“We are thrilled to welcome our friends at John Carroll University to the North Coast Athletic Conference family,” NCAC Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski said in a press release. “We are excited about the new opportunities John Carroll brings to the NCAC and can’t wait for competition to begin. John Carroll’s commitment to all sports and its support for its student-athletes make it a first-class addition to our league. I look forward to seeing how they enhance our rich tradition and history as they move into full NCAC membership.”
John Carroll, located on the east side of Cleveland in University Heights, has one of the top football programs in the OAC, which has long been dominated by NCAA Division III powerhouse Mount Union. The Blue Streaks have lost six OAC games in the past five seasons. Five of the losses were to Mount Union, which has lost two OAC games in this century.
John Carroll last won the OAC football championship outright in 2016 when it beat Mount Union 31-28.
In men’s basketball, John Carroll tied with Mount Union for the regular-season championship last season and finished 23-5 overall. It is 15-1 this season and ranked third in the D3Hoops.com top-25 poll.
John Carroll has won the last eight all-sports trophies in the OAC on the men’s side.
John Carroll is the first new school to join the NCAC since DePauw University, which began competing in all sports except football in 2011 and started competing in football in 2012. DePauw replaced Earlham College, which left for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
DePauw was the first school to join the NCAC since it added Wabash and Hiram College in 1998.
Allegheny left the NCAC for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in 2022.
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