Point Park University to pursue athletics in NCAA Division II

PITTSBURGH — Point Park University will be seeing a change in their athletics department next school year.

According to Point Park, the university received an invitation to join the Mountain East Conference (MEC), a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II league.

“We will, of course, pursue this incredible opportunity by taking the next step, which is to apply for membership into the NCAA,” said President of Point Park, Dr. Chris W. Brussalis. “Joining the NCAA would undoubtedly raise the profile of Point Park, attaching an additional layer of prominence to both our University and its athletic programs.”

Point Park plans to participate in 15 of the MEC’s 23 sponsored sports and plans to add four more sports in the next two years, the university said.

“We are thrilled to extend an invitation of membership to Point Park University, to return the MEC to 12 full-time members in the 2024-25 season,” MEC Commissioner Reid Amos said. “As we worked with our MEC Membership Committee this fall, Point Park continued to emerge as an outstanding fit, with an athletic department that we believe will be highly competitive in the MEC. The strategic vision for Point Park’s academic and athletic future, led by President Brussalis, gives us great confidence that Point Park is well-positioned to successfully transition to NCAA Division II and to become a valued member of the Mountain East Conference.”

The MEC currently has 11 member schools, with nine in West Virginia, one in Ohio and one in Maryland. The university said the move will see average travel times reduced by 65%.

Point Park moves to NCAA Division II from the Rivers States Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which hosts several universities in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio and one in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Pioneers will officially become members of the MEC in July 2024 and will begin competition in the fall semester.

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