fter more than a year’s worth of anticipation, the wait was finally over. On July 1, 2012, the
Georgia State Athletic Department officially became a member of the Sun Belt Conference and
on July 1, 2013, all sports became eligible for championships in 14 league-sponsored sports.
Basketball joins the mix in November and will compete in the Sun Belt tournament in March in New
Orleans. The men’s team was a charter member in 1976; the women make their debut in 2013-14.
“We look forward to playing a leadership role in the Sun Belt
Conference and our teams competing for Sun Belt titles and
postseason berths,”Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick said.
“It really is a tremendous day in Georgia State sports history.”
GSU’s move onto a national stage in all sports officially
began on April 9, 2012. At a press conference inside the
Georgia Dome, Sun Belt Conference officials joined Georgia
State President Mark Becker and Levick at the public
announcement of the Panthers’ impending conference move.
A feasibility study begun in the fall of 2011 concluded the
Panthers were well positioned to make the jump to the FBS
level and that the Sun Belt would be an ideal fit. The rest has
been history. The move now allows GSU to build on regional
rivalries with several schools within driving distance, while
also showcasing its talented teams to the country.
It is a return home of sorts for Georgia State, which was a
founding member of the Sun Belt Conference in 1976. At
that time, the league consisted of six universities playing
across four men’s sports – basketball, soccer, tennis and golf.
Women’s sports did not compete in the Sun Belt or NCAA at
that time.
Today, the Sun Belt Conference sponsors 18 sports, including
14 that the Panthers will vie for conference titles. On the
men’s side, GSU will compete in baseball, basketball, football,
golf and tennis, while women’s sports include basketball,
golf, cross country, soccer, softball, indoor track and field,
outdoor track and field and court volleyball. GSU has also
announced plans to add women’s swimming and diving,
another Sun Belt-sponsored sport.
The Panthers already own two Sun Belt Conference titles in
the past year. Ten individual sports were accepted into the
league for 2012-13, giving the women’s cross country and
men’s tennis teams a leg up on collecting hardware. Each
squad won the Sun Belt title and helped Georgia State finish
ahead of two SBC schools in the 2012-13 Vic Bubas Cup
standings (an all sports trophy) despite competing in only
half of the league’s sports.
SUN BELT TOURNAMENT IN NEW ORLEANS
he 2013-14 Sun Belt Tournament will be held at
Lakefront Arena in New Orleans with both the
women’s and men’s teams competing the same
week of March 12-16.
