Ready or not, Lindenwood University is preparing for a big step forward.
Officially announced in late February, Lindenwood will make the move from NCAA Division II to Division I beginning this fall and will compete in most sports as part of the 10-team Ohio Valley Conference along with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Morehead State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee Martin and fellow newcomers Southern Indiana and Arkansas-Little Rock.
While Lindenwood will be able to compete for OVC championships right away, its eligibility to earn automatic bids to the NCAA championships won’t begin until 2026-27, its first season of NCAA Division I membership.
Helping lead the way through the transition is Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Coomer, who spent the previous 14 years at SIU Edwardsville, where he served the last six years as deputy athletic director and helped that school make a similar move.
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“Not a lot of people go through a transition like this twice; hopefully that experience works to my advantage,” Coomer said shortly after being hired by Lindenwood in early June.
Lindenwood’s men’s soccer program will join the school’s swimming and diving programs in the Summit League while the school’s lacrosse programs have become members of the ASUN Conference, formerly known as the Atlantic Sun Conference.
In March, Lindenwood announced that its men’s hockey program will step up to NCAA Division I competition beginning this fall.
Lindenwood joins ӣƵ University and SIU Edwardsville as the ӣƵ area’s only NCAA Division I programs.
“It’s been a crazy time, but it’s a good crazy,” said Lindenwood football coach Jed Stugart, who experienced a similar move as an assistant coach when the University of Northern Colorado made the jump to Division I in 2003. “I credit (Lindenwood President Dr. John Porter) and the board for their support in making this move. It’s a big step, but it’s something everyone associated with the university is excited about.”
Stugart’s football program has been one of Lindenwood’s most successful in recent years; the Lions have won back-to-back conference championships and have competed in last two NCAA Division II playoffs.
“Each program on campus is dealing with different challenges,” Stugart said. “But you try to make the most of your opportunities. By moving to DI, we were able to bring in recruits that we haven’t been able to get here in the past. We know there will be hurdles to deal with along the way, but we’re definitely excited about our future.”
Lindenwood women’s soccer coach Dave Musso recalled some key words from Coomer in the first meeting with the staff’s coaches.
“He told us to take the word ‘transition’ out of our vocabulary, that it was nothing but a crutch,” said Musso, a De Smet High graduate who coached 12 seasons at his alma mater Quincy before returning home to take over the Lions. “He stressed the fact that we’re Division I now and that we deserve to be here.
“At this point, I think we’re all just excited about the challenges ahead.”
Like Stugart, men’s basketball coach Kyle Gerdeman knows a little about Division I coaching. Before taking over at Lindenwood in 2019-20, he spent seven seasons as a top assistant at NCAA Division I Central Michigan.
“We’re going to have to pay our dues this year, playing a lot of road games, but for the future of the university, this is huge,” Geredman said. “Our guys are definitely excited about the challenges of competing at the Division I level.”
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“Obviously, the NCAA Tournament is everybody’s dream — everybody loves that ‘One Shining Moment’, right? — but when you stop and think about how hard something like that is to accomplish ...,” he continued. “It’s a dream, right? But being a Division I athlete is about so much more than that. And because of this move, athletes at Lindenwood are going to get that opportunity.”
Carl Hutter is about to begin his 40th season as a men’s head soccer coach; he took over the Lindenwood program in 1994 and was named a national coach of the year in 2004 after leading the Lions to the NAIA National Championship.
“There’s definitely a buzz around campus,” Hutter said. “We should have the schedule set in the next few days, but we’ve already scheduled some top teams from the Midwest — SIU Edwardsville, Missouri State, Drake, Butler. It’s going to be tough, but our guys are looking forward to the challenge.”
