Le Moyne College is wrapping up its first semester as an NCAA Division I institution and officials say the college is excited to continue to grow.
Putting their slogan “Greatness meets Goodness” to work, Le Moyne College is getting recognized on a greater scale. After officially entering the Northeast Conference in Division 1 athletics in July, Le Moyne is being put on a bigger stage, something college President Linda LeMura and Assistant Vice President of Athletics and Recreation Bob Beretta said has been the biggest change so far. LeMura said it’s been an opportunity to amplify Le Moyne’s mission.
“I see going D1 as part of an institutional maturation process,” LeMura said. “As a young college, in higher education terms, it’s time for us to take stock in all the successes we’ve had in the past and all the lessons we’ve learned historically and to use that to amplify our mission moving forward.”
Beretta agrees. He said being able to spread the message of Le Moyne is one of the greatest benefits of the switch. Beretta said it’s the competition that will be one of the biggest challenges moving forward.
“I think perhaps right now, the piece that might trail will be the competitive success,” Beretta said. “But we also know that that’s not the most important factor right now.”
He said championships are a part of Le Moyne athletics, and being in a higher division will make those tougher to achieve for current student-athletes.
“That’s something that was consistent with Le Moyne’s athletic history is we competed fiercely and we competed for NCAA championships,” Beretta said. “Now we don’t have that opportunity for the next four years. If you ask me about a challenge, that was challenging to me and it will remain challenging.”
Despite all the challenges, LeMura said the college would make the same decision over again. She says the response from alumni and current students since the beginning of this athletic season has been encouraging.
“Now that we’re in the thick of it, there’s so much pride,” LeMura said.
