Buffalo’s D’Youville College Makes Jump to Division II Ranks

This article was originally published on AP News.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — D’Youville College sports teams are making the jump to Division II.

The private Catholic school in Buffalo will join the East Coast Conference after spending the past 19 years at in Division III.

The NCAA approved the move Friday about six months after the school submitted its application.

“It became very clear that the institution was destined to take this next step,” school president Lorrie Clemo said in a statement.

D’Youville has 15 varsity sports, notably men’s and women’s basketball. In anticipation of the move, the athletic department changed the teams’ nickname to the Saints from the Spartans.
NCAA approval is conditional on the school completing a three-year period during which it must adhere to Division II rules.

D’Youville plans to open its campus this fall and begin its athletic schedule, which is subject to change because of the pandemic.

The school, with about 1,600 students, was founded in 1908 and draws students from western New York and nearby Ontario.