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John Carroll officially joins North Coast Athletic Conference

Jan. 18 signified a “historic day for John Carroll University.”

That declaration was mentioned several times in one form or another as John Carroll celebrated the official announcement as the 10th and newest member of the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Blue Streaks will begin play in the NCAC in the fall of 2025.

JCU made that official early Jan. 18, and it also ended the school’s more than three-decade association with the Ohio Athletic Conference, which began for a second time in 1989. The Blue Streaks were also members of the OAC from 1932 to 1949.

JCU said in a statement the move to the NCAC “is the latest step in John Carroll’s three-year, $100 million strategy to bolster the student experience, grow the academic portfolio, enhance the campus, and expand the institution’s reach.”

During a news conference on JCU’s campus, School President Al Miciak, Athletic Director Brian Polian, NCAC Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski and Wittenberg president Mike Frandsen gave statements as JCU began a new association and the NCAC welcomed its newest member.

The NCAC currently consists of nine full-time members — Ohio-based schools Denison, Hiram, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg and Wooster, plus Indiana-based institutions Wabash and DePauw. JCU will make it a 10-team league in 2025.

Polian — named JCU’s AD last May — said there was no talk about JCU-to-the-NCAC when he interviewed for the post. Now that it’s official, he said it’s time to get to work expanding the JCU brand to the far reaches of the United States.

“The reality of it is higher (education) for schools like ours, the ground is shifting beneath our feet,” said Polian. “We’ve got to make sure we’re in position and in the best possible spot so that we can thrive for another 130 years. We need to open up our footprint. To do so is to be associated with schools that have that same profile.”

NCAC schools such as Oberlin, Kenyon and Denison have built a reputation and an alumni base that spans across the country. Miciak and Polian envision that happening at JCU.

“When you look at this decision outside of athletics, it makes more sense,” said Polian, who said JCU’s decision was “bold.”

“We are not afraid of bold. We’re going to be a national brand, and we have the courage and foresight to make that happen.”

All that being said, there are questions that remain about the move to the NCAC — most notably with a crosstown rivalry and football.

Miciak and Polian said they are hopeful JCU’s rivalry with Baldwin Wallace can continue with non-conference contests.

“My hope is to talk to (AD) Steve (Thompson) over at Baldwin Wallace and find a way to keep us competing,” said Polian. “For me, I think it’s really important that Carroll and Baldwin Wallace keep playing.”

From a football perspective, JCU’s move to the NCAC undoubtedly provides an easier path to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Since joining the OAC and competing with D-III football juggernaut Mount Union, the Blue Streaks have made the playoffs seven times.

The Blue Steaks made it in their first year in the OAC in 1989, then in 1997 and 2002, when it made the NCAA national semifinal round for the first time. Most recently, JCU made the postseason in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018. In 2016, the program made the final four for a second time.

More on the move to the @NCAC pic.twitter.com/EOnw4e71du

— Brian Polian (@BrianPolian) January 18, 2024

Polian said anyone who believes JCU’s decision to leave the OAC was based on football first and foremost is incorrect.

“For those that think we are running away from Mount Union, we are not,” said Polian.

JCU men’s basketball coach Pete Moran — who played basketball at the school and helped lead the Blue Steaks to their only NCAA Division III Final Four appearance — said the news of his alma mater leaving the OAC was bittersweet.

“Although I am extremely excited to join a conference with a rich tradition in men’s basketball and competing against some of the winningest teams in the history of D-III basketball (Wooster and Wittenberg), I will also miss the relationships that we have made amongst OAC coaches and administrators,” said Moran. “These relationships have meant so much to me and my family over the years.”

JCU to the NCAC is the latest in the school’s three-year, $100 million strategy “to bolster the student experience, grow the academic portfolio, enhance the campus, and expand the institution’s reach.”

The centerpiece of that $100 million strategy is the construction of a state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot Athletic, Wellness and Event Center, scheduled to open in 2025.

The NCAC sponsors championships in 23 sports — 11 for men and 12 for women. JCU currently has 23 varsity sports for men and women.