March Madness team makes surprising Division III move
Yesterday at 12:56 PM
Every school claims to prioritize academics over athletics, but Saint Francis is making its commitment to that sentiment known. One week after its basketball team competed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Saint Francis announced its transition from Division I to Division III.
The school confirmed the decision, made by its Board of Trustees, on Tuesday morning in a press release. Saint Francis will join the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in Division III beginning in the summer of 2026. Until then, the Red Flash will remain in the Division I’s Northeast Conference.
The Chairman of the Board, Very Reverend Joseph Lehman, cited the transfer portal and NIL era increasing the “complexity” of college sports as the basis of the decision.
“The governance associated with intercollegiate athletics has always been complicated and is only growing in complexity based on realities like the transfer portal, pay-for-play, and other shifts that move athletics away from the love of the game,” Lehman said. “For that reason, we aim to best provide resources and support to our student-athletes in this changing environment that aligns with our mission, Catholic institution, and our community’s expectations.”
The university’s president, Malachi Van Tassell, added that the travel required in the Northeast Conference negatively affects the student-athletes’ performance in classes. The Presidents’ Athletic Conference only consists of schools located in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio. Saint Francis will become the conference’s 10th school in Pennsylvania.
“The Board and I have been concerned about the student-athlete experience for many years,” Van Tassell said. “The geography of our conference is huge. Our students travel to Chicago or to Boston, or to points in between. That’s not a lot of time spent on campus… The decision is about creating and maintaining community and allowing our student-athletes to thrive in the classrom and their chosen sport.”
Saint Francis basketball team’s success in 2024-2025
While the decision was based on the logic of the school’s strong academic focus, its timing raised eyebrows. Saint Francis’ basketball program is inarguably in the best shape it has ever been, achieving the school’s first March Madness appearance since 1991.
Though the Red Flash ended with a mere 16-18 record, they went on a six-game win streak to end the year and win the Northeast Conference Tournament. The team came within inches of its first March Madness tournament victory, suffering a First Four loss to Alabama State in the closing seconds.
The NCAA Tournament appearance comes six years after head coach Rob Krimmel took Saint Francis to its first NIT appearance since 1958. Overall, Krimmel has taken the team to five postseason tournaments in 13 years.
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