USI to accelerate transition to NCAA Division I athletics
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Officials from the University of Southern Indiana announced Thursday that the university will accelerate its transition to full membership in the NCAA Division I.
USI Interim President Steve Bridges and Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall said in a joint statement that they have confirmed with the NCAA that the university is meeting its academic and financial requirements for the transition.
“Our campus community will work extremely hard this spring to fulfill the necessary criteria to be eligible for NCAA Championships beginning in 2025-2026,” the statement said. “We will work hand in hand with the NCAA and Ohio Valley Conference over the next several months to meet reporting deadlines and host site visits on campus.”
USI first announced it was exploring a transition from Division II to Division I athletics in September 2021. The following February, the university said it had accepted an invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
Bridges and Hall said under the previous path, USI Athletics would not have been eligible to complete the transition until 2026-2027. USI said the move will affect all varsity sports.