AthleticsUpdate
NGU Football Moving to Conference Carolinas in 2025
North Greenville University’s Football program will move to Conference Carolinas in 2025. The transition means all 20 NGU athletic teams will be aligned in one NCAA Division II conference.
With six varsity football member schools, Conference Carolinas meets the minimum number required to compete for a conference championship and NCAA Division II championship competition.
Baseball Team Claims First NCAA Division II National
Championship The North Greenville Baseball team won its first NCAA Division II National Championship last June, knocking off Point Loma Nazarene University in the title game in Cary, NC.
NGU capped the season with a 54-10 record, and Head Coach Landon Powell was named Division II National Coach of the Year.
The Crusaders returned with a strong title in 2023, remaining No. 1 in the NCAA Division II polls for the entire regular season and finishing with a record of 50-11.
NGU returned to the College World Series for its second-straight appearance in June, ultimately falling to Southern New Hampshire University.
North Greenville baseball has now hosted five consecutive NCAA Regionals and has won the Conference Carolinas title five times.
NGU had two players, Michael Rodriguez and Jalen Vasquez, selected in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft.
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“This significant move allows NGU to reduce travel for our team and increase competition with institutions of similar size and mission,” NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. said. “CC is emerging as a powerhouse group of like-minded institutions, and we believe this is the right move for the conference and for NGU at this time.”
Conference Carolinas, which was formed in December 1930, now sponsors competition in 23 varsity sports. The conference sponsored football competition from 1931-1975. CC’s football history includes having Appalachian State as a founding member from 1931-67, and East Carolina as a member from 1947-61. The six football member schools starting in 2025 include North Greenville, Barton, Chowan, Erskine, UNC Pembroke and Shorter.
NGU Band Joins Neighbor Furman at
NCAA Tournament Led by NGU Band Directors Gary Rhoden and Dr. Darian Washington, 21 NGU students and seven Furman students joined the Furman men’s basketball team for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in March.
The North Greenville band was filling in for Paladin’s band, which was scheduled to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland during the same week. The 13th seeded Paladins managed to pull off the first round upset over the fourth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in Orlando, putting an exclamation point on a memorable trip for NGU students and faculty.
“I’m so happy for the students,” Washington said. “It’s a wonderful experience for them.”
Become a Member of
the Crusader Club NGU student-athletes are making an impact on the national stage, and you can support their efforts by joining the Crusader Club. The Crusader Club was created to support the athletic programs at North Greenville University by raising funds for athletic scholarships, operations, and facilities for student-athletes who participate on the university’s 20 NCAA Division II sports teams.
Membership in the Crusader Club is open to individuals or organizations that support the overall educational mission of the institution and want to assist in transforming student-athletes in a challenging, Christ-centered environment.
For more information about NGU’s Crusader Club, contact Emily Owani at
emily.owani@ngu.edu.
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