Release Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Beckley, W.Va. – University of Charleston Regional President Jerry Forster today announced
the exploration of fielding junior varsity sports teams at UC-Beckley in three
sports to begin competition this fall. Those sports are basketball, soccer and
volleyball.
“We are very pleased
to field sports in Beckley beginning this fall,” said Dr. Forster. “As a former
UC basketball player, I understand that intercollegiate athletics is a vital
piece of campus life. The recruitment of student-athletes to UC-Beckley is very
important to building a strong academic institution.”
Men’s and women’s
teams will be explored in both basketball and soccer, while only a women’s team
will be examined for volleyball. The coaching search and recruitment of coaches
and student-athletes will begin immediately.
UC officials recently
received notification from the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA) that UC-Beckley teams wouldn’t be permitted to compete at that
level. Exploring NCAA competition was the next logical decision since
UC-Charleston already fields 15 Division II teams, including men’s and women’s
basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball.
“We understand that
there is no easy or immediate way to replace the past success of the Mountain
State athletics, especially the men’s basketball team,” said Dr. Forster. “They
were a powerhouse in the NAIA and a point of pride for everyone in the Beckley
area. The sports we are announcing today are hopefully just one part of something really special we feel like we are
building in Beckley.”
UC-Beckley will study
the possibility of adding more junior varsity programs, as well as varsity
teams, in the coming years.
UC-Beckley opened its
doors on January 1, 2013, and currently offers 12 academic programs, ranging
from associate to master’s degrees. The 2012-13 academic year marks UC’s 125th
anniversary as an academic institution. UC was founded in 1888 as Barboursville
Seminary, renamed Morris Harvey College in 1901, moved to Charleston in 1935
and was renamed the University of Charleston in 1978.