Rochester College gains acceptance into NAIA

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Nearly a year after applying for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Rochester College learned Tuesday that it was accepted to the governing body, which athletics programs at nearly 300 colleges and universities, as a new member institution.

Rochester College Athletics Director Klint Pleasant said the school will remain a part of their current association, the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, while starting their new venture into the NAIA. The school will hold duo membership for the time being.

Rochester College officials were notified last fall that the NAIA would render its decision for new membership schools on April 19.

“The NAIA has been around for 70 years and is nationally recognized,” said Pleasant, who was also recently named the new men’s basketball coach at the school. “The NAIA’s Champions of Character program is highly regarded and fits perfect with our mission here at Rochester College.”

The NAIA consists of many small colleges around Michigan, including Madonna University, Concordia University, Aquinas College, Siena Heights University and Davenport University, among several others. While starting out as an independent, Rochester College will likely engage in conversation to join a conference.

The school has shown interest in joining the Wolverine-Hoosier conference and will seek applying for membership to various leagues of similar schools around the Midwest in the near future.

“Joining a conference helps with scheduling and creates rivalries,” said Pleasant.

“I know that is something that we have discussed. But being an independent has always allowed us to play a lot of bigger schools, especially in basketball,” added Pleasant. “We’ve always been able to schedule (NCAA) Division I schools and Division II schools every year. If we do join a conference, we will be able to play some of those games, but not as many. But it would help with scheduling.”

Like the USCAA, the NAIA keeps records of all member school’s statistics and records, allowing coaches, fans and athletes to see where players stack up among the country’s best in addition to hosting national championships for all of the intercollegiate sports.

Pleasant said he is not concerned about Rochester College’s teams being able to compete with NAIA schools, but he is also being realistic. The school still does not have its own field house, often renting out the gymnasium at nearby Rochester High School and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.

The soccer teams currently play home games at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac.

“I think we still have a ways to go in terms of resources, but I would like to think that our teams can be competitive. We will probably take our lumps along the way, but we look forward to the building process and are grateful for the opportunity to compete.”

The Rochester College athletics program currently competes against other regional NAIA teams.

“Some of our teams are already competing at a high level against NAIA schools and others are heading in the right direction,” said Pleasant.

Another key aspect that the NAIA is known for is its “Play NAIA” eligibility center. The Play NAIA program acts very similar to the NCAA Clearinghouse by having the student-athletes provide their academics information to the NAIA. The NAIA then evaluates the student’s classes taken and overall academic success to make a decision on whether the student-athlete is eligible to compete in NAIA athletics.

“While we are very proud of our athletic tradition and our affiliation with the USCAA, we believe joining the NAIA is a natural next step,” Pleasant said. “It makes sense regionally and it makes sense from a student-athlete experience standpoint. We are both humbled and excited to have the opportunity to join this nationally recognized association. Lastly, I’m grateful to Dr. Rubel Shelly, our president, for sharing the same passion and vision for the athletics program, and I would like to thank all those who helped us make this transition, especially former athletics directors and men’s basketball coaches Garth Pleasant and Bill Shinsky who worked so hard to build the athletic program into what it is today,” Pleasant said.

Rochester College currently has baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s golf. For more information about RC Athletics, go to www.rochestercollegewarriors.com.

Tags: college athletics, featured, NAIA, rochester college, rochester college to join NAIA

Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, High School, Rochester College