University of Dallas Becomes Affiliate Member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) announced today that the University of Dallas (Texas) has been accepted as an affiliate member of the Conference beginning with the 2010-11 academic year. The University, whose application was approved unanimously by the Conference's Administrative and Presidents Councils, will compete as members of the SLIAC in women's and men's cross country and men's golf.
"We are pleased to welcome the University of Dallas, its student-athletes and administrators to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The institution is a great match for the Conference, having a similar commitment to Division III, similar academic profiles and size, and institutional missions," SLIAC Commissioner William J. Wolper said. "Because St. Louis and Southern Illinois are key recruiting grounds for the institution as a whole, many of our teams have competed against the school in other sports."
"The addition of Dallas will enhance the championship experience for the student-athletes in all three sports, increasing the size of the Championship field in each sport to offer a greater event for the participants. Further, it will solidify our automatic qualifier in men's golf. We are also pleased to offer the student-athletes from UD the opportunity to compete for a Conference Championship, and the awards and recognitions that come with that," Wolper continued.
Dr. Miriam Pride, President of Blackburn College and Chair of the SLIAC Presidents' Council, added, "We are delighted to welcome the University of Dallas to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. We are particularly pleased that they share our commitment to excellence in academics and athletics. We look forward to the new and enhanced opportunities that will be possible as a result of this growth."
The University of Dallas is a Catholic, co-educational university located in Irving Texas, on the northwest boundary of the city of Dallas. Since it was founded in 1956, the University has been consistently ranked as one of the top liberal arts universities in America. It is one of only eight in the state of Texas to receive Phi Beta Kappa status, and is one of 124 schools nationwide recognized for stressing character development among students.
Dallas offers 21 degree programs, has a full-time undergraduate enrollment just over 1300 students with an average ACT score of 28.
"We're honored to affiliate with the SLIAC and the fine set of schools it represents. We're especially delighted to provide our student-athletes the opportunity to compete for the SLIAC Conference Championship in several sports," University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe said.
The University of Dallas Crusaders compete in 14 sports (baseball, men's & women's basketball, men's & women's cross country, men's golf, men's & women's lacrosse, men's & women's soccer, men's & women's track & field, softball and women's volleyball). They have competed in NCAA Division III since 1994 and have been primarily independent of a Conference affiliation since 2002.
The SLIAC was chartered in September 1989 and competition began during the 1990-91 academic year. The Conference currently conducts championships in 12 sports. In addition to the sports in which the University of Dallas will compete, the Conference also sponsors championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball.
There are currently nine full members of the SLIAC including Blackburn College (Carlinville, Ill.), Eureka College (Eureka, Ill.), Fontbonne University (St. Louis, Mo.), Greenville College (Greenville, Ill.), MacMurray College (Jacksonville, Ill.), Principia College (Elsah, Ill.), Spalding University (Louisville, Ky.), Webster University (St. Louis, Mo.) and Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.). Eight of the nine schools compete in cross country and seven of the nine schools compete in golf.