Geneva becomes ninth member to join PAC

The Golden Tornadoes, an NAIA team, will begin competing in 2007.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- The Presidents' Athletic Conference has added Geneva College as the ninth member of the conference.
The PAC Presidents' Council voted unanimously to accept Geneva's application for membership Monday.
"We are very excited to accept Geneva College, a school with a mission, history and identity very similar to the current PAC member institutions, as the newest member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Geneva certainly has all of the qualities we were looking for in a conference member," said Waynesburg president and PAC Presidents Council chair Timothy Thyreen. "This addition continues a period of unprecedented growth for the PAC. Many fine colleges have applied for conference membership in recent years, but we were waiting for the right schools to expand."
Provisional period
Geneva competes in NAIA but is completing an exploratory year as a member of NCAA Division III and is scheduled to begin a four-year provisional membership period in Div. III no earlier than 2007-08, when Geneva will begin scheduling PAC schools in all sports.
Geneva will be eligible for PAC championships upon its acceptance as a full member in Div. III, scheduled for no earlier than 2011-12.
"Geneva College has been considering a move to NCAA Division III for a long time. The switch makes sense on at least two levels. First, moving to the Presidents' Athletic Conference is in Geneva's best interest because it means we will compete against institutions with a similar mission and commitment to athletics. Second, it allows us to bring back the historic rivalries that have always excited Geneva's fans and alumni," said Geneva president Dr. Kenneth A. Smith.
Third new member
Geneva is the third school to join the PAC in the last year. Thomas More College joined in April and Saint Vincent College was accepted in July and will begin playing a full conference schedule in 2006-07.
Geneva fields 13 teams (six men, seven women), all in sports sponsored by the PAC.
"This is clearly the beginning of a new era for Geneva athletics. We have competed against most of the PAC schools for over 100 years and it just seems like a natural fit for our athletic program to be joining this conference," said Geneva athletic director and football coach Geno DeMarco. "It's a great day for college sports fans in Western Pennsylvania. We are very optimistic about what lies ahead for Geneva College and the Golden Tornadoes."