July 1, 2007

Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst College President Dr. Thomas Gamble announced that the school has accepted an offer to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) as full-time members. Mercyhurst will join long-time rival Gannon in making the switch from the Michigan-based Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), in which the Lakers competed since 1995.

Mercyhurst will begin full membership into the PSAC beginning in the 2008-09 season, competing for one more year in the GLIAC.

"Mercyhurst College is excited to be joining the PSAC for the 2008-09 season," Gamble said. "This move provides benefits for our student-athletes, coaches and administration. We already have developed great rivalries with some of the PSAC members such as Edinboro and IUP, and we anticipate this move to enhance that across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania."

The move will affect 17 of the college's 25 varsity sports. Baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball will all move from the GLIAC to the PSAC. As well, the sports of field hockey, women's lacrosse and wrestling will no longer be independent schools and will compete in the PSAC. Women's golf will lose conference sponsorship and will move to independent status.

Men's hockey will remain in Division I Atlantic Hockey (AH) and women's hockey will remain in Division I College Hockey America (CHA). As well, men's lacrosse will stay in the East Coast Conference (ECC) and men's and women's rowing will still compete in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC). Men's and women's water polo will remain in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and men's volleyball will stay in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).

The school should benefit in a number of ways from the move. Regional rivalries against schools such as Edinboro, Clarion and Slippery Rock will thrive, while the shorter trips (the average drive to a GLIAC school is 427 miles, while the average drive to a PSAC school is 246 miles) will allow Mercyhurst's student-athletes to stay focused on academics and stay fresher through long athletic seasons. As well, with a majority of Mercyhurst's student-athletes hailing from Pennsylvania, the move will allow those athletes to play more road games in front of family and friends.

The inclusion of the two Erie-based schools elevates the PSAC to 16 full-time members. They become the first schools to be added to the league since its official formation in 1951. The league's current members - Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania were all charter members. The only variation to the membership came in the mid 1980s when West Chester explored a move to Division I.

"Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to welcome Mercyhurst and Gannon into the PSAC," said Dr. Robert J. Dillman, President at East Stroudsburg University and Chairman of the PSAC's Board of Directors. "The attributes they bring in terms of quality competition and their dedication to academic and athletic success make us all confident this is going to be a beneficial partnership."

PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray also expressed his thoughts on the association. "There is no question that today is a historic day for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The addition of two top-notch institutions such as Gannon and Mercyhurst will only enhance what I consider to be one of Division II's most competitive conferences. In our efforts to expand, we did not have to look very far to find a pair of schools that would fit in well with our current members."

Gannon and Mercyhurst's inclusion is significant in several ways. Most notably, they are both private schools, while the current membership is made up solely of state-owned institutions within the same academic system - Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Already considered one of the largest conferences, the PSAC will now feature the second most members of any Division II conference. The Gulf South Conference serves 17 members while the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference also has 16. The league will continue to boast its claim of the largest conference on any Division II level with all of its full-time members in the same state.

Furthermore, the PSAC is second among Division II leagues with its sponsorship of 22 sports. The PSAC supports 21 team championships, hosts an individual championship in men's and women's tennis, and crowns divisional champions in football.

The membership expansion will not only have an effect on championship competition, but also impacts league scheduling. Currently the league requires sponsorship by 10 members for divisional play to occur. With the Gannon and Mercyhurst in the fold, divisional play will increase from six team sports to nine team sports, which may aid travel costs and missed class time for student-athletes.

The PSAC has also extended invitation to C.W. Post - Long Island University as an associate member in football and field hockey. Like Gannon and Mercyhurst, C.W. Post was given a deadline of July 2 to state its intentions, however, an announcement is expected by the end of the week.

LSSU notes: With the addition of Tiffin, the GLIAC will have 12 full-time members in 2008-09...The Gannon women's basketball coaching staff includes former Laker point guard Randy Johnson, who was recently promoted to No. 1 assisant coach.