at Tuscarawas has been officially accepted into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The announcement was made this week at the USCAA national convention in Richmond, Virginia. The application for USCAA membership was submitted in March.
Beginning with Fall Semester 2016, the campus will offer men's and women's basketball and cross country, men's golf, women’s volleyball and bowling. Wrestling and soccer are among the sports that will be added to the Golden Eagles athletic program during the 2017-18 academic year.
Previously, the campus participated in the Ohio Regional Campus Conference (ORCC), with men's and women's basketball and men's golf.
“By joining the USCAA, Tuscarawas athletics will have the opportunity to play in national championships and vie for academic all-America awards,” said Dr. Bradley A. Bielski, dean and chief administrative officer of Tuscarawas. “I believe that athletics are a tremendous opportunity for our campus. I am a strong believer in the value of intercollegiate athletics in the development of the whole person. I have found that students can be very passionate about sports and want to continue playing after high school and for some students, athletic participation gives them an extra connection to the campus and is an incentive to stay in school. Athletics help to build strong relationships and make lifelong partnerships.”
Newly named athletic director, Rob Brindley, who has been the Tuscarawas golf coach for 12 years, is excited about the new conference affiliation. “Membership in the USCAA is a huge accomplishment for our campus, students, faculty, staff and potential athletes in the multi-county area we serve,” commented Brindley. “This affiliation is something that will allow us to immediately play for national championships in six of the seven sports we are going to field in the fall. This is also an opportunity for our students and coaches to be named to USCAA All-America teams, athlete of the week and athlete of the year, as well as athletic director and coach of the year.”
The membership enables the Golden Eagles golf team to participate in the USCAA national championship to be held in October at Penn State University. “Our golf team just won the state championship the ORCC league,” stated Brindley. “We are definitely looking forward to competing in the USCAA national championship.”
Prior to his appointment as athletic director, Brindley served as coordinator of academic and student accessibility services. He has been employed by the university since 1996.
For more information regarding athletics at Tuscarawas, contact Rob Brindley at 330-308-7447 or rbrindle@kent.edu.