Intercollegiate athletic programs staying put in NAIA

“Anybody that says we have current plans to go [NCAA Division II] doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

That was Interim Athletic Director Jim Rickard’s response when asked about the potential of The Master’s University athletics jumping to NCAA Division II. He was adamant that any rumors of a potential jump are simply rumors, and nothing more. That might be a sad sound to some, but Rickard reminded us why being a part of the NAIA is nothing to sneeze at.

On the surface, many people would regard a move from NAIA to NCAA Division II as a step up for athletics. But Rickard explained that moves from NAIA to NCAA Division II are less for athletics and more for academics.

“A lot of teams, the reason they do it is because of being compared academically to other institutions, it’s not athletically,” Rickard said.

Regardless of the “why” for teams moving, the general public still sees NAIA as inferior athletically, which Rickard refuted as well, mentioning recent wins for numerous sports against NCAA Division I and II opponents. Just this year, the TMU baseball team finished 4-1 against Division II opponents, and the TMU men’s volleyball team beat Division I Stanford on the road.

“People think it’s a step up, and that’s where I get offended, because it’s not a step up. To me, it’s a lateral step.”

Seems like there’s some truth to that statement.

But TMU isn’t staying with the NAIA only because they think the level of competition is sufficient. They have also been in full support of the NAIA’s stance on some hot-stove political topics in sports.

“The NAIA voted in some transgender stuff and some other stuff that we kind of championed,” Rickard said. “So we don’t want to abandon them on that stuff.”

He also mentioned that, along with the NCAA’s current stance on transgender athletes in sports, the chaotic state of the NCAA puts the association itself in jeopardy. 

“There’s a real question about whether the NCAA is even gonna exist in the future,” Rickard explained. “With the uncertainty and the chaos right now, we could jump [to Division II], and that disappears, and then you’re toast for coming back.”

Rickard also made it clear that, ultimately, it’s not up to him if the move to Division II were to ever be made.

“At the end of the day, it’s [TMU President] Abner [Chou] and [TMU Chancellor] Dr. [John] MacArthur’s decision, and they have no intention of joining the NCAA.”