NEW HAVEN, CT - Chestnut Hill College, located at the northwest boundary of Philadelphia, PA, has officially gained membership to NCAA Division II according to a statement from the NCAA membership committee today. Chestnut Hill spent the 2007-08 season as a provisional Division II institution as a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). The Griffins will now be eligible for CACC and NCAA Division II tournament participation.
"This is a great day for the CACC to have Chestnut Hill achieve active Division II membership status," said CACC Commissioner Dan Mara. "It is the result of a concerted effort by the conference, its member Athletic Directors and the entire Chestnut Hill community. The Chestnut Hill athletic department has done a phenomenal job of adopting the philosophy of Division II and implementing processes to meet its rules and regulations."
Chestnut Hill participated in a full conference slate for its CACC-sponsored sports in 2007-08, but was not eligible for conference or NCAA tournaments. The school boosts the CACC's membership to 13. Chestnut Hill currently offers 14 varsity sports (men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's golf, volleyball, women's lacrosse, softball and baseball).
"We are delighted to have been granted active NCAA Division II status," said Chestnut Hill Director of Athletics, Bill Stiles. "During the past two years we've spent a great deal of time, energy and resources to ensure successful completion of all NCAA Division II requirements. I am thrilled that the NCAA has recognized our institution's commitment to NCAA Division II.
"We are so grateful to the CACC, and Dan Mara in particular, for all of his guidance and support throughout this process. Dan, along with Tom Shirley (Philadelphia), Sandy Michael (Holy Family), Frank Aiello, (Wilmington) and their staffs, were so gracious in allowing us to spend hours and hours on their campuses for education and support during this transition. I am quite sure that had Chestnut Hill College not been a member of the CACC, we would not have progressed so quickly through this process. "