry with the University of South Dakota.”
“We are excited about this opportunity to be a member of the Great West Conference,” Jones said. “This decision is a step in the right direction for our move to Division I athletics. Our student-athletes will now have an opportunity to be rewarded for their performances on the playing surface and in the classroom. The Great West Conference allows us to recruit the potential student-athletes that will help us compete at the Division I level. This is a good day for UND athletics.”
New UND head baseball coach Jeff Dodson said he was also pleased about the new conference.
“I think the Great West is going to be a big thing for independent programs, especially baseball, because we will be able to get a schedule and we won't have to play on the road as much,” Dodson said. “Playing for a conference title will be huge for our kids and the community of Grand Forks until we're able to compete for NCAA Division I postseason berths.”
UND is still seeking conference affiliation for women's soccer and men's and women's swimming & diving.
The UND men's and women's hockey teams both compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
