JAMESTOWN, N.D. \u2014 University of Jamestown was informed during the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Council of Presidents fall meeting that they will no longer be a member of the GPAC following the 2023-24 academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough we are disappointed in the GPAC\u2019s decision, with the admittance of Waldorf University into the conference as early as the 24-25 athletic season, we have anticipated the potential of this outcome,\u201d said UJ President Dr. Polly Peterson. \u201cConsequently, we have been discussing alternative opportunities as we prepare for a potential move to the NCAA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the University moved into the GPAC in the fall of 2018, 277 athletes have earned all-conference honors, with seven athletes being named conference Player of the Year. UJ athletic coaches have earned nine GPAC Coach of the Year awards. Collectively, Jimmie athletic teams have won nine postseason championships in this period, including winning the 2022 NAIA Women\u2019s Volleyball National Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In May 2023, the University alerted representatives from the GPAC, an NAIA conference, that UJ was exploring the possibility of becoming a member of NCAA Division II through the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is an important responsibility of our administration to consistently evaluate the college landscape and that includes the ever-changing world of athletic conference affiliations,\u201d said UJ Athletic Director Austin Hieb. \u201cAlthough we are disappointed in the GPAC\u2019s decision, we strive to provide our students and athletes with the best possible experience, and we will continue to do that moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe shared geographical footprint and our expressed commitment to athletic and academic excellence make the NSIC and the NCAA a natural next step for our University,\u201d added Dr. Peterson. \u201cThe students are and always will be our priority as we pursue new opportunities, whether that\u2019s with the NAIA or the NCAA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Peterson said the GPAC\u2019s decision, however sudden, will not ultimately impact the University\u2019s future: \u201cWe are moving forward with enthusiasm, and we look forward to a strong future for Jimmie athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JAMESTOWN, N.D. \u2014 University of Jamestown was informed during the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Council of Presidents fall meeting that they will no longer be a member of the GPAC following the 2023-24 academic year. \u201cAlthough we are disappointed in the GPAC\u2019s decision, with the admittance of Waldorf University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":276535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=276534"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276536,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276534\/revisions\/276536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/276535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=276534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=276534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=276534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}