Lone Star Conference to add UT Tyler in 2019

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RICHARDSON, Texas – The Lone Star Conference will grow to 20 member institutions as league officials announced Monday that the University of Texas at Tyler will join the league on July 1, 2019. The UT System Board of Regents approved the move August 10.
UT Tyler, who is transitioning from NCAA Division III, was accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process on July 13 and begins the first year of a three-year provisional period this fall. The Patriots will compete in the LSC for all sports beginning in the fall of 2019 and would become a full member of Division II in fall 2021 after fulfilling several requirements over the three-year period.

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“The vibrant growth of UT Tyler since its inception in 1971 positions it well to contribute to the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II. It is a privilege to host them as they enter their provisional period and mature into a full-fledged competitive force in Division II. UT Tyler joins a robust group of athletic programs as a welcome addition to the dynamic Lone Star Conference,” said Midwestern State President Suzanne Shipley, chair of the LSC President’s Council.
“The Lone Star Conference is perhaps the most exciting and dynamic NCAA Division II conference in the nation, and The University of Texas at Tyler is honored to join. We are also pleased to be in a conference that shares our values of academic excellence, sportsmanship, and community service as we educate successful student-athletes,” said Dr. Michael Tidwell, UT Tyler President.
Located in Tyler, Texas, UT Tyler was founded in 1971 and enrolls more than 10,000 students. The Patriots sponsor intercollegiate teams in 17 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and volleyball.
UT Tyler has won NCAA Division III national championships in men’s golf (2013), softball (2016), and baseball (2018).
“We’re excited to welcome UT Tyler to NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference,” said LSC Commissioner Jay Poerner. “Their location, tradition, and history of academic and athletic success make them a natural fit for the LSC.”
The addition of UT Tyler continues recent expansion as eight institutions were announced in 2017. The Patriots will be the 39th institution to compete as a member of the 87-year-old LSC.
UT Tyler joins the league along with the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dallas Baptist University, Lubbock Christian University, Oklahoma Christian University, Rogers State University, St. Edward’s University, St. Mary’s University, and Texas A&M International University on July 1, 2019.
With 20 members, the LSC will become the biggest conference in NCAA Division II. The LSC, founded on April 25, 1931, started as a five-member conference of Texas-based schools and with the latest expansion will become a 20-member league with 14 members in Texas, three in Oklahoma, two in New Mexico, and one in Arkansas.
The LSC conducts conference championships in 17 sports (eight men and nine women). Men’s championships include football, cross country, basketball, baseball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, golf and tennis. Women’s titles are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis and golf.

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