OVC Adds Lindenwood University, Partners With Big South Conference

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The Ohio Valley Conference continues to make moves and regrow after the departure of multiple schools last year by adding Lindenwood University and striking up a partnership with the Big South Conference.

Lindenwood, a Division I school based out of St. Charles, Missouri, will become official members on July 1, 2022. They join University of Arkansas at Little Rock as the newest members that the OVC has added in the past six months.

“We are delighted to add Lindenwood University as the 10th member of the OVC for the 2022-23 academic year,” says OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “President [John] Porter’s vision for the future of the institution, along with Lindenwood’s commitment to success, its geographic alignment with the OVC and its sports offerings, including football, and our shared philosophy and values make them a great fit for the Conference. We are excited to welcome Lindenwood to our OVC community.”

Lindenwood will begin its reclassification into NCAA DI during the 2022-23 academic year but will not be eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships until 2026. This will be the school’s first full season of Division I membership.

“Lindenwood is thrilled to join the Ohio Valley Conference as we apply to transition to NCAA Division I. This opportunity will elevate our entire university and provide championship-level experiences our student athletes deserve,” says Porter. “A move to NCAA Division I athletics and membership in the OVC enhances our Lindenwood University community in many ways and aligns with our strategic plan–it will drive enrollment, enhance university visibility, and generate revenue. We are eager to begin competition at this next level and look forward to welcoming OVC member schools to our campus beginning this fall.”

The OVC also announced on Tuesday, Feb. 22, that it has signed a letter of intent with the Big South Conference to create an association of their football member institutions, beginning with the 2023 NCAA Division I football season.

The agreement will combine the two conferences’ football membership to ensure NCAA championship access. It will provide the football member institutions a schedule of games against all the teams in their multisport conference and additional games against schools from the other conference. This new model for FCS football also creates more stability for the multisport conferences.

“The Big South–Ohio Valley Conference football association will strengthen the efforts of both conferences to provide greater opportunities for our student-athletes,” says Dr. J. Bradley Creed, Chair of the Big South Council of Football Members. “This move has the unanimous support of the CEOs of the football schools in the Big South Conference, and we look forward to enlarging and enlivening the field of competition for our teams. I commend President [David] Glassman and his colleagues in the OVC for their role in establishing this collaboration.”

Details of the association’s overall structure and administration have been outlined and are expected to be finalized, along with the 2023 schedule, in the coming months.

Steven Boero
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