Spearfish, S.D. - Black Hills State University Athletic Director
Jhett Albers announced today that the University's application to
NCAA Division II was accepted by the NCAA membership committee.
BHSU President Kay Schallenkamp lauded the athletics program and
thanked the Green and Gold boosters and the Yellow Jacket
Foundation members for their support throughout the process. "This
is a great day for Yellow Jacket athletics."
"Today is a great day for the Yellow Jackets," said Albers. "The
reason that we began this process was to better serve our
student-athletes in their athletic and academic endeavors. We are
all very excited about making this transition."
Today's announcement culminates an application process that
began over a year ago.
"A lot of time and discussion went into this decision. After
talking with our student-athletes, alumni, donors, and the
administration, it became clear that pursuing (NCAA) Division II
was the right choice for the future of Yellow Jacket Athletics,"
said Albers.
Black Hills State will now begin the transition into the NCAA
this season.
Albers stated, "This is the first step in our transition to NCAA
Division II. Our athletic program will begin the first year of the
candidacy period effective with the 2010-2011 season. The NCAA will
assess our athletic program and determine our readiness. Over the
course of the following year we will move into a provisional period
as an NCAA member, if all falls in place, in 2012-2013"
During the transition process, BHSU will be pursuing membership
in a conference.
"We are exploring many options for conference membership. We
have already been in contact with the Rocky Mountain Athletic
Conference (RMAC). and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
(NSIC). We have notified each that we are interested in the
possibility of joining their conferences," said Albers.
BHSU is a member of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The
application to be considered for NCAA Division II was submitted
earlier this year.
For more information on Black Hills State Athletics, visit www.BHSU.edu/Athletics.
