NCAA Division I independent schools

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NCAA Division I independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the NCAA Division I level, but do not belong to an established athletic conference for a particular sport. These schools may however still compete as members of an athletic conference in other sports. A school may also be fully independent, and not belong to any athletic conference for any sport at all. The reason for independent status varies among institutions, but it is frequently because the school's primary athletic conference does not sponsor a particular sport.

Contents

Full independents

One school is competing as a full independent for the 2023–24 season. Chicago State left the Western Athletic Conference at the conclusion of the 2021–22 school year without announcing a new conference affiliation for the next season. It will join the Northeast Conference (NEC) beginning in the 2024–25 season. [1]

Five Chicago State teams have conference homes in the 2023–24 school year: men's soccer, and men's and women's golf in the Ohio Valley Conference, and men's and women's tennis in the Horizon League. Chicago State's future home of the NEC sponsors all of these sports.

Current members

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedColorsFuture
conference
Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois 1867Public
(TMCF)		2,620 [2] Cougars 1984;
2006;
2022 [lower-alpha 1] 		    Northeast (NEC)
Notes
  1. ↑ Chicago State left the Independent ranks after the 1992–93 school year then re-joined from 2006–07 to 2008–09 before re-joining in the 2022–23 school year.

Men's sponsored sports by school

SchoolBasketballCross
Country		GolfSoccerTennisTrack
& Field
(indoor)		Track
& Field
(outdoor)
Chicago StateGreen check.svgGreen check.svg OVC OVC Horizon Green check.svgGreen check.svg

Women's sponsored sports by school

SchoolBasketballCross
Country		GolfSoccerTennisTrack
& Field
(indoor)		Track
& Field
(outdoor)		Volleyball
Chicago StateGreen check.svgGreen check.svg OVC Green check.svg Horizon Green check.svgGreen check.svgGreen check.svg

Other recent independents

InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedLeftColorsCurrent
conference
University of Hartford West Hartford, Connecticut 1877Nonsectarian6,792 Hawks 20222023    Commonwealth Coast (CCC) [lower-alpha 1]
New Jersey Institute of Technology
(NJIT)		 Newark, New Jersey 1881Public11,901 Highlanders 2006;
2013		2008;
2015		    America East
Notes
  1. ↑ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.

Baseball

While there are currently no baseball independents, Oregon State will be participating as a baseball independent beginning in the 2025 season. [3]

Future members

InstitutionFoundedNicknameFirst seasonLocationTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Oregon State University 1868 Beavers 1907 Corvallis, Oregon Public37,121 West Coast Conference [lower-alpha 1]
  1. ↑ Oregon State is technically one of the two remaining members of the Pac-12 Conference beyond the 2023–24 school year, but will house most of its non-football sports in the West Coast Conference through at least 2025–26.

Bowling

Bowling, like beach volleyball, is currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level that holds a single national championship open to all NCAA members. As of 2023–24 season, nine bowling programs compete as independents.

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Baldwin Wallace University Yellow Jackets Berea, Ohio 1845Private2,592 OAC
(Division III)
Dominican University Stars River Forest, Illinois 1901Private3,066 NACC
(Division III)
Mount St. Mary's University Mountaineers Emmitsburg, Maryland [lower-alpha 1] 1808Private1,889 MAAC
(Division I)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska) Cornhuskers Lincoln, Nebraska 1869Public25,260 Big Ten
(Division I)
Oklahoma Christian University Lady Eagles Edmond, Oklahoma 1950Private2,153 Lone Star
(Division II)
Wartburg College Knights Waverly, Iowa 1852Private1,563 ARC
(Division III)
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks Whitewater, Wisconsin 1868Public11,722 WIAC
(Division III)
Wittenberg University Tigers Springfield, Ohio 1845Private1,326 NCAC
(Division III)
Wright State University Raiders Fairborn, Ohio [lower-alpha 2] 1967Public10,264 Horizon
(Division I)
  1. ↑ The Mount St. Mary's campus has an Emmitsburg mailing address, but is located in unincorporated Frederick County.
  2. ↑ Mailing address is Dayton.

Field hockey

As of the upcoming 2024 season, one school will be a Division I independent in field hockey. Queens University of Charlotte began a transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in July of 2022, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. [4] (Stonehill joined the field hockey-sponsoring Northeast Conference. [5] However, the ASUN does not sponsor field hockey, and Queens has yet to announce a future field hockey affiliation for its program.

As of the most recent 2023 season, two other schools were Division I independents in field hockey along with Queens: James Madison and Lindenwood. James Madison, had competed in the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association) in all sports, including field hockey, but moved to the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in July 2022. [6] [7] However, since the SBC does not sponsor field hockey, the Dukes competed as an independent in that sport only for 2022 and 2023. [8] In April 2023, it was announced that James Madison would become a field hockey affiliate of the Mid-American Conference in 2024, joining fellow Sun Belt member Appalachian State there. [9]

Lindenwood also transitioned from NCAA Division II at the same time as Queens, in July 2022. Similar to Queens, they joined a conference that does not sponsor field hockey, the Ohio Valley Conference, [10] and did not announce a future field hockey affiliation for its program. However, on December 1, 2023, Lindenwood announced that it would discontinue 10 athletic programs, including its field hockey program, at the end of the 2023-24 school year. [11]

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Queens University of Charlotte Royals Charlotte, North Carolina 1857Private1,740 Atlantic Sun Conference

Football

Football Bowl Subdivision

As of the recent 2023 college football season, four NCAA Division I FBS schools are football independents. The ranks of FBS independents will drop by one in 2024, when Army will depart to join the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate for football. UMass will become a full member of the Mid-American Conference in 2025.

InstitutionFoundedNicknameFirst seasonLocationTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
United States Military Academy
(Army)		1802 Black Knights 1890 West Point, New York Federal4,294 Patriot League
University of Notre Dame 1842 Fighting Irish 1887 Notre Dame, Indiana Private12,179 Atlantic Coast Conference
[lower-alpha 1]
University of Connecticut (UConn)1881 Huskies 1896 Storrs, Connecticut [lower-alpha 2] Public32,257 Big East Conference
University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass)1863 Minutemen 1879 Amherst, Massachusetts Public29,269 Atlantic 10 Conference
Notes
  1. ↑ Notre Dame remains officially an independent football team, and is not a member of the ACC in any capacity for football. However, as part of the agreement to join the ACC in other sports, Notre Dame agreed to schedule 5 games per year against ACC opponents. [12]
  2. ↑ While the UConn campus is in Storrs, the Huskies play home games in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Football Championship Subdivision

As of the 2024 season, two schools, Merrimack and Sacred Heart, will play as FCS independents.

InstitutionFoundedNicknameFirst seasonLocationTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Merrimack College 1947 Warriors 1996 North Andover, Massachusetts Private3,726 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (in 2024)
Sacred Heart University 1963 Pioneers 1991 Fairfield, Connecticut 5,974

Ice hockey

Men

There are currently six NCAA Division I independents in men's ice hockey—the University of Alaska Fairbanks (branded athletically as simply "Alaska"), the University of Alaska Anchorage, Arizona State University, Lindenwood University, Long Island University (LIU), and Stonehill College.

Alaska became a men's independent after the 2020–21 season due to the demise of its former league, the men's side of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league). The seven Midwestern members of the men's WCHA left to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association without the WCHA's three geographic outliers—the two Alaska schools, along with Alabama–Huntsville. Of these three schools, Alaska was the only one that did not initially drop hockey. [13]

Alaska-Anchorage's hockey program was suspended in 2020 by the University of Alaska System due to a reduction in state funding, along with the skiing and gymnastics programs. The 2020–21 season was set to be its last, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not end up playing that season either. The Alaska Board of Regents told the hockey program they would be reinstated if they were able to collect 3 million dollars in donations and fundraising, so the team was on hiatus for both the 2020–21 and 2021–22 season while its future was uncertain. Ultimately, the money was raised, and the Seawolves were reinstated for the 2022–23 season, but due to the WCHAs aforementioned disbanding, they resumed play as an independent alongside the Nanooks.

Arizona State moved up from club hockey in the ACHA to full varsity status. The Sun Devils began playing a full Division I schedule in 2016–17, and expected to be in a hockey conference for 2017–18, but no conference move materialized for several years. With the 2020–21 season dramatically impacted by COVID-19, ASU entered into a scheduling agreement with the Big Ten Conference for that season, with the Sun Devils playing a road-only schedule of four games against each of the seven Big Ten hockey members. [14] On July 5, 2023, it was announced that the Sun Devils would join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference for the 2024–25 season and beyond. [15]

LIU announced in late April 2020 that it would launch varsity men's hockey for the 2020–21 season. The Sharks have yet to announce a conference home, but played their first season as a scheduling partner of Atlantic Hockey. [16]

In 2021–22, Lindenwood fielded two separate men's club teams, each playing at a different level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), which governs the sport at club level. On March 23, 2022, Lindenwood announced that it would launch a Division I men's varsity program starting in the 2022–23 season, while maintaining its ACHA program. This announcement came shortly after the school announced it was starting a transition from Division II to Division I in July 2022, joining the non-hockey Ohio Valley Conference. [17]

On April 5, 2022, Stonehill, then a member of the D-II Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), announced it was joining the Northeast Conference (which also does not sponsor ice hockey) that July, starting its own transition to D-I. Before this announcement, Stonehill had been one of seven NE-10 members that played men's ice hockey under Division II regulations, despite the NCAA not sponsoring a championship event at that level. (All other D-II schools with varsity men's ice hockey play under D-I regulations.) [18]

Neither Lindenwood nor Stonehill has announced a conference home for its men's hockey program.

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentYearsPrimary conference
University of Alaska Fairbanks (Alaska) Nanooks Fairbanks, Alaska 1917Public8,3362021–present Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(Division II)
University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves Anchorage, Alaska 1954Public6,8132022–present Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(Division II)
Arizona State University Sun Devils [19] Tempe, Arizona 1885Public50,2462015–present Pac-12 Conference
(Big 12 Conference in 2024)
Lindenwood University Lions St. Charles , Missouri 1827Private6,4912022–present Ohio Valley Conference
Long Island University Sharks [20] Brooklyn and Brookville, New York [lower-alpha 1] 1926Private15,1972020–present Northeast Conference
Stonehill College Skyhawks Easton, Massachusetts 1946Private2,5002022–present Northeast Conference
  1. ↑ The current LIU athletic program was created in 2019 with the merger of the athletic programs of the university's two main campuses—the Brooklyn campus, which had been a Division I member, and the Post campus in Brookville, which had competed in Division II. The merged program inherited Brooklyn's Division I membership. The team is open to undergraduate men at both campuses who meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

Soccer

Women

The most recent departure from the independent ranks was Delaware State, who joined the Northeast Conference as an affiliate in women's soccer in 2023. [21]

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
South Carolina State University Lady Bulldogs Orangeburg, South Carolina 1896Public3,000 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Lacrosse

Men

One school is competing as an independent in the 2024 season. Le Moyne College started a transition from Division II in July 2023 as a new member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), which sponsors all of Le Moyne's current sports except men's lacrosse. [22] However, the NEC will resume sponsorship of the sport for the 2025 season, and Le Moyne will begin competition there after the conclusion of the 2024 season. [23]

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Le Moyne College Dolphins DeWitt, New York 1946Private3,409 Northeast Conference

Volleyball

Men's (indoor)

Men's volleyball has a truncated divisional structure in which members of both Division I and Division II compete under identical scholarship limits for a single national championship. Eight men's volleyball programs play as independents; all are D-II members.

Four schools left the independent ranks after the 2023 season. American International became a single-sport member of the East Coast Conference, which added men's volleyball for the 2024 season; [24] Queens of North Carolina joined the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association; [25] Limestone discontinued its men's volleyball program; [26] and Alderson Broaddus closed entirely. [27]

Maryville and Missouri S&T will leave the independent ranks after the 2025 season once their primary home of the Great Lakes Valley Conference starts sponsoring the sport. [28]

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters Harrogate, Tennessee 1897Private2,579 South Atlantic Conference
(Division II)
Maryville University Saints Town and Country, Missouri [lower-alpha 1] 1872Private3,500 Great Lakes Valley Conference
(Division II)
Missouri University of Science and Technology Miners Rolla, Missouri 1870Public6,086 Great Lakes Valley Conference
(Division II)
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón Cowboys Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1971Public5,014Independent [lower-alpha 2]
(Division II)
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Tarzans Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 1911Public13,146Independent [lower-alpha 2]
(Division II)
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus Gallitos San Juan, Puerto Rico 1903Public18,653Independent [lower-alpha 2]
(Division II)
Thomas More University Saints Crestview Hills, Kentucky 1921Private1,983 Great Midwest Athletic Conference
(Division II)
Tusculum University Pioneers Tusculum, Tennessee [lower-alpha 3] 1794Private2,053 South Atlantic Conference
(Division II)
  1. ↑ Mailing address is St. Louis.
  2. 1 2 3 While no member of the University of Puerto Rico system is part of a recognized NCAA conference, all are members of Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico, which governs college sports competitions in Puerto Rico.
  3. ↑ Mailing address is Greeneville.

Women's (beach)

Beach volleyball, currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level, holds a single national championship open to members of all three NCAA divisions. The following programs are competing as independents in the 2024 season (2023–24 school year).

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Barry University [lower-alpha 1] Buccaneers Miami Shores, Florida 1940Private7,401 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
Berry College Vikings Mount Berry, Georgia 1902Private1,900 Southern Athletic Association (Division III)
California State University, Los Angeles
(Cal State Los Angeles)		 Golden Eagles Los Angeles, California 1947Public27,685 California Collegiate Athletic Association (Division II)
Carson–Newman University Eagles Johnson City, Tennessee 1851Private2,115 South Atlantic Conference (Division II)
Catawba College Indians Salisbury, North Carolina 1851Private1,207 South Atlantic Conference (Division II)
Chaminade University of Honolulu Silverswords Honolulu, Hawaii 1955Private2,836 Pacific West Conference (Division II)
Colorado Mesa University Mavericks Grand Junction, Colorado 1925Public11,000 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (Division II)
Concordia University Irvine
(Concordia–Irvine)		 Golden Eagles Irvine, California 1976Private2,564 Pacific West Conference (Division II)
East Texas Baptist University Tigers Marshall, Texas 1912Private1,771 American Southwest Conference (Division III)
Eckerd College [lower-alpha 1] Tritons St. Petersburg, Florida 1958Private1,650 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
Erskine College Flying Fleet Due West, South Carolina 1839Private920 Conference Carolinas (Division II)
Florida Southern College [lower-alpha 1] Moccasins Lakeland, Florida 1883Private2,185 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
Hawaii Pacific University Sharks Honolulu, Hawaii 1965Private4,998 Pacific West Conference (Division II)
Hendrix College Warriors Conway, Arkansas 1876Private1,400 Southern Athletic Association (Division III)
Huntingdon College Hawks Montgomery, Alabama 1854Private900 Collegiate Conference of the South (Division III)
LaGrange College Panthers LaGrange, Georgia 1831Private1,100 Collegiate Conference of the South (Division III)
University of Lynchburg Hornets Lynchburg, Virginia 1903Private2,460 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (Division III)
University of Mary Hardin–Baylor Crusaders Belton, Texas 1845Private2,700 American Southwest Conference (Division III)
McKendree University Bearcats Lebanon, Illinois 1828Private1,960 Great Lakes Valley Conference (Division II)
Mississippi State University Bulldogs Mississippi State, Mississippi 1878Public21,884 Southeastern Conference
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
(Nebraska)		 Cornhuskers Lincoln, Nebraska 1869Public33,273 Big Ten Conference
Palm Beach Atlantic University [lower-alpha 1] Sailfish West Palm Beach, Florida 1968Private2,233 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
Saint Leo University [lower-alpha 1] Lions St. Leo, Florida 1889Private2,235 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
Southwest Baptist University Bearcats Bolivar, Missouri 1878Private2,168 Great Lakes Valley Conference (Division II)
Spring Hill College Badgers Mobile, Alabama 1830Private1,439 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II)
Stevenson University Mustangs Stevenson, Maryland 1947Private3,621 MAC Commonwealth (Division III)
University of Tampa [lower-alpha 1] Spartans Tampa, Florida 1931Private7,600 Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
University of Texas at Austin
(Texas)		 Longhorns Austin, Texas 1883Public52,384 Big 12 Conference
(SEC in 2024–25)
Texas A&M University–Kingsville Javelinas Kingsville, Texas 1925Public8,783 Lone Star Conference (Division II)
Tusculum University Pioneers Tusculum, Tennessee 1794Private2,053 South Atlantic Conference (Division II)
Vanguard University Lions Costa Mesa, California 1920Private2,752 Pacific West Conference (Division II; in 2024–25)
Wayne State College Wildcats Wayne, Nebraska 1910Public4,202 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (Division II)
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Sunshine State Conference, home to Barry, Eckerd, Florida Southern, Palm Beach Atlantic, Saint Leo, and Tampa, will add beach volleyball for the 2025 season.

Wrestling

As of the most recent 2023-24 season, three schools were Division I independents in wrestling, with one being a full D-I member and the other two transitional D-I members. The full D-I member, Morgan State, announced that they would be adding a wrestling team for the 2023-24 season, becoming the only HBCU to field the sport at the Division I level. [29] However, their primary conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, does not sponsor the sport, so they compete as an independent in that sport only.

The transitional D-I independents are Lindenwood and Queens (in North Carolina; not to be confused with Queens College in New York City, which remains in D-II), both of which started their transitions from NCAA Division II in July 2022. Lindenwood and Queens both joined conferences that do not sponsor wrestling, respectively the Ohio Valley Conference and Atlantic Sun Conference, and neither school has announced a future wrestling affiliation. Both Lindenwood and Queens announced they would discontinue their respective programs at the end of the 2023-24 school year. [30] [31]

InstitutionTeamLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentPrimary conference
Lindenwood University Lions St. Charles, Missouri 1827Private6,992 Ohio Valley Conference
Morgan State University Bears Baltimore, Maryland 1867Public9,101 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Queens University of Charlotte Royals Charlotte, North Carolina 1857Private1,740 Atlantic Sun Conference

Sports with no independents other than full independents

Full independent Chicago State is the only school that is independent in the following sports: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, and women's (indoor) volleyball.

Women's ice hockey

No women's ice hockey teams have played as independents at the National Collegiate level, the de facto equivalent to Division I in that sport, since the 2018–19 season. In that season, five schools—Franklin Pierce, Post, Sacred Heart, Saint Anselm, and Saint Michael's—competed as independents, all participating in the nascent New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), which had originally been established in 2017 as a scheduling alliance among all of the then-current National Collegiate independents. The NEWHA initially included six schools, but Holy Cross left after the inaugural 2017–18 NEWHA season to join Hockey East. The NEWHA officially organized as a conference in advance of the 2018–19 season, [32] but was not officially recognized by the NCAA as a Division I league until the 2019–20 season, by which time the newly launched LIU program had joined to return the conference membership to six. [33]

The three most recent schools to add women's ice hockey had confirmed conference homes before starting or resuming play. Stonehill started varsity play in the 2022–23 season as the newest playing member of the NEWHA. [34] Assumption joined the NEWHA for administrative purposes alongside Stonehill, but did not start NEWHA play until launching its new team in 2023–24. [35] Robert Morris, which had dropped the sport after the 2020–21 season due to COVID-19 impacts, resumed play in 2023–24, returning to its previous conference of College Hockey America. [36]

      Women's lacrosse

      In the 2023 season (2022–23 school year), four schools competed as independents—full independent Hartford, plus San Diego State, UC Davis, and Xavier.

      San Diego State and UC Davis became independents after the 2017 season when their former women's lacrosse home of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation shut down its league due to a lack of sponsoring members. Both joined the Pac-12 Conference for women's lacrosse after the 2023 season. [37] Xavier started varsity play in 2023, and began full conference play in its full-time home of the Big East Conference in 2024. [38] The collapse of the Pac-12 in 2024 would have left San Diego State and UC Davis as independents, but both will become affiliates of the Big 12 Conference once it adds women's lacrosse in the 2025 season. [39]

      Two women's lacrosse schools left lacrosse-sponsoring conferences after the 2023 season to join non-sponsoring conferences—Cincinnati from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 Conference, and Liberty from the ASUN Conference to Conference USA. Both remained in their former conferences as associate members; [40] [41] Cincinnati will move to the new Big 12 women's lacrosse league for the 2025 season.

      Men's soccer

      No school was independent in the most recently completed 2023 men's soccer season.

      Men's swimming & diving

      No men's swimming & diving programs are independents in the 2023–24 season. The only full independent, Chicago State University, does not sponsor swimming & diving for either sex.

      Women's swimming & diving

      As in the case of men's swimming & diving, no women's programs in that sport are competing as independents in 2023–24. .

      See also

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      References

      1. ↑ "Chicago State University To Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Chicago State University. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
      2. ↑ "CSU Graduate Enrollment Increases 5%". Chicago State University. September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
      3. ↑ https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2024/01/oregon-state-baseball-to-play-independent-schedule-giving-beavers-chance-to-create-our-own-identity-and-do-something-special-amid-conference-realignment.html
      4. ↑ "ASUN Conference Welcomes Queens University of Charlotte as Its Newest Member" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
      5. ↑ "Stonehill College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. April 5, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
      6. ↑ "James Madison to Compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022-2023" (Press release). James Madison University Athletics. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
      7. ↑ "James Madison Withdraws As A Member Of The Colonial Athletic Association". Colonial Athletic Association. November 6, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
      8. ↑ "Field Hockey Releases 2022 Schedule" (Press release). James Madison Dukes. March 4, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022. The Dukes will be playing the 2022 season as an independent team and will play 17 games...
      9. ↑ "James Madison To Join MAC As Affiliate Member in Field Hockey in 2024" (Press release). James Madison Dukes. April 23, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
      10. ↑ "Lindenwood University to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. February 23, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
      11. ↑ "Athletic Department Special Announcement" (Press release). Lindenwood University. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
      12. ↑ "Notre Dame Goes To ACC: Bowl Security, Football Scheduling Flexibility Key To Move". Sports Business Daily. Street and Smith's Sports Group. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
      13. ↑ Christensen, Joe (July 2, 2021). "WCHA's men's hockey era officially ends after 70 years". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
      14. ↑ "ASU/Big Ten Agree to Schedule Arrangement for 2020-21" (Press release). Arizona State Sun Devils. October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
      15. ↑ "Arizona State to Join NCHC Starting in 2024-2025 Season" (Press release). National Collegiate Hockey Conference. July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
      16. ↑ "Men's Hockey Announced as Atlantic Hockey Scheduling Partner" (Press release). LIU Sharks. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
      17. ↑ "Lindenwood Adds NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey" (Press release). Lindenwood Lions. March 23, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
      18. ↑ "Stonehill College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. April 5, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
      19. ↑ "Sun Devil Athletics Announces Addition of Men's Ice Hockey as NCAA Sport" (Press release). Arizona State Athletics. November 18, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
      20. ↑ "LIU Announces Addition of Men's Ice Hockey" (Press release). LIU Sharks. April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
      21. ↑ "Delaware State To Extend NEC Associate Membership Partnership to Women's Soccer & Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 27, 2022. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
      22. ↑ "Le Moyne College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
      23. ↑ Lane, Craig (October 12, 2023). "Northeast Conference Announces Return of Men's Lacrosse in 2024-25" (Press release). Le Moyne College. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
      24. ↑ "ECC to Sponsor Men's Volleyball Beginning in Spring of 2024" (Press release). East Coast Conference. May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
      25. ↑ "Queens University of Charlotte to Join MIVA in 2023" (Press release). Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
      26. ↑ "Limestone University Announces Discontinuation Of Men's Volleyball Program" (Press release). Limestone University. April 21, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
      27. ↑ McCluskey, Mitchell (August 2, 2023). "Financially struggling university in West Virginia closes down, leaving students scrambling". CNN. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
      28. ↑ "About Us". Great Lakes Valley Conference. Retrieved April 9, 2024. The GLVC will also begin sponsorship of men's volleyball in 2025-26 to increase sport sponsorship to 25.
      29. ↑ "Largest Donation in Morgan State University Athletics History Paves Way for Return of Division I Collegiate Wrestling, Following 24-Year Hiatus" (Press release). Morgan State Athletics. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
      30. ↑ "Athletic Department Special Announcement" (Press release). Lindenwood Lions. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
      31. ↑ "Queens University Announces Athletics Update" (Press release). Queens Royals. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
      32. ↑ "NEWHA announces intent to be recognized as NCAA national collegiate women's hockey conference". USCHO.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
      33. ↑ "New England Women's Hockey Alliance approved for NCAA Division I status, effective with '19-20 season". USCHO.com. September 4, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
      34. ↑ "Stonehill to Delay First Women's Hockey Season to 2022-23" (Press release). Stonehill Skyhawks. September 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
      35. ↑ "Assumption accepts invitation to join NEWHA as its eighth member" (Press release). New England Women's Hockey Alliance. June 29, 2022. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
      36. ↑ "College Hockey America Reinstates RMU" (Press release). Robert Morris Colonials. March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
      37. ↑ "Pac-12 women's lacrosse to add UC Davis and San Diego State as affiliate members" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. May 31, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
      38. ↑ "Xavier Athletics Announces the Addition of Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Xavier University Athletics. May 16, 2021. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
      39. ↑ "Big 12 Adds Affiliates in Lacrosse, Rowing" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
      40. ↑ "About : Sponsored Sports". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
      41. ↑ "Affiliate Members". ASUN Conference. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
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