OMAHA, Neb. – The NCAA Division I Board of Directors elected the University of Nebraska Omaha to active Division I membership on Wednesday.  

The decision of the board completes the four-year reclassification of Omaha Athletics.  The Mavericks now are eligible for NCAA Division I championship play beginning in the 2015-16 academic year.  All UNO teams that compete in the Summit League also are eligible for league championship play.

“We are thrilled to be elected to Division I membership and are particularly pleased to be the first school to complete the reclassification since the NCAA lifted the moratorium and established new guidelines,” said Trev Alberts, UNO's Vice Chancellor for Athletics.  “In 2011, we set out with a vision for what we wanted to be as an athletic department and each year of the process, we took a step in that direction.

“Today, we are a relevant, fiscally responsible member of the campus community, and we are bringing real value to our campus.  We would not have reached this goal without the support of the Board of Regents and the UNO campus community which both provided valuable direction and insight during the reclassification.

“It also is a great credit to the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches and staff that we are where we are today.  Finally, we must recognize the overwhelming support of the Omaha community which played a large role in our success and will continue to do so moving forward.

“While the work of the reclassification is now complete, the next chapter of Omaha Athletics begins in earnest.  The opening of Baxter Arena in October will usher in an exciting new era, one that will give our student-athletes a chance to compete regularly for Summit League championships and regular visits to the NCAA playoffs.”

“Trev and his leadership team did an outstanding job to ensure that this reclassification went as smoothly as it did,” said UNO Chancellor John E. Christensen.  “The NCAA has a long list of requirements of schools that reclassify, and our staff met or exceeded each of those bench marks during the process.  As the first university to reclassify under a new set of rules, I think UNO has set the standard for those schools that will follow.

“I'd also like to thank the membership of The Summit League and Commissioner Tom Douple for their sponsorship of our reclassification and the support they've provided during the process.”

Omaha Athletics began the reclassification process in the 2011-12 academic year and began playing a full schedule of Summit League contests the following year.  Although ineligible for post-season championships in all but cross country, golf, track & field and swimming & diving, the Mavericks did have some notable successes.  The baseball team took home back-to-back Summit regular season championships in 2013 and 2014, and the men's soccer team earned a share of the league's regular season championship in 2014.  Men's basketball made its first Division I post-season appearance in the CIT, reaching the second round in 2014.

The Mavericks twice won the Summit League's Sportsmanship Award in their first three years competing in the league.  

Academically, the Mavericks have won three straight Summit League Institutional Academic Achievement awards, posting the highest percentage of eligible student-athletes on the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.  The awards reflect an overall high level of achievement in the classroom for UNO student-athletes.  Since the reclassification began, the Mavericks have steadily improved the all-student-athlete grade point average, reaching a peak in the spring of 2014 with a school-best GPA of 3.429.  In the spring of 2015, they eclipsed the 3.4 mark again with a GPA of 3.406.

During the transition, UNO's first Division I team, hockey, made its first appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four, qualifying in 2015.  Hockey will join volleyball and both men's and women's basketball in transitioning to Baxter Arena this fall.  The arena will be the first on-campus home for hockey in program history and also will allow men's basketball to return to campus after playing off campus for the last three years.

The 2015-16 season for Omaha Athletics begins with women's soccer exhibition games at Wyoming on Aug. 13 and at home against Kansas City on Aug. 16.  The first regular season home Division I games for the Mavericks include a men's and women's soccer double header.  The women will host Northern Iowa at Caniglia Field on Friday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m.  The men then welcome Kansas City for a 7:30 p.m. match.