Saint Francis to Move to D-III After First Four Loss in 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Saint Francis University, whose men's basketball team just made the NCAA Division I tournament after winning the Northeast Conference, announced that it is moving from Division I to Division III athletics beginning with the 2026-27 academic calendar.

"This was not an easy nor a quick decision for the Board of Trustees," Chairman and the Very Rev. Joseph Lehman said in a statement. "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 love of the game. For that reason, as a Board, 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 men's basketball team notably made headlines after engineering a great run to the tournament by beating all three of its NEC tournament opponents (Wagner, LIU, CCSU) by three points apiece.

The Red Flash then took Alabama State to the limit in the First Four before falling 70-68 after a full-court leave led to a game-winning layup with less than a second remaining.

Teams are typically seen going in the other direction, rising in the NCAA ranks to Division I.

However, Saint Francis is headed to Division III, citing difficulties on student-athletes in college sports' changing landscape.

President and the Very Rev. Malachi Van Tassell also explained the rationale for the move.

"The Board and I have been concerned about the student-athlete experience for many years. The geography of our conference is huge. Our students travel either to Chicago or to Boston or to points in between. That's a lot of time not spent on campus, developing friendships or in the classroom. This change allows our students to be present on campus and lets their friends attend more of their home and away games. This decision is about creating and maintaining community and allowing our student-athletes to thrive in the classroom and their chosen sport."

Saint Francis is located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, about 79 miles east of Pittsburgh. Its nine-team Northeast Conference ranges as far west as Chicago (Chicago State) and as far east as Greater Boston (Stonehill). It goes as far north as Syracuse, New York (Le Moyne), with multiple schools in the New York City metropolitan area too. So travel is tough for Saint Francis.

Ultimately, this may not be the only similar move we see, as Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports and Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports noted.

Saint Francis' 22 varsity athletic teams are now headed to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, where most of the schools are based in Pennsylvania and Ohio.