The Lone Star Conference will grow to 10 member institutions as league officials announced Friday the University of Texas of the Permian Basin has accepted an invitation to join the conference in the fall of 2016. The UT System Board of Regents approved the move Thursday morning.
The LSC Council of Presidents gathered at the NCAA Convention in Washington D.C. in January for their annual winter meeting, where they unanimously voted to extend an invitation to Texas-Permian Basin.
"We are extremely pleased to have a program with great athletic and academic traditions in UTPB joining the Lone Star Conference," said Angelo State President Dr. Brian May, chair of the LSC President's Council.
Located in Odessa, Texas, UTPB is a dynamic, growing campus with over 5,000 students. The Falcons sponsor 11 NCAA Division II sports (volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, softball, baseball, men's and women's tennis). UTPB recently added football, and men's and women's golf, which all begin competition in 2016.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Texas-Permian Basin to the Lone Star Conference," said LSC Interim Commissioner Jay Poerner. "UTPB is an institution with tremendous leadership that shares the same core values as our current members. They are an ideal fit for the LSC academically, athletically and geographically."
The addition of UTPB represents the LSC first membership change since 2012, when Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word left the league. UTPB will be the 29th institution to compete as a member of the 83-year-old LSC.
A former NAIA program, UTPB joined the NCAA Division II ranks as a provisional member of the Heartland Conference in the fall of 2006. The Falcons, who became a full member of Division II in Fall 2008, have won six Heartland Conference titles.
The LSC, founded on April 25, 1931, started as a five-team conference of Texas-based schools and with UTPB will become a 10-member league with eight members in Texas, one in Oklahoma and one in New Mexico.
The LSC conducts conference championships in 16 sports (seven men and nine women). Men's championships include football, cross country, basketball, baseball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and golf. Women's titles are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis and golf.
(From the UTPB athletics website)
UTPB to Join Lone Star Conference in 2016
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin will join the Lone Star Conference as a full member in the fall of 2016. The move was approved Thursday by the UT System Board of Regents.
"The success of UTPB student athletes both as athletes and students is the primary reason for joining the Lone Star Conference," said David Watts, UTPB president. "Students will not have to spend as much time traveling and they will be competing against more familiar teams. I am grateful to the Lone Star Conference for the invitation and to the Regents for their support."
The Falcons will play their final season as members of the Heartland Conference in 2015-16. UTPB has won six different conference titles since joining the Heartland in 2006; Volleyball (2008 Conference & Tournament Champions), Baseball (2009 Conference Champions), Men's Basketball (2011 Conference co-Champions), and Women's Basketball (2011 Conference Tournament and 2013 Conference Champions).
The 11 NCAA Division II athletic programs that currently participate in the Heartland Conference (volleyball, men's & women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, softball, baseball, men's and women's tennis) along with football and men's and women's golf will all participate in the Lone Star Conference beginning in September 2016 and will be immediately eligible to participate in Lone Star Conference Championships. Men's and women's swimming will continue to participate in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Texas-Permian Basin to the Lone Star Conference," said LSC Interim Commissioner Jay Poerner. "UTPB is an institution with tremendous leadership that shares the same core values as our current members. They are an ideal fit for the LSC academically, athletically and geographically."
The Lone Star Conference was founded in the spring of 1931 and currently includes teams in Texas (Angelo State, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, Texas A&M - Commerce, Texas A&M - Kingsville, Texas Woman's, West Texas A&M), Oklahoma (Cameron) and New Mexico (Eastern New Mexico)
"The Lone Star Conference will be a great fit for us as several member schools are in close proximity to us," said Steve Aicinena, UTPB athletics director. "There is also a higher name recognition for Lone Star schools in this region of the state. We look forward to great competition in our new conference."
Long known as a leader in intercollegiate athletics, the Lone Star Conference (LSC) is an innovative athletics conference that aims to provide a superior competitive experience for member institutions and to allow for comprehensive development of student-athletes through academic services and life skills programming. The LSC continues to build upon its proud history while intending to be recognized as the premier NCAA Division II conference in the nation.
"We are extremely pleased to have a program with great athletic and academic traditions in UTPB joining the Lone Star Conference," said Brian May, Angelo State President and chair of the LSC President's Council.
The league's mission is to provide comprehensive student-athlete experiences in high-level athletic competition, with particular dedication to student-athlete development, graduation success, sportsmanship, ethical conduct, community engagement, and expanding opportunities.
While the LSC has maintained a long-standing tradition of competitive athletic programs for its members, many teams and individuals have gone on to distinguish themselves on the national stage. Entering 2014-15, LSC member institutions have collected 75 NCAA national championships since the league joined the Division II membership in 1982. West Texas A&M supplied the most recent addition to that total by claiming the softball championship this past spring.
The LSC conducts conference championships in 16 sports (seven men and nine women). Men's championships include football, cross country, basketball, baseball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and golf. Women's titles are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis and golf.
The conference office is located in Richardson, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas. Jay Poerner serves as Interim Commissioner, with assistance from Melanie Robotham (Media Relations).
The LSC conducts conference championships in 16 sports (seven men and nine women). Men's championships include football, cross country, basketball, baseball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and golf. Women's titles are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis and golf.
The conference office is located in Richardson, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas. Jay Poerner serves as Interim Commissioner, with assistance from Melanie Robotham (Media Relations).
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