Gannon University Athletics

ERIE, PA --- Gannon University and Mercyhurst College have accepted an offer to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference as full-time members, it was announced at a joint press conference today. The conference took place at Gannon University’s Waldron Campus Center in Erie, Pa.

Speaking for their respective institutions, Gannon President Dr. Antoine M. Garibaldi and Mercyhurst President Dr. Thomas J. Gamble announced they will begin their association with the PSAC in the 2008-09 academic year. Both schools will participate one more academic year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, of which they have been members since 1995.

“Gannon University is very excited to join the PSAC and we are looking forward to many spirited competitions and regional rivalries with our in-state universities,” said Garibaldi.

Gamble echoed those sentiments. He said, “Mercyhurst College is excited to be joining the PSAC for the 2008-09 season. This move provides benefits for our student-athletes, coaches and administration. We already have developed great rivalries with some of the PSAC members such as Edinboro and IUP, and we anticipate this move to enhance that across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The inclusion of the two Erie-based schools elevates the PSAC to 16 full-time members. They become the first schools to be added to the league since its official formation in 1951. The league’s current members – Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania were all charter members. The only variation to the membership came in the mid 1980s when West Chester explored a move to Division I.

“Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to welcome Mercyhurst and Gannon into the PSAC,” said Dr. Robert J. Dillman, President at East Stroudsburg University and Chairman of the PSAC’s Board of Directors. “The attributes they bring in terms of quality competition and their dedication to academic and athletic success make us all confident this is going to be a beneficial partnership.”

PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray also expressed his thoughts on the association. “There is no question that today is a historic day for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The addition of two top-notch institutions such as Gannon and Mercyhurst will only enhance what I consider to be one of Division II’s most competitive conferences. In our efforts to expand, we did not have to look very far to find a pair of schools that would fit in well with our current members.”

Gannon and Mercyhurst’s inclusion is significant in several ways. Most notably, they are both private schools, while the current membership is made up solely of state-owned institutions within the same academic system – Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Subsequent to the league’s expansion and the addition of the private schools, the PSAC Board of Directors voted to amend its policies in relation to scholarships. Currently operating under the restriction of 70 total athletics equivalencies, the league will allow all members to grant 125 equivalencies. Furthermore, the PSAC will no longer impose any sport-specific caps outside of the NCAA requirements. Currently the league has restricted football programs to 25 equivalencies, while the NCAA allows for 36.

Already considered one of the largest conferences, the PSAC will now feature the second most members of any Division II conference. The Gulf South Conference serves 17 members while the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference also has 16. The league will continue to boast its claim of the largest conference on any Division II level with all of its full-time members in the same state.

Furthermore, the PSAC is second among Division II leagues with its sponsorship of 22 sports. The PSAC supports 21 team championships, hosts an individual championship in men’s and women’s tennis, and crowns divisional champions in football. Mercyhurst sponsors 16 of the league’s 22 sports, while Gannon adds competition in 15.

The membership expansion will not only have an effect on championship competition, but also impacts league scheduling. Currently the league requires sponsorship by 10 members for divisional play to occur. With the Gannon and Mercyhurst in the fold, divisional play will increase from six team sports to nine team sports, which may aid travel costs and missed class time for student-athletes.

The PSAC has also extended invitation to C.W. Post – Long Island University as an associate member in football and field hockey. Like Gannon and Mercyhurst, C.W. Post was given a deadline of July 2 to state its intentions, however, an announcement is expected by the end of the week.