By Bert Leeson
November 28, 2023
DALLAS – Conference USA announces the University of Delaware will join the league on July 1, 2025, bringing the conference’s membership to 11 universities.
“Adding the University of Delaware is a tremendous opportunity for Conference USA as we strategically position ourselves for continued success,” Commissioner Judy MacLeod said. “We are excited to add the state’s flagship university with its rich history in athletics and academics and look forward to our partnership with President Dennis Assanis, Director of Athletics Chrissi Rawak and their leadership group.”
“Just like our football team, the whole University of Delaware, is on the rise,” University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis said. “UD ranks among the nation’s leading public research institutions and is recognized nationally for delivering exceptional professional outcomes for our students. Joining Conference USA will help increase our visibility to shine a light on our excellent academic programs, our ground-breaking research initiatives and our enduring impact on our community and the world.”
The Blue Hens will compete in Conference USA in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, track & field, and volleyball. There will be clarity in the coming months on where the other seven programs will compete in the future.
“The opportunity to join Conference USA is an incredibly proud moment for our entire university,” Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said. “With this step forward, we will continue to offer an incredible student-athlete experience and elevate the visibility of all that is remarkable about UD. We couldn’t be more excited for the entire state of Delaware and how this will bring the 302 together.”
Last season alone, Delaware had five conference championships, a pair of NCAA victories, and two individual NCAA qualifiers. Other notable national accolades include regularly ranked football and men’s lacrosse programs, and doubles pair in women’s tennis. Nine Blue Hens garnered All-American honors in 2022-23, with six national player of the week awards.
Historically, the Blue & Gold have shown competitive excellence in all walks of athletics. The Hens boast an impressive 529 All-Americans, 137 conference titles, and 10 national championships in the University’s storied history.
The University of Delaware’s academic programs are among the nation’s best and its research classification places the University in the top 3% of all U.S. universities and colleges. Announced in September, UD ranks No. 76 among national universities and No. 36 nationally among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges rankings. U.S. News also ranked eight undergraduate programs at UD among the nation’s top-100 in their disciplines, including No. 5 nationally in chemical engineering. UD Is also a top-50 university in the U.S. for veterans and active-duty military.
That outstanding academic reputation also translates to UD Athletics and UD student-athletes.
UD student-athletes complement their athletic success with strong academic performances. In the 2022-23 academic year, Blue Hens compiled a cumulative 3.286 grade-point average—the highest in department history, excluding academic terms impacted by COVID-19. This marked the ninth-consecutive year and the 19th-straight semester in which UD student-athletes have posted a 3.00 GPA or better.
About Conference USA
Conference USA is an NCAA Division I conference championing success in college athletics through dedicated leadership, dynamic partnership, and diverse membership. Founded in 1995 and based in Dallas, CUSA is home to nine schools: FIU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, and WKU. Kennesaw State joins the league in 2024 and Delaware begins competition in 2025.
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