University of Southern Indiana applying to join Division I

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — The University of Southern Indiana’s board of trustees on Monday voted unanimously to apply to become a Division I athletics program.

School officials say the decision is a potential catalyst for growing the university.

The school currently participates as a Division II university and has 17 athletics programs. It is adding swimming and diving in the fall, bringing the total to 19.

A Division I conference must invite Southern Indiana to join, according to the news release announcing the application. The school will formally apply for reclassification before the June 1 deadline once it joins a conference.

The transition takes four years to complete once approved by the NCAA.

Southern Indiana plans to leave the Great Lakes Valley Conference — which it joined in 1979 — at the end of the 2021-22 academic year.

The school said in the news release it would begin competing at the Division I level next school year and would not be eligible for NCAA championships during the four-year transition.