IU Northwest adds soccer, tennis to varsity athletics roster
Contributed By:The 411 News
Teams will begin play in 2019; recruiting for athletes, coaches underway
Indiana University Northwest’s Department of Athletics has announced the addition of varsity men’s soccer and men’s and women tennis, with play slated to begin in the fall of 2019.
The new sports are being added in conjunction with the university’s application to join the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). If accepted, competition as a member of the CCAC for all sports would begin in August of 2019.
Director of Athletics Ryan Shelton said a search is underway for permanent head coaches for the three teams, which are already actively recruiting athletes.
The soccer team will hold practices and competitions at the Crown Point Sportsplex, located just off Interstate-65. The off-campus facilities to be used by the tennis teams are yet to be determined.
“We are committed to strengthening our athletic programs by creating more opportunities for student-athletes,” Shelton said. “The addition of new varsity soccer and tennis programs represents the first phase of our expansion plan. We are considering adding more teams to our athletics roster in the future and continuing to foster a positive athletics experience for the entire campus community.”
The IU Northwest athletics program has seen significant gains in recent years with expansion to seven varsity, championship competing sports, and the addition of cross-country and golf in 2015.
According to Shelton, this commitment to building a strong program has had a positive effect beyond the playing field. “Our student-athletes have proven to be high academic achieving students and are great ambassadors for IU Northwest and the Northwest Indiana community,” he said.
IU Northwest currently offers seven other championship sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s golf, and women’s volleyball.
Known as the IU Northwest RedHawks, the teams are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and currently compete in the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference.
Prospective soccer players should contact the interim head coach and recruiting coordinator, Eric Roldan, at 219-671-4974 oredroldan@iun.edu.
For men’s and women’s tennis, interested athletes should contact Shelton at 219-980-6793 or rydshelt@iun.edu.
Story Posted:10/01/2018
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