College athletes: UTPB granted full NCAA membership two years early

Two years ago UTPB's athletic program closed its eyes and jumped.

Making the move from the NAIA to NCAA Division II required a provisional period that was supposed to last four years, during which the Falcons teams would not be eligible to participate in postseason play.

But UTPB already has landed on the other side of the gap, two years ahead of schedule.

On Wednesday the NCAA granted UTPB active status as a Division II member, effective Sept. 1.

 "This is a great day for our athletes," UTPB president David Watts said. "This fall you can expect to see UTPB athletes competing on a national basis."

 Judging by the wide smile on Rob Harris' face and the giant orange foam fingers he wore on both hands, the news set off a celebration for the school's athletes.

Harris led the Falcons men's basketball team in scoring and rebounding last year, but he admitted that it's hard to focus without the promise of the playoffs.

"You get lackadaisical when you don't have anything to play for," Harris said. "Now that we have something else to play for, I think everybody will play much harder."

Harris will be a senior next season, which meant he had no shot at the playoffs under the old time frame.

Now that he and his teammates have a shot at the postseason, Harris expects the Falcons to improve quickly.

"A lot of people have talked about transferring," Harris said. "Most of us stayed because of the coach and the system. Now that we have this, too, it's going to be a good year."

UTPB coaches also will have a much easier time attracting recruits to the school.

"Over the last two years there have been students who asked, and you have to be honest with them," Falcons head baseball coach Brian Reinke said. "Now there are no questions."

UTPB may have been a provisional NCAA member for the last two years, but the move to active status has been in process for the last five years, athletic director Steve Aicinena said.

"It took a lot of time and planning to become a provisional member," Aicinena said. "Part of the reason for the success is that we started very early."

Some of UTPB's moves included adding sports, making sure there was enough money in the budget to offer scholarships, and hiring Susan Barron as the school's compliance officer.

Barron helped make sure the school met the NCAA's compliance requirements.

"The process is really quite simple," Aicinena said. "The NCAA has rules, and they want to know you can follow those rules and show them that you follow the rules."

For UTPB, following those rules has led to a big - and early - reward.