Ohio Valley Conference getting new member

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., June 11 (UPI) -- Officials of the Ohio Valley Conference have voted to make Southern Illinois-Edwardsville the league's newest member.

The school will be eligible for post-season conference play during the 2012-13 academic year after beginning OVC competition in all sports in 2011-2012.

SIUE has been a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, where it won the league's All-Sports Trophy in 2006-07.

The Ohio Valley is losing Samford to the Southern Conference, but is expanding for the first time since 2003 when Jacksonville State joined Samford.

"I am very pleased to welcome SIU-Edwardsville as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference," said OVC Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher on Tuesday. "The addition of SIUE makes us a stronger conference. It was clear that it is a Division I institution, given the scope and breadth of its academic and athletic offering."

Other conference schools are are Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and Tennessee-Martin.