Delaware Accepts Invitation for Men’s Soccer to Join The Summit League
4/4/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware has accepted an invitation for men's soccer to join The Summit League effective July 1, 2025, both organizations announced jointly Thursday. The Blue Hens will be the sixth men's soccer member in the league joining the University of Denver, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University and University of St. Thomas.
"This is a very exciting time for our men's soccer program," Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said. "This move, coupled with our commitment to both academics and athletics, will allow the Blue Hens to continue to compete at a high level. I want to thank Commissioner Fenton and the athletic directors in the Summit League for the opportunity to be a part of this special league."
The Blue & Gold men's soccer program boasts five NCAA appearances, three conference tournament titles, and 23 All-Americans over its storied history. After just two years under head coach Tommy McMenemy, UD has jumped substantially in RPI from 166 to 81, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents.
"We are excited to be joining The Summit League," McMenemy said. "The Summit League has gone from strength to strength as a soccer conference, and have been successful for several years in fielding teams who are competitive on the national stage. The conference's pedigree was highlighted again this past season, sending two teams to the NCAA Tournament. National relevance and ambition as a conference was key in our search process, and we feel we've found the right home in the Summit League."
Delaware will remain in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) through the 2024-25 school year and will be eligible for both a league title and NCAA postseason competition.
"We are excited and pleased to welcome the University of Delaware and its men's soccer program to the Summit League in the fall of 2025," The Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton said. "With their program's competitive history, the Blue Hens are a great addition to our existing men's soccer playing institutions and will further enhance the national competitiveness of our conference. I want to thank Delaware Director of Athletics Chrissi Rawak for her collaboration and work to create this new relationship."
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 42nd year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 19 championship sports. The League's nine institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include five located in top 60 U.S. metropolitan populations and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.
The University of Delaware's academic programs are among the nation's best and its research classification places the University in the top 3% of all U.S. universities and colleges. Announced in September, UD ranks No. 76 among national universities and No. 36 nationally among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024 Best Colleges rankings. In addition, the 2024 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News and World Report has ranked 22 University of Delaware graduate programs among the best in the nation including 10 in the top 50. UD Is also a top-50 university in the U.S. for veterans and active-duty military.
UD's outstanding academic reputation also translates to UD Athletics and UD student-athletes who complement their athletic success with strong academic performances. In the 2022-23 academic year, Blue Hens compiled a cumulative 3.286 grade-point average—the highest in department history, excluding academic terms impacted by COVID-19. This marked the ninth-consecutive year and the 19th-straight semester in which UD student-athletes have posted a 3.00 GPA or better.
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For the latest on Delaware men's soccer, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
"This is a very exciting time for our men's soccer program," Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said. "This move, coupled with our commitment to both academics and athletics, will allow the Blue Hens to continue to compete at a high level. I want to thank Commissioner Fenton and the athletic directors in the Summit League for the opportunity to be a part of this special league."
The Blue & Gold men's soccer program boasts five NCAA appearances, three conference tournament titles, and 23 All-Americans over its storied history. After just two years under head coach Tommy McMenemy, UD has jumped substantially in RPI from 166 to 81, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents.
"We are excited to be joining The Summit League," McMenemy said. "The Summit League has gone from strength to strength as a soccer conference, and have been successful for several years in fielding teams who are competitive on the national stage. The conference's pedigree was highlighted again this past season, sending two teams to the NCAA Tournament. National relevance and ambition as a conference was key in our search process, and we feel we've found the right home in the Summit League."
Delaware will remain in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) through the 2024-25 school year and will be eligible for both a league title and NCAA postseason competition.
"We are excited and pleased to welcome the University of Delaware and its men's soccer program to the Summit League in the fall of 2025," The Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton said. "With their program's competitive history, the Blue Hens are a great addition to our existing men's soccer playing institutions and will further enhance the national competitiveness of our conference. I want to thank Delaware Director of Athletics Chrissi Rawak for her collaboration and work to create this new relationship."
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 42nd year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 19 championship sports. The League's nine institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include five located in top 60 U.S. metropolitan populations and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.
The University of Delaware's academic programs are among the nation's best and its research classification places the University in the top 3% of all U.S. universities and colleges. Announced in September, UD ranks No. 76 among national universities and No. 36 nationally among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024 Best Colleges rankings. In addition, the 2024 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News and World Report has ranked 22 University of Delaware graduate programs among the best in the nation including 10 in the top 50. UD Is also a top-50 university in the U.S. for veterans and active-duty military.
UD's outstanding academic reputation also translates to UD Athletics and UD student-athletes who complement their athletic success with strong academic performances. In the 2022-23 academic year, Blue Hens compiled a cumulative 3.286 grade-point average—the highest in department history, excluding academic terms impacted by COVID-19. This marked the ninth-consecutive year and the 19th-straight semester in which UD student-athletes have posted a 3.00 GPA or better.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware men's soccer, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
