Many St. Ambrose athletes and alumni call the Chicago area home, and most SAU athletic teams will make "Chicagoland" home themselves beginning in the fall of 2015.
St. Ambrose was accepted this fall as the 15th and newest member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics-affiliated league that features teams from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and now Iowa.
The Fighting Bees are leaving the Midwest Collegiate Conference, an NAIA Division II conference that was losing two of its six remaining member schools at the close of the school year.
"This is a move we needed to make and one that will benefit our programs and athletes in a big way," said Ray Shovlain '79, '82 MBA, the SAU athletic director and men's basketball coach. "A large number of our athletes come from the Chicago area, and this will also help our coaches recruit."
Junior women's volleyball player Lindsey Simon is among those excited by the change. The Chicago native will finish her St. Ambrose career next year, playing friends and rivals she knew in high school.
"Playing high school and club, you tend to know everyone who plays the sport," she said. "It will be really fun to play against some old teammates and be able to have my family come watch and support us."
News
Share This Story
