July 1, 2005
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - On Friday, July 1, the Atlantic 10 takes on a new look as the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Saint Louis University officially begin their membership.
"This is an exciting time for all of us in the Atlantic 10 Conference," says commissioner Linda Bruno. "In Charlotte and Saint Louis, we are adding two members who will tremendously boost the national profile of all our sports and expose our programs to two new markets in which our universities actively recruit.
"As we begin our 30th anniversary season, the A-10 membership has never been as strong as it is now. I am very enthusiastic about the 2005-06 season and the future of the A-10."
On Nov. 6, 2003, the Presidents Council of the Atlantic 10 Conference extended invitations of membership to Charlotte and Saint Louis. Both institutions immediately accepted. With that, the Atlantic 10 became a 14-team entity. The A-10, which has not been at 10 members since the 1990-91 season, will do away with divisions employed in baseball and men's and women's basketball. Divisional play will begin, however, in women's volleyball.
Saint Louis sponsors the Atlantic 10 sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. Saint Louis, which boasts a student enrollment in excess of 11,000, has seen its men's basketball qualify for postseason play in seven (four NCAA Tournament bids, three NIT appearances) of the past 12 years while the women's basketball program made its first postseason appearance in the 2003 WNIT. On the soccer field, the Billiken men have won a record 10 NCAA national championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament 42 times in the 46-year history of the event. The women have also achieved success. In only its fourth year of existence, the Billiken women's soccer program produced a league championship and left C-USA as the defending regular-season league champion.
The Billiken men's soccer program has led the nation in average attendance in three of the last six seasons at Robert R. Hermann Stadium, one of the premier college soccer venues in the country; and the men's basketball team ranked among the top 30 nationally in average attendance in nine of the past 12 seasons at Savvis Center, finishing as high as sixth in 1997-98. In its 10-year membership in Conference USA, Billiken student-athletes won the league's academic Institutional Excellence Award in each year of the league's existence.
"Saint Louis University, its alumni and fans are extremely enthusiastic regarding the Billikens' inaugural year in the Atlantic 10 Conference," says Cheryl L. Levick, director of athletics at Saint Louis. "The profile of the A-10 membership is the best fit that Saint Louis University has enjoyed in the history of Billiken athletics. Plus, the A-10 provides new major market media exposure for our program and also opens the East Coast for undergraduate student recruitment for the institution. We look forward to a long, exciting and successful tenure in the A-10."
Charlotte, which has over 19,000 students, sponsors the Atlantic 10 sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, and women's volleyball. The 49ers men's basketball team has been to 11 NCAA Tournaments, including seven in the last nine years. The 49ers advanced to the Final Four in 1977, with a team led by future Boston Celtic great Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell. In addition, Charlotte's' men's soccer team reached the Final Four in 1996. Since 1990, the 49ers have won league titles in nine sports and been represented at the NCAA Championships in 12 sports.
Over the last 12 years, the 49ers have constructed over $40 million in new facilities, including the Barnhardt Student Activity Center/Halton Arena (1996) and the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Soccer Field (1996). Speaking of track, junior track starar Sharonda Johnson, the 49ers' first ever combo All-America and Academic All-America, was named the Arthur Ashe National Sports Scholar of the Year, this past year, given by Black Issues in Higher Education.
"We are delighted to be joining a conference with institutions that have similar academic and athletic priorities," said Charlotte director of athletics Judy Rose. "We are looking forward to being a strong contributing member with hopes that our membership will help to further enhance the Atlantic 10."
With the additions of Charlotte and Saint Louis, the Atlantic 10 boasts institutions in 12 of the top 61 television markets in the country, encompassing 19.7 per cent of the television households nationally. Atlantic 10 schools are also located in eight states and the District of Columbia which combine for a population in excess of 72.8 million people, or roughly one-quarter of the total population of the United States.
In addition to Charlotte and Saint Louis, the Atlantic 10 Conference consists of the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Temple University, and Xavier University.
The Atlantic 10 Conference crowns champions in 21 sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball.
