Big Blues Join New Association
The Big Blues Athletic Department is pleased to announce that it has joined the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), effective at the start of the Fall 2016 semester. “We wish to express our thanks to the USCAA and its member institutions for the opportunity join this prestigious organization,” noted Bluefield State Athletic Director John Lewis. “This is an opportunity that our institution has sought for some time, and we are certainly excited about our future as a USCAA member.”
The driving force for Bluefield State wanting to join the USCAA was to give an enriched experience for the College’s student-athletes, according to Lewis. He continued, “The USCAA provides expanded opportunities for postseason play and offers another outlet for our student-athletes to receive recognition for their standout performances in both the athletic arena and in the classroom.” Bluefield State College will maintain NCAA DII independent status and will retain all the rights to participate in NCAA Championships as before, but the Big Blues now also have the potential to earn postseason tournament participation through membership in the USCAA.
“Although Bluefield State will be leaving the Eastern College Athletic Conference, we are grateful to the ECAC for allowing the College to be a member institution for the past three years,” observed BSC President Dr. Marsha Krotseng. “ECAC membership provided BSC with stability during the transition period after the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ceased to operate. We are very proud to have won the Conference’s women’s basketball tournament in both 2014 and ’15, and those banners provide a treasured reminder of our years as an ECAC member.”
