In a press conference held on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, the Atlantic Sun Conference Presidents Council introduced the NJIT Highlanders as the newest member of the A-Sun. NJIT will have 13 sports competing in the upcoming 2015-2016 season. They will become the eighth institution in the conference after the sudden departure of Northern Kentucky University earlier this year.

“As we continue building the A-Sun, adding NJIT brings an overall institutional presence that will contribute academically, athletically, and with the overall student-athlete experience,” said A-Sun Commissioner Ted Gumbart. “We look forward to celebrating this announcement together and competing with them for championships this coming season.”

North Florida men’s basketball head coach Matthew Driscoll described NJIT’s transition similar to that of UNF’s. Before coming to the A-Sun, NJIT was an independent Division I team with a much more difficult chance of earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. During the 2014-2015 season, the NJIT men’s basketball team knocked off No. 17 Michigan in Ann Arbor.

“This is a great day for NJIT, our department, and most importantly our student athletes,” said NJIT Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan. “It has been an almost 10-year journey to find the right conference home for our athletic teams, and I am excited that the Atlantic Sun is that home. Many people have put in a lot of work to get to this point, none more than our coaches and student-athletes, and I hope they all get to enjoy this day and the opportunities that will follow.”

As of July 1, 2015, NJIT athletic teams will be eligible to participate and receive awards in the A-Sun Conference.

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