Landmark Conference Membership to Expand, Lycoming and Wilkes to Join in 2023

February 10, 2022

(release courtesy Landmark Conference)

TOWSON, Md. – The Landmark Conference welcomes two new institutions to its membership, beginning in the summer of 2023, as the Landmark's Executive Board confirmed the acceptance of Lycoming College and Wilkes University as the league's ninth and 10th full-time members.

The Landmark Presidents Council also unanimously voted to add football as a conference-sponsored sport beginning with the Fall 2023 season. The additions of Lycoming and Wilkes brings the total of Landmark football-playing institutions to six as they join Catholic University, Juniata College, Moravian University, and Susquehanna University on the gridiron. Football increases the Landmark's NCAA sport offerings to 23, and marks the first new sport offered by the conference since the league added Women's Golf in 2018.

The introduction of Lycoming and Wilkes to the league concludes a thorough strategic membership process undertaken by the Landmark's executive leadership team that began in February 2020. The conference office, in conjunction with institutional Presidents, Athletic Direct Reports, and Athletic Directors explored new affiliations for the conference while considering academic data, institutional resources, varsity sports offerings, and geography. After thorough consideration and benchmarking, Lycoming and Wilkes distinguished themselves as ideal candidates to join the Landmark Conference.

Lycoming (Williamsport, Pa.) and Wilkes (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) join member-institutions Catholic (Washington, D.C.), Drew University (Madison, N.J.), Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pa.), Goucher College (Baltimore, Md.), Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pa.), Moravian University (Bethlehem, Pa.), the University of Scranton (Scranton, Pa.), and Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, Pa.).

"This is an exciting time for the Landmark Conference, and I am excited to lead such a strong group of institutions through this historic change," stated Landmark Conference Commissioner, Katie Boldvich. "The additions of Lycoming College and Wilkes University builds on the already strong Landmark brand while also creating new competitive opportunities and strategic goals for the league. I look forward to working with both institutions during their transition and look forward to building strong relationships with their institutional leadership, athletic department staff, coaches, and student-athletes alike."

This expansion marks only the third change to conference membership in the past 15 years. Lycoming and Wilkes will be the second full-time additions to the league's membership in the past eight years, with Elizabethtown coming as the other addition in 2014.

"The Landmark Conference members are some of our finest institutions of higher education in the nation," remarked Moravian University President and Landmark Executive Chair, Bryon Grigsby. "We all share a common belief about the power of a liberal arts education and the value of being a true student-athlete. Today, the Landmark became even stronger with the addition of Lycoming and Wilkes to our athletic family and the addition of football to our athletic offerings. It is truly exciting to be part of a growing, vibrant conference."

Lycoming sponsors 19 intercollegiate varsity programs at the NCAA Division III level, of which 17 align with current Landmark sponsorships. The Warriors announced the addition of both baseball and field hockey as varsity sports beginning with the 2022-23 academic year. Along with baseball and field hockey, Lycoming joins men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and softball as Landmark-sponsored sports.

Wilkes currently sponsors 23 NCAA Division III programs, 18 of which the Landmark sponsors. The Colonels will compete in Landmark-sponsored sports in men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming, baseball, softball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's tennis.

Both institutions have enjoyed rich athletics history with success at the conference and national level.

For Lycoming

215 All-Americans
28 Academic All-Americans
4 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients
2 National Final appearances (1990, 1997 Division III Football)
43 conference championships
10 Individual National Champions
Final 2019 Learfield Standing: 202nd

For Wilkes

110 All-Americans
67 conference championships
15 Academic All-Americans
11 Individual National Champions
1 Team National Championships
Final 2019 Learfield Standing: 180th

"Lycoming College is pleased to accept the invitation to become a full member of the Landmark Conference, said Lycoming President Kent Trachte. "We have great memories of our rich athletic history in the Middle Atlantic Conference. We also celebrate a future in the Landmark Conference that has great promise and potential to create an exciting next chapter in the history of Lycoming Warrior athletics. We look forward to reinvigorating past rivalries and establishing new ones as we continue the work of developing the characteristics of leadership, grit, sacrifice, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic by affording students the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate sports. We are confident that membership in the Landmark Conference advances Lycoming's identity as a national liberal arts college."

Academically, Lycoming and Wilkes are highly competitive both throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and nationally. According to U.S. News.com National Liberal Arts College Rankings, Lycoming ranks 124th. They join fellow Landmark members Juniata (#75), Drew (#117), Elizabethtown (t-#117), Goucher (t-#117), Susquehanna (t-#117), and Moravian, who ranks 141st.

On the U.S. New.com National Universities ranking, Catholic ranks 136th while Wilkes ranks 241st.

Scranton ranks fifth in the U.S. News.com Regional Universities list.

"Joining the Landmark Conference places Wilkes University in the company of institutions that are similar in size, scope and philosophy and that offer research intensive programs from bachelor's through doctoral levels. The Landmark Conference includes schools that span from Pennsylvania to Washington D.C., presenting us with an excellent opportunity to enhance the Wilkes brand in these areas while continuing to attract the highest caliber students to our university," said Wilkes President Greg Cant. "Above all else, the move will provide our student-athletes with exceptional academic and athletic experiences."

During the conference's strategic membership exercise, conference leadership explored several academic demographics including; acceptance rates, retention, overall graduation rates, endowment, and other key academic categories. When comparing Lycoming and Wilkes to the current makeup of the conference in these key areas, it was clear their institutions shared the same vision of the current eight Landmark member institutions.

The coming weeks and months will offer an opportunity for the conference and its current and incoming member institutions to assess necessary logistical changes to conference operations such as future schedules, postseason tournament formats, student-athlete, and team award recognition and more. The Landmark will host a membership focused Symposium this spring to afford an opportunity for administrators, support staff and coaches to come together in-person and to share ideas and discuss these forthcoming changes.

Members of the Landmark Conference share a focus on institutional excellence through the emphasis of their academic missions and a belief that athletics competition is an important component of the undergraduate experience. Intercollegiate athletic programs are maintained with a perspective that holds paramount the academic programs of the institution and the academic and personal growth of the student-athlete. For more information on the Landmark visit: www.landmarkconference.org.