The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference is adding two schools over the next two years, which would follow the departure of Lake Erie from the league.
On the heels of its 10-year anniversary, the AMCC has accepted Franciscan (Ohio), a first-year provisional Division III member, to begin competition in Fall 2008, followed by D'Youville the next year.
“This is a strategic move for the AMCC to strengthen its membership by staying within our established geographic footprint,” said commissioner Donna Ledwin. “Both Franciscan and D'Youville match up well with the academic, enrollment and sport sponsorship profiles of our current members.”
This is Lake Erie's last year before beginning provisional membership in Division II. The AMCC would have 11 members in 2009-10 if the conference's alignment doesn't change further.
"Franciscan University is very pleased and honored to be a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference,” said Fr. Terence Henry, the school's president. “We see this as a tremendous opportunity and are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the members of the conference."
Franciscan, with 2,000 undergraduates, is approximately 40 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. The school re-introduced varsity athletics to the campus in 2006 after a more than 20-year hiatus. The Barons are an independent and currently in their first year of a four year provisional member process to gain Division III status. They compete in 10 sports and will be expanding to 12 by Fall 2009 to meet NCAA requirements.
"We look forward to our new association with the AMCC," said D'Youville president Sr. Denise Roche. “Several local institutions are currently members and their proximity and enthusiasm should ignite even greater spirit at athletic events and enable student-athletes to (have) good competitive opportunities while spending less time traveling."
D'Youville is currently a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference and will join former NEAC rivals Hilbert and Medaille in the AMCC. The Spartans compete in 11 sports at the varsity level, and are expected to add at least two by the time they start play in the conference.