NCAA Division I independent schools
In American college sports, NCAA Division I independent schools are four-year institutions that do not belong to a conference for a particular sport.
Full independents
As of the 2021–22 season, no school competes as a full Division I independent.
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level, holds a single national championship open to members of all three NCAA divisions. As of the 2022 season (2021–22 school year), affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the following programs compete as independents.
Bowling
Bowling, like beach volleyball, is currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level that holds a single national championship open to all NCAA members. As of the 2021–22 season, 13 bowling programs compete as independents.
Field hockey
As of the upcoming 2022 season, there is one Division I independent in field hockey. The only school that will compete as an independent in that season, barring a conference move, is James Madison. The Dukes formerly competed in the Colonial Athletic Association in all sports, including field hockey, but will be moving to the Sun Belt Conference in July of 2022.[4][5] However, the Sun Belt does not sponsor field hockey, so the Dukes will compete as an independent in that sport only. JMU will be one of three Sun Belt members to sponsor the sport, the others being current member Appalachian State and fellow future member Old Dominion. Those schools respectively play field hockey in the Mid-American Conference and Big East Conference.
| Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison University | Dukes | Harrisonburg, Virginia | 1908 | Public | 21,496 | Sun Belt Conference |
Football
Football Bowl Subdivision
As of the coming 2022 college football season, there are seven NCAA Division I FBS independent schools. Three of these schools, highlighted in pink, will join FBS conferences in the near future: BYU will be moving to the Big 12 Conference, while Liberty and Mew Mexico State will both be joining Conference USA.
| Institution | Founded | Nickname | First season | Location | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Military Academy (Army) |
1802 | Black Knights | 1890 | West Point, New York | Federal | 4,294 | Patriot League |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) | 1875 | Cougars | 1922 | Provo, Utah | Private | 29,672 | West Coast Conference (Big 12 Conference in 2023)[6] |
| Liberty University | 1971 | Flames | 1973 | Lynchburg, Virginia | Private | 15,000[lower-alpha 1] | ASUN Conference (Conference USA in 2023)[3] |
| New Mexico State University | 1888 | Aggies | 1893 | Las Cruces, New Mexico | Public | 18,497 | Western Athletic Conference (Conference USA in 2023)[3] |
| University of Notre Dame | 1842 | Fighting Irish | 1887 | Notre Dame, Indiana | Private | 12,179 | Atlantic Coast Conference [lower-alpha 2] |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) | 1881 | Huskies | 1896 | Storrs, Connecticut[lower-alpha 3] | Public | 32,257 | Big East Conference |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) | 1863 | Minutemen | 1879 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | 29,269 | Atlantic 10 Conference |
- Notes
- Does not include roughly 90,000 students enrolled in online programs.
- Notre Dame remains officially an independent football team, and is not a member of the ACC in any capacity for football. However, as part of the agreement to join the ACC in other sports, Notre Dame agreed to schedule 5 games per year against ACC opponents.[7]
- While the UConn campus is in Storrs, the Huskies play home games in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Football Championship Subdivision
As of the 2022 season, no school plays as FCS independents.
Golf
As of the 2021–22 season, no men's or women's golf team competes as a Division I independent. Four schools had competed as such in 2020–21—Francis Marion in men's golf, and Augusta, Delaware State, and Maryland Eastern Shore in women's golf. Augusta and Francis Marion are Division II members that compete in Division I golf, with Augusta doing so for both men and women and Francis Marion for men only. All four teams became associate members of the Southland Conference in July 2021, with Augusta also joining that league in men's golf.[8][9]
Ice hockey
Men
There are currently four NCAA Division I independents in men's ice hockey—the University of Alaska Fairbanks (branded athletically as simply "Alaska"), the University of Alaska Anchorage, Arizona State University, and Long Island University (LIU).
Alaska became a men's independent after the 2020–21 season due to the demise of its former league, the men's side of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league). The seven Midwestern members of the men's WCHA left to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association without the WCHA's three geographic outliers—the two Alaska schools, along with Alabama–Huntsville. Of these three schools, Alaska was the only one that did not initially drop hockey.[10]
Alaska-Anchorage's hockey program was suspended in 2020 by the University of Alaska System due to a reduction in state funding, along with the skiing and gymnastics programs. The 2020-21 season was set to be its last, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not end up playing that season either. The Alaska Board of Regents told the hockey program they would be reinstated if they were able to collect 3 million dollars in donations and fundraising, so the team was on hiatus for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season while its future was uncertain. Ultimately, the money was raised, and the Seawolves were reinstated for the 2022-23 season, but due to the WCHAs aforementioned disbanding, they will begin playing as an independent alongside the Nanooks.
Arizona State moved up from club hockey in the ACHA to full varsity status. The Sun Devils began playing a full Division I schedule in 2016–17, and expected to be in a hockey conference for 2017–18, but no conference move has yet materialized. With the 2020–21 season dramatically impacted by COVID-19, ASU entered into a scheduling agreement with the Big Ten Conference for that season, with the Sun Devils playing a road-only schedule of four games against each of the seven Big Ten hockey members.[11]
LIU announced in late April 2020 that it would launch varsity men's hockey for the 2020–21 season. The Sharks have yet to announce a conference home, but played their first season as a scheduling partner of Atlantic Hockey.[12]
| Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Years | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alaska Fairbanks (Alaska) | Nanooks | Fairbanks, Alaska | 1917 | Public | 8,336 | 2021–present | Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Division II) |
| University of Alaska Anchorage | Seawolves | Fairbanks, Alaska | 1954 | Public | 6,813 | 2022–present | Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Division II) |
| Arizona State University | Sun Devils[13] | Tempe, Arizona | 1885 | Public | 50,246 | 2015–present | Pac-12 Conference |
| Long Island University | Sharks[14] | Brooklyn and Brookville, New York[lower-alpha 1] | 1926 | Private | 15,197 | 2020–present | Northeast Conference |
- The current LIU athletic program was created in 2019 with the merger of the athletic programs of the university's two main campuses—the Brooklyn campus, which had been a Division I member, and the Post campus in Brookville, which had competed in Division II. The merged program inherited Brooklyn's Division I membership. The team is open to undergraduate men at both campuses who meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
Women
No women's ice hockey teams have played as independents at the National Collegiate level, the de facto equivalent to Division I in that sport, since the 2018–19 season. In that season, five schools—Franklin Pierce, Post, Sacred Heart, Saint Anselm, and Saint Michael's—competed as independents, all participating in the nascent New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), which had originally been established in 2017 as a scheduling alliance among all of the then-current National Collegiate independents. The NEWHA initially included six schools, but Holy Cross left after the inaugural 2017–18 NEWHA season to join Hockey East. The NEWHA officially organized as a conference in advance of the 2018–19 season,[15] but was not officially recognized by the NCAA as a Division I league until the 2019–20 season, by which time the newly launched LIU program had joined to return the conference membership to six.[16]
Lacrosse
Men
No teams are playing as independents in the upcoming 2022 season. Four schools had planned to play the 2021 season as such, and three did so despite COVID-19 issues. Hampton chose not to play due to pandemic concerns.[17]
All four schools joined lacrosse conferences for the 2022 season and beyond. Cleveland State, Robert Morris, and Utah joined the new men's lacrosse league of the ASUN Conference,[18] and Hampton joined Southern Conference men's lacrosse.[19]
Women's
There have been no independent teams in Division I women's lacrosse since the 2018 season (2017–18 school year). The only independent team in that season was East Carolina, which played its first season of varsity lacrosse as such before its all-sports league, the American Athletic Conference, launched a women's lacrosse league for 2019.
The next school to compete as an independent will be Xavier, which will play its inaugural season of 2023 as such before beginning full conference play in its full-time home of the Big East Conference in 2024.[20]
- Future independent
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Affiliation | Enrollment | Season(s) as independent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier University | Cincinnati, Ohio | Musketeers | Private | 7,127 | 2023 |
Soccer
Men
There are no men's soccer independents in the 2022 season.
Women
Two schools are independents in the coming 2022 women's soccer season. The most recent departure from the independent ranks was Hampton University, which joined the Big South Conference, which sponsors women's soccer, in 2018.[21]
| Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State University | Hornets | Dover, Delaware | 1891 | Public | 3,400 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| South Carolina State University | Lady Bulldogs | Orangeburg, South Carolina | 1896 | Public | 3,000 | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
Men's volleyball
Men's volleyball has a truncated divisional structure in which members of both Division I and Division II compete under identical scholarship limits for a single national championship. In the current 2022 season, 14 men's volleyball programs, all but two of which are Division II members, intend to compete as independents, although some may not do so due to COVID-19 concerns.
D'Youville, currently reclassifying from Division III to Division II, is highlighted in yellow. Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU will leave the independent ranks after the 2022 season when their full-time home of the Northeast Conference begins sponsoring men's volleyball; they are highlighted in pink.
- LIU has two primary campuses, one in Brooklyn and the other in Brookville, New York; all LIU sports are open to undergraduates at both campuses who meet NCAA eligibility requirements. Men's volleyball operates from Brooklyn.
- While no member of the University of Puerto Rico system is part of a recognized NCAA conference, all are members of Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico, which governs college sports competitions in both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Wrestling
The only Division I wrestling independent in the ongoing 2021–22 season (subject to COVID-19 restrictions) is California Baptist, which started a transition from Division II in July 2018 and is thus highlighted in yellow. Once CBU completes its transition to D-I in July 2022, the wrestling team will become a single-sport member of the Big 12 Conference.
| Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist University | Lancers | Riverside, California | 1950 | Private | 11,317 | Western Athletic Conference |
References
- "ACU achieves record enrollment for fourth year in a row". Abilene Christian University. September 8, 2021.
- "SFA reports fall enrollment numbers". Stephen F. Austin State University. September 10, 2021.
- "Conference USA Adds Four Members" (Press release). Conference USA. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
- "James Madison to Compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022-2023" (Press release). James Madison University Athletics. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- "James Madison Withdraws As A Member Of The Colonial Athletic Association". Colonial Athletic Association. November 6, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- "Big 12 Extends Membership Invitations". Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- "Notre Dame Goes To ACC: Bowl Security, Football Scheduling Flexibility Key To Move". Sports Business Daily. Street and Smith’s Sports Group. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
- "Southland Conference Adds Men's & Women's Golf Affiliate Members" (Press release). Southland Conference. June 24, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- "Southland Adds Maryland Eastern Shore as Women's Golf Affiliate Member" (Press release). Southland Conference. August 11, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- Christensen, Joe (July 2, 2021). "WCHA's men's hockey era officially ends after 70 years". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- "ASU/Big Ten Agree to Schedule Arrangement for 2020-21" (Press release). Arizona State Sun Devils. October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- "Men's Hockey Announced as Atlantic Hockey Scheduling Partner" (Press release). LIU Sharks. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- "Sun Devil Athletics Announces Addition of Men's Ice Hockey as NCAA Sport" (Press release). Arizona State Athletics. November 18, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- "LIU Announces Addition of Men's Ice Hockey" (Press release). LIU Sharks. April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- "NEWHA announces intent to be recognized as NCAA national collegiate women's hockey conference". USCHO.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- "New England Women's Hockey Alliance approved for NCAA Division I status, effective with '19-20 season". USCHO.com. September 4, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- "Hampton Suspends 2021 Spring Seasons" (Press release). Hampton Pirates. October 30, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- "ASUN Conference Announces Formation of Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- "Hampton joining SoCon as associate member for men's lacrosse" (Press release). Southern Conference. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- "Xavier Athletics Announces the Addition of Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Xavier Musketeers. May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- "Big South Adds Hampton University as Full Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.