Division II power Queens University of Charlotte OKs plan to explore a jump to D-I
Queens University of Charlotte’s trustees on Friday unanimously approved a plan to explore a possible move to NCAA’s Division I.
Queens currently is a member of Division II and competes in the South Atlantic Conference.
The decision by the board, which includes 29 members, comes “after careful and thoughtful consideration” of the school’s academic and athletic successes in its 26 NCAA-sponsored sports, according to a statement released by the university.
A move to Division I remains contingent upon a formal conference invitation and pending financial feasibility, the school said.
Mecklenburg County currently has two Division I schools, Charlotte and Davidson. There are 18 Division I schools in North Carolina. Winthrop in Rock Hill is also Division I.
According to NCAA statistics, Queens would have the third-smallest enrollment of any Division 1 school. The most recent figures for Queens, from the 2020 fall semester, showed an undergraduate enrollment of 1,670 students.
The only smaller Division I schools are Presbyterian (1,172) in South Carolina and St. Francis (1,658) in Pennsylvania.
Making the jump to Division I would be a costly venture, as Queens would have to increase the number of scholarships offered in many sports. Such a move also could entail additional costs in expanding coaching staffs and support staffs.
However, Queens does not have a football program and would not be burdened with college athletics’ most expensive sport.
According to the university, Queens officials regularly assess their athletic programs.
“This involves assessing our conference affiliation and division status,” according to a statement from the school earlier this week.
In recent years, a number of universities have moved up in classification. St. Thomas (Minn.) College this year moved from Division III to Division I. Southern Indiana and Texas A&M-Commerce are scheduled to begin the transition from Division II to Division I next athletic year.
Queens has been a Division II power in men’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
The Royals have won six consecutive Division II national titles in men’s and women’s swimming and diving. And the men’s basketball team is ranked 15th nationally this week.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 3:28 PM.