7.1.2012 |
(Previous) Big South Conference Announcement Page (1.23.2012)
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University officially became the 12th member of the
Big South Conference today, July 1, 2012. The Lancers have competed as a NCAA Division I Independent since 2007. It was announced on January 23 of this year that Longwood had been invited to join the conference following a vote by the Big South Council of Chief Executive Officers. The Lancers are the fourth member school from Virginia, joining Liberty University, Radford University, Virginia Military Institute, Campbell University, Gardner-Webb University, High Point University, UNC Asheville, Charleston Southern University, Coastal Carolina University, Presbyterian College, and Winthrop University. Longwood is eligible for all Big South Championships immediately and plays its first league competition on August 24 in men's soccer on the road at Coastal Carolina, while the first home contest is in men's soccer as well against Liberty on September 1 at 7 p.m.
“Congratulations to everyone whose hard work led to Longwood's entrance into the Big South Conference, especially our outstanding student-athletes, dedicated coaches and Athletics staff, and incredible fans,” stated
Longwood Interim President Marge Connelly. “Our formal conference affiliation gives us the opportunity to enhance Longwood's visibility on a national scale. This is truly an exciting time to be a Lancer!”
Longwood sponsors 14 intercollegiate Division I sports, 13 of which are sponsored by the Big South: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, along with men's and women's tennis. The Lancers' field hockey program will continue to compete within the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac), as it has since 2005.
“A new era of Longwood Athletics has begun!” said
Longwood Director of Athletics Troy Austin. “My great thanks go to the Longwood Family for making this goal a reality. I am excited about the opportunity for all Lancers to earn conference achievements and represent Longwood on a bigger stage.”
Since becoming a full-fledged member of Division I in 2007, and without conference affiliation in all sports, Longwood has compiled an overall record of 659-675-25. Five-year highlights include the men's golf team earning an invitation to the 2007 NCAA East Regional in its first year of eligibility; men's basketball finishing 17-14 during 2008-09, and compiling a home record of 39-14 over the past four seasons; softball posting a record of 37-13 during 2011 while winning 102 games over the last three seasons (102-55); and the baseball program compiling a record of 109-81 over the past four years (2009-12). In addition, Longwood has won two Atlantic Soccer Conference (ASC) Championships (2008, 2011) in men's soccer, two National Lacrosse Conference Championships (2009-10) in women's lacrosse, and one United Soccer Conference Championship (2008) in women's soccer. The Lancers are 82-90-8 in competition against current Big South Conference members since 2007. This includes .500 or better records in men's basketball (7-6), women's basketball (13-13), softball (21-14), and women's soccer (15-8-3).
In 2011-12, Longwood men's soccer won the ASC Championship with a final record of 11-6-3 for its most wins since 2002. The Colorado Rapids selected keeper
Joel Helmick in the 2012 Major League Soccer (MLS) Supplemental Draft, and defender
Shane Johnson earned a roster spot and starting position with the Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Pro Division. Men's Basketball standout
Antwan Carter became the school's all-time scoring leader (1,886 points), and is the only player in the history of the program with at least 1,800 career points and 1,000 career rebounds (1,008). Longwood baseball completed its 31st winning season at 27-21, also the 31st overall 20-win campaign, and 24th season with at least 25 wins. The Lancers' softball team completed its 15th consecutive 20-win season and 12th 25-win campaign at 29-26. Longwood graduated 46 current and former student-athletes this year, including women's cross country standout
Jessica Alley who shared the school's prestigious
Sally Barksdale Hargrett Prize for Academic Excellence awarded to the graduating senior with the highest grade-point average (4.00). The Athletics Department recognized 117 student-athletes with Scholar-Athlete Awards for consecutive semester GPAs above 3.00. Finally, Longwood women's cross country and women's golf each posted a perfect score of 1,000 in the latest release of the multi-year NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) -- the fifth-straight year that women's golf has been perfect in posting a multi-year APR score within the top 10 percent of all Division I women's golf teams, and the second consecutive time that women's cross country has attained this distinct achievement. The Lancers' 14 sports posted most recent APR multi-year scores of 951 and higher, including three teams (men's golf, women's golf, softball) with perfect scores of 1,000 for 2010-11.
“The Big South Conference is proud to officially welcome Longwood University!” said
Big South Conference Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander. “We are all looking forward to Longwood's leadership and competitive contributions, which will add tremendous value to the Big South well into the future.”
Last month, the Big South Conference announced new scheduling formats with the addition of Longwood that includes divisional play for men's basketball beginning in 2012-13. It will feature a 16-game schedule with two six-team divisions. Games will be played on Wednesday and Saturday, which may be adjusted for institutional policies if needed. The yet-to-be named divisions are as follows: Longwood, Liberty, Radford, VMI, Campbell, and High Point in one division as well as Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian, and Winthrop in the other division.
The 16-game schedule will include two games against divisional opponents (10 total), and one crossover game against the opposing division (6 total). Division champions will be recognized, and all 12 teams will participate in the 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Basketball Championships. Seeding will be by divisions -- the top two teams with the best overall Conference won-loss percentage in each division shall receive the top four seeds in the championship and first round byes. The remaining seeds shall be determined based on division finish. In the event of a tie for a particular seed, the seed will be determined within each division.
“There has been such a tremendous amount of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment put into developing our athletic programs over the past nine years that we all feel deserving of this fantastic opportunity joining The Big South presents to us,” added
Longwood Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Gillian. “Being part of a league means everything. It gives us tangible championships and post-season opportunities to play for, and it validates all of the work that has gone into getting us to this point. Now the challenge is to honor the privilege of being a Big South member by competing, and succeeding, in the league the right way; with sportsmanship and integrity.”
Founded in 1983, the
Big South Conference has matured into a competitive leader in college athletics, actively pursuing excellence on the field of play and in the classroom. Comprised of 12 member institutions throughout the Southeast, the Big South Conference continues to succeed on the field through its 19 championship sports while intentionally fostering the academic, personal, social, athletic and leadership development of its student-athletes. The institutions of the Big South Conference have a remarkable history of achievement. The 2012-13 academic year features the Big South's largest membership (12) and sponsored sports (19) in its 29 years of existence. The Big South Conference: Developing Leaders Through Athletics.
