FARGO 鈥� The University of Jamestown has applied for membership to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, athletic director Austin Hieb confirmed Tuesday, Aug. 22.
The North Dakota school 鈥� a four-year private university 鈥� recently made a presentation to the NSIC, according to multiple sources.
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鈥淲e are exploring the opportunity, and in order to fully explore the opportunity, we needed to submit an application," Hieb said. "We are still evaluating everything. We think we owe it to our students and to our student-athletes to explore possible options in the geographical footprint of the NSIC.鈥�
The Jimmies are an NAIA program that competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Hieb has familiarity with the NSIC, working in athletic administration at Northern State prior to the University of Jamestown.
The NSIC is an NCAA Division II league with 15 members spread over Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. UJ would fit into the league's geographic footprint with its proximity to schools like Minnesota State University Moorhead, the University of Mary, Minot State and Northern State.
According to the university's website, the University of Jamestown had an enrollment of 1,256 students for the 2022-23 school year. If UJ receives an invitation to the NSIC, the university would have to transition to NCAA Division II.
The NSIC has 13 football programs and 15 programs in volleyball and men's and women's basketball for the 2023-24 school year.
The GPAC currently has 12 members, including Jamestown, with schools in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. The Jimmies offer 21 combined men's and women's varsity sports, including two American Collegiate Hockey Association ice hockey teams.
In the past decade, the UJ athletic department has upgraded multiple facilities, including an $11.5 million renovation to Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium, where the Jimmies play football. The school also recently built The Harold Newman Arena, a $15 million project. The facility has seating for 2,000 and is the home for multiple sports, including volleyball and men's and women's basketball.
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The Jimmies also announced recently they plan to construct an indoor bubble athletic wellness facility next to Newman Arena. That project is expected to be completed in November.
, NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind said having an even number of teams has advantages from a scheduling perspective.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely some pros that come in with an even number, in particular with how our league has traditionally scheduled," Lind told The Forum at the time.
For sports like basketball, the NSIC had travel partners when the league had 16 members.
MSUM athletic director Chad Markuson said last November that the NSIC didn't need to rush into adding a member to get an even number of teams for sports like football, volleyball and basketball. Not all 15 member schools have every sport that the NSIC sponsors.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a very strong and very stable league in the landscape, we need to approach any kind of expansion with that mindset," Markuson told The Forum at the time. "We鈥檙e not in a desperation where we just need a school to fill that.鈥�
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