Spring Hill College Notified of NCAA Division II Membership Decision

SHC Joined the SIAC in 2014

MOBILE, Alabama -- Spring Hill College received notification from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that the Division II Membership Committee recommended that the college repeat candidacy year two of the membership process. The Membership Committee's decision is subject to final approval from the NCAA Division II Manage-ment Council which will meet in late July. Spring Hill College President Dr. Christopher Puto received the notification via a phone call on Thursday afternoon.

"We are absolutely committed to achieving full membership status in NCAA Division II," Puto said. "The added preparatory time will allow us to assure the highest quality ed-ucational and athletic experience for our student-athletes and we fully expect to compete at the highest level."

Spring Hill College was accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process in July 2013. The Membership Committee's decision means Spring Hill will repeat year two of the membership process during the 2015-16 academic year. Upon successful completion of year two, the college will become a provisional member of NCAA Division II during the 2016-17 academic year before potentially gaining full membership status for the 2017-18 academic year.

The decision also means that Badger athletic teams will not be eligible for NCAA post-season competition for the next two years.

"Obviously, we are disappointed in this outcome," said Athletic Director Jim Hall. "However, as an institution, we understand the Committee's rationale. All indications are that the committee's decision is based on giving the college an additional year to test all of its compliance related policies and procedures thoroughly given the fact that we have several new people in key compliance related positions. The decision is not reflective of anything we did wrong, problems with any of our teams or coaches, issues of student-athlete eligibility, or non-compliance with the rules of competition."

The college will receive official notification of the NCAA Division II Management Council's final decision regarding the Membership Committee's recommendation in late July. At that time the college will decide whether to file an appeal of the decision.

SPRING HILL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION