(11-28-2017 09:39 PM)AZcats Wrote:  

(11-28-2017 09:12 PM)teamvsn Wrote:  As large as they want to be, it seems inevitable that they will have competitive sports. But how to get there? Seems very difficult. I can't recall any programs off hand who *launched* into NCAA D2. Yet that's the obvious place for them, in the PacWest. Are D2 conferences allowed to have associate members? They could start in USCAA or NAIA and be associate members of the PacWest without postseason access while they boot up their program, and when they are ready apply to the NCAA. Being in Hawaii it wouldn't be that hard to attract a good amount of pre-conference competitors, but it would be pretty tough to fill a full schedule without being in a conference.

D2 may or may not have rules directly about that type of membership but there are rules that make it difficult. All teams must play a minimum number of D2 competitions to qualify for postseason and there is a list of programs that the NCAA will not recognize as valid competitions. Ex: any football game against any College of Faith team is essentially viewed by the NCAA as an exhibition, win/lose and all team and individual stats are thrown out.

There is one school that they allow as an associate member without post season play. That school is Apprentice. It is a trade school, and not a college or university. They are 4 year, and have athletics to play.

As for test Pilot? I was on the NCAA site, and they had Alaska Pacific as a test pilot for D1. The only sport they had as varsity is skiing. They don't have much of anything else.