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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay is leaving the Ohio Valley Conference for the ASUN Conference effective July 1, becoming the 13th full member in the league.
The decision ratified by the Austin Peay board of directors and announced on Friday ends a membership in the OVC that began in 1962. Austin Peay has won 69 league titles, 21 since 2010. All 17 programs will move on. ‘ASUN and will be immediately eligible for league rewards, play in playoffs and automatic bunks for NCAA tournaments.
Sporting director Gerald Harrison said he viewed Austin Peay as a sleeping giant from the start.
“Today is the next step on the road to greatness, and we’re closer than ever to achieving the status we covet – to be the most comprehensive track department in our league,” said Harrison. “And now this league will be ASUN.”
The move makes Austin Peay the sixth ASUN member to play football, allowing the conference to advance to an automatic spot in the league soccer playoffs. ASUN will now be the 15th Division I conference to sponsor football with a total of 20 sports sponsored by the league.
The governors join Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State and North Alabama. Eastern Kentucky and the state of Jacksonville both left the OVC for ASUN earlier this year, and the OVC sued the two schools in August, claiming that each school had not paid a fee. release of $ 1 million.
Other ASUN members include Bellarmine, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Liberty, Lipscomb, North Florida, and Stetson in other sports. The league has members in seven states and 12 of the top 80 media markets.
“The entire Clarksville region is growing and APSU is at the heart of this dynamic,” said ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart. “Governors have an institutional reputation for academic and athletic achievement which we are extremely proud to add to ASUN.”
OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche released a statement saying Austin Peay had informed the league that she was leaving for ASUN. Austin Peay’s departure leaves the OVC with just six members playing football: Eastern Illinois, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin.
DeBauche said it is clearly a time of change for intercollegiate athletics, and the future lies in adding members. The OVC is in discussions with schools about league membership based in Brentwood, Tennessee.
“We look forward to adding schools that, like OVC members, are committed to our principles and goals,” said DeBauche. “We invite other colleges who are looking for this type of conference experience, for the betterment of their institutions, to contact us. The OVC welcomes these conversations.”
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