BRYANT UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MOVE TO DIVISION I
Updated NCAA Self-Study Report (April 7, 2011)
In October of 2007, Bryant University officially accepted an invitation to become a Division 1 competitor by joining the Northeast Conference (NEC). The NEC is an 11-member conference that sponsors championships for 22 sports for men and women.
With the invitation into the Northeast Conference, Bryant will become the fourth Division I institution in the state of Rhode Island, joining Brown University, Providence College and the University of Rhode Island.
"The Northeast Conference is a prestigious academic and athletic Division 1 Conference that Bryant University is proud to become a member of," says Athletic Director Bill Smith.
Since Bryant is already filed with the NCAA, it is currently in its first year of a five-year transition period for full Division 1 membership. The teams started playing Division 1 schedules in the 2008-09 school year. They will be fully eligible for NCAA Division 1 Championships in September 2012.
The timeline of the transition is as follows:
1. 2007-08 Exploratory Year - Remain Eligible for DII Championships
2. 2008-09 First Year of Reclassification
3. 2009-10 Second Year of Reclassification
4. 2010-11 Third Year of Reclassification
5. 2011-12 Fourth Year of Reclassification
6. 2012-13 Eligible for NCAA Division I Championships
"Bryant is an outstanding university that has demonstrated excellence both academically and competitively," said late NEC commissioner Brenda Weare. "They are an excellent fit for the NEC, and we look forward to them joining us in the fall of 2012."
The Northeast Conference currently consists of 11 institutions: Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, Conn.), Fairleigh Dickinson University (Hackensack, N.J.), Long Island University (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Monmouth University (West Long Branch, N.J.), Mount St. Mary's University (Emmitsburg, M.D.), Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Conn.), Robert Morris University (Moon Township, Pa.), Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Conn.), St. Francis College (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Saint Francis University (Loretto, Pa.), and Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.).
The University at Albany (Albany, N.Y.) and Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are associate members of the Northeast Conference in football only.
Currently, Bryant University sponsors 22 intercollegiate sports teams: 11 men's varsity programs (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, tennis, soccer, swimming, indoor track, and outdoor track and field) and 11 women's varsity programs: (basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, indoor track, outdoor track and field, and volleyball).
In 5 decades as a NCAA Division II Competitor:
92 NCAA Tournament berths
63 All-American Athletes (28 of which were First Team selections)
7 Academic All-American Athletes
44 Regular-Season Conference Titles
41 Conference Tournament Titles
8 ECAC Championship Titles (among 7 different sports)
4 timeNortheast-10 Conference President's Cup Recipient (all in the last 5 years)
Bryant University Quick Facts:
Located in Smithfield, R.I., Bryant University has 3,268 full-time and part-time undergraduate students from 32 states and 34 countries, and offers degrees through its the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Business. Bryant is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), a distinction awarded to fewer than 10 percent of business schools worldwide.
Recently, Bryant University was listed among the Top 20 Universities - Master's North Category by U.S. News & World Report and is listed in Barron's Best Buys in College Education and Princeton Review's "Top 366 Colleges in America."