The Atlantic Sun Conference announced on Tuesday that Northern Kentucky would be eligible for the postseason in all sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.
“This is a moment to celebrate for all current student-athletes at NKU, and the A-Sun is extremely proud to lead the way,” Commissioner Ted Gumbart said in a statement.
NKU has played at the Division I level for two season now, and while they still have to complete four years of Division I competition in order to make the NCAA tournament, the Norse will be allowed to play for an A-Sun title.
“This is tremendous news for all of our student-athletes and coaches,” said NKU Athletics Director Ken Bothof. “Since my arrival here at NKU, the ability to participate in postseason play is something that has continued to be a point of discussion. This is a wonderful opportunity to enhance the student-athlete experience. There are many conferences that discuss the importance of the student-athlete experience; the Atlantic Sun continues to show leadership in such discussions. The Commissioner and our fellow members have not only done a great job of communicating the importance of our student-athletes, they have also demonstrated a willingness to support them as well.”
The Norse went 9-21 overall and 5-13 in conference play last season, which was good for 8th in the ten-team conference.