Nov. 17, 2005

GSW Hurricanes join Peach Belt Conference

AMERICUS--Georgia Southwestern State University has been initially accepted for membership in the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference. 

The Peach Belt Board of Directors has notified GSW that its application has been approved. Membership will become effective upon meeting the requirements for provisional membership of the NCAA. GSW is in the process of beginning the conversion from the NAIA to NCAA Division II status, and hopes to begin Peach Belt competition in the fall of 2006. 

"We are excited about this transition, and look forward to the work ahead," said GSW President Michael L. Hanes, Ph.D. "We feel that the Peach Belt's emphasis on academic achievement as well as athletic competition is a good match for our focus at GSW." 

"The Peach Belt Conference welcomes Georgia Southwestern State University," said Dr. Daniel Ball, president of Lander University. "We have visited their outstanding campus in Americus, we have come to know their personnel and believe that they will not only be a welcome addition to our conference, but a contributing member for the future." 

"We anticipate strong, healthy competition in the Peach Belt, and that will be good for our athletic program," said Randolph Barksdale, GSW athletic director and head men's basketball coach. "To grow, you must evolve. We've been working hard, and will now work even harder to step up to the next level." 

Barksdale said the GSW Hurricanes look forward to renewing rivalries with such Peach Belt competitors as Armstrong Atlantic State University, Columbus State University, North Georgia College & State University, Georgia College & State University, and Clayton State University. 

GSW fields teams in men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, and women's cross country. 

"This is a great move for the Peach Belt," said PBC commissioner Marvin Vanover. "Georgia Southwestern is a school that is continuing to improve itself on the field and in the classroom and I am confident that they are ready to take the next step forward and join our league. Every single school in the Peach Belt moved up from the NAIA at one time or another, so it is fitting that we help another school move up into the NCAA Division II ranks. The road will be difficult, but we will do everything we can to help them along." 

The GSW Hurricanes' record in NAIA play has included nine trips to the national tournament for men's basketball, six trips to the national tournament for women's basketball, three conference championships and three district championships for baseball. Softball has earned five conference championships. The men's tennis team finished as runner-up in the 2001 NAIA National Tournament. 

The move to the Peach Belt Conference is part of continued growth and expansion at Georgia Southwestern. The University recently completed construction of a $22 million Student Success Center, which features a convocation hall and sports arena with seating for 3,000. 

Georgia Southwestern, which celebrates its Centennial in 2006, has a growing, diverse enrollment of more than 2,400 students from 81 percent of the counties in Georgia, 22 states, and 29 countries. 

For more information on Georgia Southwestern, visit www.gsw.edu. For additional details on the Peach Belt Conference, visit www.peachbelt.com.

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