KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
Official invitations to join the MIAA have been extended to the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and Northeastern State University (NSU), the conference office announced Thursday.
UCO and NSU, currently members of the Lone Star Conference, both officially accepted the invitations late Thursday. Both are expected to notify the Lone Star Conference of their withdrawals prior to the Aug. 1 deadline.
A press release on the UCO website said the MIAA offer had been accepted. The school is expected to join the conference effective in the 2012-13 academic year.
“The University of Central Oklahoma has had a very good relationship with the member schools in the Lone Star Conference,” said UCO President W. Roger Webb in the press release. “However, we believe that going forward, the MIAA provides the best opportunity for Central and our athletic teams.”
“The MIAA is excited about the prospects of expansion,” MIAA CEO Council Chair Dr. Pat Taylor said. “Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State are two terrific universities, and they would be great additions to the league.”
The University of Central Oklahoma, located in Edmond, offers 14 sports – baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s rowing, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, women’s track and field and men’s wrestling. UCO has an enrollment of nearly 16,000 students.
“UCO’s goal is to be an elite Division II program, both competitively and academically,” said Joe Muller, Central Oklahoma athletics director. “Our core values and goals are closely aligned with the MIAA, which makes this a great fit. We are certainly excited about the opportunity.”
Northeastern State University fields 10 sports – baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and women’s tennis. NSU’s main campus is located in Tahlequah and the university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow. NSU has an all-campus enrollment of nearly 10,000 students.
“We are pleased to receive and accept an invitation to join the MIAA and its institutional members,” Dr. Don Betz, president of NSU, said in an official announcement. “The MIAA enjoys an exceptional reputation nationally for the quality of both its athletics and academic programs. We have much in common with its member universities.”
If UCO and NSU accept the invitations to join the MIAA, work will begin in the next few weeks on timelines and transition issues.
The MIAA is also in the process of considering an application submitted by Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Mo.
The MIAA CEO Council voted in June to actively pursue expansion to 16 conference members. There was no mention of a potential 16th member.
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Two former Lone Star schools joining MIAA
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