Following a vote from the school’s Board of Regents, the University of Hartford will officially seek to reclassify from Division I to Division II within the next five years.
The official vote was held on Thursday, and followed a school-commissioned review that was published in mid-April. The realignment was said to be necessary due to budget issues and declining enrollment that was exacerbated by COVID-19 effects, according to various media reports.
In January of 2022, Hartford will formally apply for reclassification to Division III. The NCAA would act on that request one month later, and Hartford anticipates active membership in Division III athletics no later than September 1, 2025.
For the 2022-23 academic year, Hartford will remain at Division I but will not offer any new athletic scholarships. Existing scholarships to returning players will be honored, as will active coaching contracts.
According to a timeline laid out by the school in a release on Thursday, the 2023-24 academic year will include pursuit of provisional membership in a D3 conference, ahead of full reclassification the following year.
One important difference between Division I and Division III is the absence of athletic scholarships at the Division III level. While active athletic scholarships will be honored through the full length of a player’s tenure at Hartford, if so desired, an athlete will not be able to compete while receiving an athletic scholarship once the school moves to Division III.
Hartford softball has played predominantly a conference-only schedule this season; they have faced only America East conference foes outside of a season-opening doubleheader against Seton Hall. The Hawks are 5-11 on the year, with a season-ending series against Binghamton taking place this weekend. Head coach Angie Churchill is in her fourth season as the Hawks’ leader.
