The
Sun Belt Conference (SBC) has welcomed the Georgia State panthers a earlier
than expected.
Student-athletes
from 10 Georgia State teams will have the opportunity to participate in
postseason play in the Sun Belt Conference in 2012-13, GSU Director of
Athletics Cheryl L. Levick and Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson announced.
GSU
will participate in the Sun Belt Conference Championships and will be
considered an associate member in the league for 2012-13 in the sports of men's
cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's
indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track
and field, men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis and women's tennis.
In
these individual sports, the programs compete in a conference championship
tournament but do not play a regular-season conference schedule. In golf and
tennis, the team champions earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
"We
thank Commissioner Benson and the Sun Belt Conference athletics directors for
their unanimous support in welcoming Georgia State to the conference and supporting
our student-athletes," said Levick. "The student-athletes always come
first, and we are delighted that Georgia State student-athletes in 10 sports
will be able to compete in conference championships in 2012-13."
Georgia
State's team sports, including men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and
women's basketball, baseball and softball, will play a Colonial Athletic
Association schedule in 2012-13 as planned but are unable to participate in
postseason conference tournaments. These teams are eligible for NCAA at-large
berths.
"Our
discussions with the Sun Belt and the CAA centered only on the individual
sports, and we appreciate the cooperation from both conferences to allow over
100 student-athletes a conference championship opportunity," said Levick.
"It was not feasible at this late date to consider other sports due to the
scheduling complications."
Georgia
State will become a full member of the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2013 and
will be eligible for all championships except football in 2013-14. The GSU
football program will play a Sun Belt schedule in 2013 as part of the second
year of its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and then will
become eligible for the Sun Belt title and postseason bowl games in 2014.
"We
think that this is the right thing to do for the student-athletes of Georgia
State," said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. "Though we
would have liked to accommodate all of the Panther student-athletes, the
logistics and timing were such that were too many complications. We are excited
to be able to provide a championship experience for many of the
student-athletes of GSU."
Well
it looks as though the CAA no longer have a welcome for the Georgia State
Panthers, after they decided to join our wonderful and exciting conference of
the Sun Belt. I personally say welcome to the Sun Belt Conference Georgia State
Panthers, let the games begin. I will be providing coverage of Georgia State in
both football and basketball here on the Sun Belt Insider so stay tune and get
ready for the Panthers news.
