SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna University has accepted an invitation for associate membership in the Liberty League in the sport of football effective with the 2007 season, president L. Jay Lemons has announced.

Hobart	Rochester	Kings Point
RPI		Susquehanna
St. Lawrence	Union	WPI

The Crusaders will continue to compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2006 before joining the Liberty League, whose membership for football includes Hobart College, St. Lawrence University, the University of Rochester, Union College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

“Susquehanna is delighted to receive this invitation and is pleased to be aligning itself with the distinguished members of the Liberty League. We believe that the academic characteristics and athletics values of the Liberty League institutions are a superb match for those ideals we hold dear here at Susquehanna,” said Lemons. “We also welcome this opportunity to strengthen our presence in New York and New England , where we have significant numbers of alumni and, as a result, have begun to draw more students.”

Susquehanna has met a number of Liberty League schools on the gridiron during its 107 seasons of football. From 1961 through 1966, the Crusaders faced Hobart , St. Lawrence and Union twice each.

“Today's announcement is great for both our program and Susquehanna as a whole,” said head coach Steve Briggs. “I look forward to leading the program into this exciting new era of Crusader football.”

Briggs noted that the Liberty League has historically been a strong football conference. As of October 24, the Division III national rankings have Hobart (#23) in the top 25, with Union and RPI among other schools receiving votes.

“The landscape of NCAA Division III has changed significantly since the mid-1990s as the membership has grown from approximately 350 to over 430 institutions,” said director of athletics Pam Samuelson . “This growth, along with the creation of the automatic qualifier for conferences to NCAA playoffs, has created an extremely dynamic situation in which many institutions are reexamining the role of intercollegiate athletics on their campuses.”

The Liberty League was formed in 1995 as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association, and sponsors championships in 24 sports including football. In a 2004 press release announcing the name change from the UCAA to the Liberty League, the conference stressed that “(t)he member institutions seek to establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete's athletic activities are conducted as an integral part of the educational experience.” Non-football-playing members of the Liberty League are Clarkson University, Hamilton College, Skidmore College, Vassar College, and William Smith College.

“We are very pleased that Susquehanna has accepted our invitation to join the Liberty League as an associate member for football,” said league president and St. Lawrence University director of athletics Margie Strait . “Susquehanna will be an excellent fit for the league, and I know from conversations with a number of my colleagues that the opportunity for the Liberty League to have a presence in Pennsylvania with a quality institution like Susquehanna is very attractive.”

A decision has not yet been made regarding the conference affiliation of Susquehanna's other 22 varsity sports. The Crusaders have the option of remaining in the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation through the 2007-2008 academic year. (Update: "Presidents Announce New Athletic Conference")

Susquehanna will make its Liberty League debut on Sept. 8, 2007, when the Crusaders travel to Schenectady, N.Y., to play Union College.