Queens University of Charlotte accepts invitation to NCAA Division I conference
Queens University of Charlotte took another step toward becoming an NCAA Division I school on Friday.
The university’s board of trustees on Thursday unanimously voted to accept an invitation from the Atlantic Sun Conference, putting in motion the transition to Division I athletics competition, according to a news release. The four-year transitional period will begin July 1, the release said.
“Queens has a championship record in athletics as well as in academics,” board chairman Jeff Brown said in the release. “This move to Division 1 will allow our student athletes to compete and showcase their talents at the highest level.”
The Atlanta-based Atlantic Sun has 14 public and private members, including Jacksonville, Liberty, Lipscomb, Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville State universities. The Royals will be the only North Carolina program in the conference.
Mecklenburg County currently has two Division I schools, UNC Charlotte and Davidson College. There are 18 Division I schools in North Carolina. Winthrop in Rock Hill competes in the Division I Big South Conference.
Queens does not have a football team, which could save costs during the move, but the university will have to increase the number of scholarships offered in many sports, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The university will be leaving the South Atlantic Conference. The school became a power in the conference and Division II, winning six national titles in men’s and women’s swimming and diving. The Royals’ men’s basketball team capped off its 2022 season with a 17-game winning streak that ended in March with a loss to Augusta with 2 seconds remaining in the Division II Southeast Regional championship game.
Royals fans might be able to catch their respective athletic teams on TV more often because the ASUN footprint reaches into seven of the top 50 media markets in the nation, according to the university.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 5:21 PM.
