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The ASUN has universities in two of the top 11 fastest growing states in the nation. Membership in the ASUN Conference gives EKU a strong footprint in a region of the country that is growing. With these additions, the ASUN expands its geographic footprint to seven states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia) and now features 12 of the top-80 media markets in the nation and seven of the top-50. In addition to EKU, Jacksonville State University and the University of Central Arkansas are also officially joining the ASUN Conference today. These values drive conference decision-making and Eastern Kentucky shares that commitment to the ASUN Beams. In talks with the ASUN, EKU recognized that the conference lives by its Beams of STUDENTS FIRST, RISE, CONNECT and IMPACT. This will allow the ASUN to qualify for an FCS playoff spot without relying on a conference partnership.

The primary focus of the next ASUN expansion phase will be to move to six football members that play scholarship FCS football. The team with the highest winning percentage shall receive the automatic qualification to the 2021 FCS Playoffs. The seven schools will play a single round-robin, with each institution having three home contests and three road contests.

The alliance will feature Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State from the ASUN Conference, and Abilene Christian, Lamar University, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Presented as the ASUN-WAC Challenge, the agreement will allow for seven institutions – three ASUN members and four WAC members – to be eligible for automatic qualification into the 2021 NCAA FCS Playoffs. For the 2021 season only, the ASUN Conference and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) have agreed on a one-year football scheduling alliance. The ASUN will begin sponsorship of scholarship football in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). ASUN men's basketball teams combined for eight wins in the last two postseasons with a trip to the NIT finals, women's basketball teams have consistently earned top-12 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, baseball teams have advanced to NCAA Super Regionals twice in the last seven years, cross country teams have combined for 27 top-10 NCAA regional performances since 2010, soccer teams have multiple NCAA Tournament match wins since 2015, softball teams have consistently won NCAA Tournament games for more than 20 years, volleyball teams earned a NCAA Tournament match victory in 2018 and had two postseason wins in 2019, track & field athletes regularly compete in NCAA Championships and won a national title in 2019, and the ASUN has consistently been a NCAA Golf Regional multi-bid league for 20-plus years. In addition, more than 70 percent of ASUN student-athletes have earned a year-long 3.0 GPA each of the past four years.ĪSUN institutions have consistently competed at a high level on the national stage. The ASUN had 16 All-Americans along with the Women's Basketball Mid-Major Player of the Year recipient. For our student-athletes, students, alumni, fans and for the entire university community, this is an exciting time to be a Colonel as we begin to add to our storied past and make new history."ĭuring the 2020-21 season, the ASUN qualified multiple teams for national postseason tournaments in six sports – baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's golf, women's golf and softball – producing a total of 10 victories.

"From the conference's Beams of Students First, Impact, Connect, and Rise, to its leadership at the conference office and on its campuses, to its footprint, the ASUN and EKU are aligned. "We could not be more excited to start competing in the ASUN Conference," Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan said. – Eastern Kentucky University and all 16 of its athletics teams officially joined the ASUN Conference today, July 1, 2021.Īll EKU teams will be immediately eligible for conference awards, postseason play and NCAA Tournament automatic bids.