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KEY DATES OF LONGWOOD’S DIVISION I RECLASSIFICATION
November 12, 2002
- President Cormier informs NCAA of intent to reclassify to Division I
August 2003
- NCAA approves move into first year of reclassification
September 1, 2004
- Full compliance with all Division I legislation and membership requirements
September 2004
- Men’s Golf and Women’s Lacrosse accepted into Multidivisional Reclassification
September 2005
- Longwood begins its Division I Certification Self-Study
May 15, 2006
- Longwood submits its Division I Certification Self-Study Report to the NCAA
September 15-16, 2006
- Men’s Golf competes in school’s first official Division I event at Rutgers University
September 25-27, 2006
- NCAA Peer-Review Team visits campus to conduct certification evaluation
April 9, 2007
- NCAA approves Longwood Self-Study process as successfully completed
May 2007
- Men’s Golf earns invitation and competes in school’s first NCAA post-season competition
July 11, 2007
- NCAA approves Longwood for Division I active membership during 2007-08
September 1, 2007
- Longwood begins competition as officially-certified Division I member
Longwood has a history of strong intercollegiate athletics that dates back to the 1920’s for women, before the school became coeducational in 1976 and athletics for men
were added. The women’s programs were a member of the AIAW from 1972-82, before moving to the NCAA as a member of Division II (1982-83). The men’s programs
were members of NCAA Division III through 1979-80, before moving to Division II (1980-81). Former Longwood President Dr. Patricia P. Cormier (1996-2010) informed
the NCAA in a letter dated November 12, 2002 of Longwood’s intention to reclassify its intercollegiate athletics program to Division I status, and the department went
through an NCAA-mandated five-year process that included a four-year reclassification period (2003-07) – following a one-year ‘exploratory period’ (2002-03)
– to change its membership (see timeline). Dr. Cormier received a letter from the NCAA dated July 11, 2007 stating that the NCAA Division I Management
Council Administrative Committee, acting on behalf of the Division I Management Council, had approved the recommendation from the Division I
Management Council Membership Subcommittee to transfer Longwood to Division I active membership as of September 1, 2007. The Lancers
competed during 2007-08 as one of three (UC Davis, Northern Colorado) new members of NCAA Division I.
The decision to move to Division I was part of Longwood’s overall strategic plan to raise the visibility and profile of the University. Longwood
has competed as a Division I Independent since 2007-08, though the Lancers have had single-sport conference memberships in field hockey
(NorPac, since 2005), men’s soccer (Atlantic Soccer, since 2005), women’s lacrosse (National Lacrosse, since 2009), and women’s
soccer (United Soccer, 2005-08). Men’s golf and women’s lacrosse enjoyed Division I eligibility during 2006-07 via the NCAA’s
Multidivisional Reclassification that permitted reclassifying schools to designate two sports (excluding basketball) for Division I eligibility
one year ahead of the other programs. Longwood men’s golf earned an invitation to the postseason 2007 NCAA East Regional in
its first year of eligibility (May 2007).
Longwood provides access to the Richmond, Virginia media market that includes a Local TV Market Ranking of 57,
according to Nielsen estimates as of September 1, 2011, while the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper prides itself in
“informing more than 654,000 readers in print and online.”