Lindenwood University state of athletics

Almost two and a half years ago, Lindenwood officials met to discuss the possibility of moving from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA. Much has happened since then and more will happen in coming months.
26 sports will be at the Div. II and above level. The men’s and women’s - basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field, swimming and diving, volleyball, tennis, and lacrosse.
On the men’s side: football, baseball, and wrestling.
The women: gymnastics, field hockey, and softball.
Women’s ice hockey is a Div. I sport that will play in the College Hockey America conference.
LU’s primary conference - where most teams will play - is the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Those programs are: football, baseball, wrestling, softball, along with the men’s and women’s sports: soccer, volleyball, tennis, and basketball.
In July, LU Athletics gained provisional membership into the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Being this type of a member means that the school can brand itself as an NCAA university.
Last year, it couldn’t.
“The whole process is three years, and we’ve completed two of the three years,” said John Creer, Athletic Director. “The first two years we are just candidates.”
There are two major disadvantages to being a provisional member. Teams can not play in postseason and the NCAA will not provide LU with funds.
“They want to make sure you are doing everything the right way before they give you full rights of membership,” Creer said. “The NCAA provides a lot of financial incentives,” these are “benefits that we can not receive as a provisional member.”
In addition to getting more privileges, coaches are adjusting to having greater control of their teams. In the past, they had to make a request for major items. The offer needed to be granted by the executive offices. Now, a budget for each team is in place. Another aspect that coaches are controlling is awarding scholarships.
Previously, admissions gave grants to players. However, if a player quit the sport, the grants did not get cut-off. This is because the grant was academic, and not athletic. Now, the University moved away from grants to athletic scholarships, and coaches choose who gets one. Also, if a player leaves, he or she stops receiving money from the school.
The NCAA has a yearly limit on these.
In order to help get more recruits and move operations away from the athletic field house, LU built the Student-Athlete Center. Towering behind Hunter Stadium, it will house the sports that use the stadium: football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. Inside there are multiple locker rooms, offices, a gym, a tutoring center, and meeting rooms. The Student-Athlete Center is not just for NCAA sports. Professors are allowed to use the meeting rooms.
The Center will be open in Oct.
LU will be a full NCAA school in summer of 2013. Then, sports can play in postseason and have access to funds.