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| UT-Dallas athletics photo |
Another school has announced it is leaving the American Southwest Conference, as UT-Dallas has accepted an invitation to join the Lone Star Conference.
The LSC is a Division II member conference. UT-Dallas must apply in February 2024 to become a member of NCAA Division II, and a decision on its membership would take place in July of that year. Sul Ross State, also a member of the ASC, recently was admitted to Division II and will compete for one final year in the ASC before moving.
UTD has been a member of the American Southwest Conference and Division III for the entirety of the department's athletic history beginning in 1998.
"We are delighted to be joining the Lone Star Conference as we transition to NCAA Division II," said Angela Marin, UTD's athletic director. "We thank the American Southwest Conference and its members for 25 memorable years. Our decision to depart the ASC was a difficult one, but we believe this is an exciting opportunity for our institution."
UTD has 17,968 full-time undergraduate students, as of its last filing with the U.S. Department of Education.
This move leaves the ASC with just five members: East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, LeTourneau and Mary Hardin-Baylor. In addition to Sul Ross State leaving for D-II, Concordia (Texas) and the University of the Ozarks recently announced a departure for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.