Maryville University Athletics Approved for NCAA Division II Active Membership

ST. LOUIS, MO (07/12/2011)(readMedia)-- The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has granted Maryville University permission to become an active member in NCAA Division II competition, which concludes a three-year process of reclassifying its 17 intercollegiate teams from Division III to Division II.

NCAA Division II Membership Services confirmed to Maryville on July 8, 2011, that the Division II Management Council accepted the recommendation by the Membership Committee to admit Maryville to active Division II membership.

Maryville began the reclassification process in 2008-09 and successfully completed the provisional year in 2010-11 and was subsequently invited to enter active membership.

"Athletics represents a strong element in providing a wonderful student experience at Maryville," said President Mark Lombardi, PhD. "We have worked hard in recent years to upgrade our athletics programs by reclassifying to Division II, joining the country's finest Division II conference and adding wrestling to our roster of varsity sports. When you combine all those factors with our recent hiring of Marcus Manning to serve as our director of athletics, there is no doubt a great future lies ahead for our University and its athletics programs."

Moving to Division II is an important step in Maryville's strategic plan called Tradition and Transformation: Maryville's Strategic Plan for 2014 that was unveiled by President Lombardi in January 2008. The strategic plan calls for expanding of prospective student recruitment throughout the Midwest while raising the University's profile and expanding the vibrancy and diversity of its campus life experience.

Maryville was admitted into the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), one of the premier DII conferences in the nation, and began competing in this conference in the fall 2009. Four athletes have been named All-Conference in the two years the institution has been a GLVC member.

Maryville has been a member of NCAA Division III since 1978, and 2008-2009 was its final year of affiliation with the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Over its 30 year history, the Saints have made 15 appearances in NCAA post-season tournaments. Most recently, the women's basketball 2008-09 team set the NCAA Division III record for most consecutive conference wins with 92, a streak that ended with a victory.

For more information about NCAA Division II, visit Maryville Athletics.

About Maryville University

Founded in 1872, Maryville University is a four-year, private university located in St. Louis, Missouri, and ranked by US News & World Report as one of America's Best Colleges in the Regional Universities – Midwest category. Maryville University students may choose from 50 academic programs, including degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. Approximately 3,700 students are enrolled through the College of Arts and Sciences, the John E. Simon School of Business, the School of Health Professions and the School of Education.