USC Beaufort Approved for NCAA Division II Membership
Quin Monahan, Director of Athletics, Genia Montford, Associate Director of Athletics
/ Senior Woman Administrator, Dr. Al Panu, USCB Chancellor, Betsy Walters, Director
of Athletic Compliance, and Mitchell Migel, Director of Sports Information after receiving
the acceptance call.After a long five-month wait, the USC Beaufort Department of Athletics received exciting news on Thursday, July 14, 2022.
The plan of USCB moving into the NCAA has been in the works for several years, and on Thursday morning, the Sand Sharks found out they have officially been accepted as provisional members of the NCAA Division II ranks.
"What a great day for USCB and our entire community," exclaimed USCB Director of Athletics Quin Monahan. "This is a day we have worked toward and anticipated for several years, and I could not be more thrilled."
Achieving full NCAA Division II membership typically takes three years, provided the athletic department successfully completes each phase of the membership process. The NCAA committee reviews each school in the process annually to determine if the institution should repeat any year or advance to the next year in the process. There is not a guarantee to move from one year to the next.
The NCAA Division II membership process prepares institutions for membership as a successful Division II athletic program. The process includes opportunities for education, assessment and growth, as institutions integrate the Division II philosophy, strategic positioning platform and best practices to be a model Division II institution.
"I'm thankful for the hard work, support and dedication of so many that made this our new reality - starting with our Chancellor Dr. Al M. Panu and former Chancellor Dr. Jane T. Upshaw. Without their vision and leadership, this incredible day would have never have come to be," said Monahan.
The process started with a conversation many years ago when Monahan laid out his vision and direction of the USCB athletic department to Dr. Panu. Monahan, now entering his 11th year at the helm, shared the positive impact this transition would have on the institution, and Dr. Panu - entering his eighth year as Chancellor - fully supported Monahan and the athletic department on this quest.
"This marks a significant milestone in USCB's journey," said Dr. Panu.
The vision for Sand Shark Athletics to be part of the NCAA – to achieve athletic excellence – was born right alongside the vision for academic excellence. The foresight of "what could be" – the marriage of academic and athletic achievement – is as old as USCB itself, and we are so excited now for the opportunity to bring this full vision to life. We are thrilled and look forward to making our mark in the Peach Belt Conference and in the NCAA."
The first step of applying to become a NCAA institution began on April 14, 2021 when the Peach Belt Conference Board of Directors unanimously accepted USCB as a provisional member of the league. With USCB's acceptance into the NCAA, the Sand Sharks are now full-fledged PBC members.
"What a great day to be a Sand Shark!," said PBC commissioner David Brunk. "Congratulations to Chancellor Dr. Al Panu, Athletic Director Quin Monahan and the entire USC Beaufort community. USCB will be a great fit and tremendous asset to NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference."
With this exciting move, USCB will transition into the three-year provisional stage that begins in the 2022-23 season. If USCB successfully passes the annual reviews, the Sand Sharks will become a full and active NCAA DII member in 2025-26.
For USCB's first provisional year, the Sand Sharks will have dual membership with both the NAIA and NCAA. The Sand Sharks have already been accepted as members of the Continental Athletic Conference (NAIA's independent conference), and USCB will play in this league for the first year of provisional membership, while still playing a Peach Belt Conference schedule. After each sport's regular season concludes, USCB will participate in the Continental Athletic Conference tournaments, as it vies for a NAIA Tournament bid. With this move to the CAC, USCB is no longer an active member of The Sun Conference.
Per standard operations of NCAA provisional membership, USCB will not be able to participate in any postseason tournaments - CAC, Peach Belt, NAIA or NCAA - during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The Sand Sharks will continue to compete in a full Peach Belt slate during those two provisional seasons, as they prepare to become full NCAA DII members in 2025-26. For the full NCAA provisional process, see the timeline below.
"I'm thankful for the commitment of our athletics leadership team - Genia Montford, Betsy Walters, Mitchell Miegel and Tana Turner. This (NCAA application process) was truly a team effort, and it could not have been done without their hard work," said Monahan. "It is indeed a great day to be a Sand Shark, Fins Up!"
USC Beaufort currently sponsors 11 sports with all 11 will continuing to compete at the NCAA level. With the transition, USCB will also be adding men's and women's basketball that will begin competition during the 2023-24 season. USCB will begin the hiring process for both head coaches this summer with an anticipated 2022 Fall start date. Both coaches will have a full year to recruit, plan and schedule for the inaugural campaigns.
As a long-standing member of the NAIA and The Sun Conference, USCB achieved 264 All-Conference selections, 60 NAIA All-Americans, 275 Academic All-Conference selections, 36 NAIA tournament appearances and 10 Sun Conference titles. USC Beaufort is proud of its history in the NAIA and The Sun Conference, but it is excited to navigate this new journey in the NCAA and Peach Belt.