BEAUMONT, Texas — On April 7 Lamar University announced their time in the WAC was coming to a close. The Cardinals would compete in the Western Athletic Conference in 2022-23 before rejoining the Southland Conference on July 1, 2023.
That won't be the case. Monday morning Lamar University announced an early transition back to the Southland conference in the following release.
After accepting an invitation to return to the Southland Conference in April, Lamar University has announced an early transition back to the league. Effective immediately, LU will officially be a full-fledged member of the league competing in 17 varsity sports. The decision to make the early move comes upon the heels of Jeff O’Malley joining the university as the new Director of Athletics on July 1.
“We are very excited to take advantage of this opportunity to make the move to the Southland Conference for the 2022-23 season for all sports,” O’Malley said. “This is the best fit for the future of Lamar University Athletics, our fans and our student-athletes. I would like to thank Commissioner Grant and the leadership of the conference for working with us and providing a chance to join the league immediately.”
Established in 1963, the Southland Conference holds nearly 60 years of competitive success and encompasses nine league institutions across Texas and Louisiana, more than 140,000 current students and an alumni base of nearly 900,000. LU originally joined the league in 1963 and, after a brief departure, rejoined the Southland in 1999. Cardinal fans enjoyed five decades of success in the Southland Conference. During LU’s time in the conference, fans witnessed 109 regular-season championships across the university’s 17 varsity sports.
This is an exciting time for Lamar University Athletics, and I am thankful for the support of Commissioner Grant on this careful decision to make the early move back to the Southland Conference,” said Lamar University President Jaime Taylor.
As a founding member of the SLC, Lamar University will join Houston Baptist University, McNeese State University, University of New Orleans, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M-Commerce and University of Incarnate Word, bringing the Southland Conference total membership to ten.
Southland Conference commissioner Chris Grant also had the following statement.
"We are fired up at the enthusiasm Lamar University is showing in their accelerated return to competition in the Southland," said Commissioner Chris Grant. "It's another sign of the impact of our conference's focus on the student-athlete experience and our truly collaborative approach to leadership that recognizes the unique value of each school. Welcome back, Big Red!"