BEAUFORT, SC – The NCAA Division II Membership Committee has approved the University of South Carolina Beaufort to begin the transition from the NAIA to the NCAA. With today's announcement, USCB officially becomes a member of the Peach Belt Conference, becoming the leagues' 11th full member.
"What a great day to be a Sand Shark!," said PBC commissioner David Brunk. "Congratulations to Chancellor 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."
The Sand Sharks will begin their three-year transition to full NCAA Division II membership. USCB will play full PBC schedules in all sports and eligible for all conference awards. However, the school will be ineligible to participate in any PBC tournament that awards an automatic bid as the school is not able to compete in NCAA championships until completing the transition. For 2022-23, USCB will participate in the PBC cross country, women's golf and outdoor track & field.
"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 came 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 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.