The University of Jamestown is applying to join the NSIC ( Nothern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) which currently sits at the D-2 NCAA level. This report is confirmed by Austin Hieb, the university’s athletic director. The UJ Jimmies are currently an NAIA school that plays in the GPAC (Great Plains Athletic Conference). This application process is the first step in the official process, allowing both the school and the conference to get better looks at each other according to Hieb.
The conference move could have a positive impact on the geographical location of road opponents and that possibility is one of the big reasons the university has started this process. “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.” Hieb said. This though is not a done deal in the slightest bit, there are a lot of moving parts to this and it is very much a process. Hieb does have previous experience though in dealing with the NSIC conference as he was previously before accepting his position at UJ the Northern State University Associate Athletic Director for External Operations.
While all of this is exciting news for a lot of folks, this may leave some wondering if this impacts the current athletic schedule that UJ has lined up for the academic year. Heab has confirmed that this will not change the outlook on any athletic schedules this academic year.