AMHERST, N.Y. - On this date five years ago, Daemen College held a press conference to announce it had been recommended for advancement to active membership status at the Division II level by the NCAA Membership Committee. The announcement marked the completion of Daemen's NCAA Division II membership initiative, a project which officially got underway during the 2012-13 academic year, following approximately two years of planning.
"We are honored to become an active member of NCAA Division II and proud to be the only college in the Buffalo-Niagara Region to hold this prominent designation," said Daemen president Gary A. Olson at the time. "As a Division II member, we will provide our student-athletes an exceptional opportunity to compete at a higher level while upholding our strong commitment to excellence in the classroom and fostering a culture of academic success. This is truly the beginning of a new era in Daemen Athletics."
The new era that Olson alluded to has borne fruit over the last five years. Daemen's teams and student-athletes have experienced many successes, including nine NCAA Championship berths, 17 top-three finishes within East Coast Conference play, four regular season conference championships, two conference tournament titles, nine 20-win seasons, 182 all-conference selections, 25 all-region selections and six All-American selections.
The success isn't limited to the fields of competition. Daemen student-athletes have routinely maintained above a 3.0 GPA, including a record 3.41 during the Spring 2020 semester, and been ranked among the Division II national leaders for community service hours performed. Olson himself has served as chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council and held a seat on the prestigious NCAA Board of Governors.
