On May 11, the Penn State Brandywine softball team narrowly defeated the Pennsylvania College of Technology 8-7.

It was Brandywine’s first  year in the United East Conference, part of NCAA Division III, and it was the team’s first United East championship win and title.

Brandywine has been a member of the Penn State University Athletic Conference and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association for a long time, but it has wanted to transition to NCAA Division III for a number of  years.  

In 2022, Penn State Regional Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells decided the time was right, so work started on the 612-page application, with support from several campus departments, faculty, the Brandywine Advisory Board and the athletics alumni.

In February 2023, Brandywine received the news that the campus was approved for an exploratory year in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association — the first step in a four-year process.

Brandywine had an exploratory year in 2023-24, followed by three years as a provisional member.

The process leading to full membership includes educational and operational benchmarks that introduce institutions to the Division III philosophy and the best practices of model Division III institutions.

In early 2024, the United East Conference Presidents Council announced that it had accepted Penn State Brandywine as a full member of the league, with all 12 of the campus’ varsity athletic programs competing in the conference.

“Our student-athletes are stepping up to the challenge of a higher level of play, and they’re proud to be part of the NCAA and they respect what it stands for,” said Bobbi Caprice, Penn State Brandywine’s director of athletics.

For Wells, joining the NCAA was an opportunity to elevate the campus’ already successful athletic program and expand the opportunities available to Brandywine student-athletes — while always keeping the campus’ emphasis on academics at the forefront.

“Athletes have been an integral part of campus life since Penn State Brandywine was founded in 1967,” Wells said. “After many years of discussion and preparation, we were ready to build on our highly successful athletic program by transitioning to NCAA Division III.

Wells credited the athletic staff, coaches and alumni for their support of student-athletes and their commitment to building on the program’s success.

Caprice said being a part of NCAA Division III has had many benefits for the student athletes, the athletic department and the campus.

 “We’ve increased our visibility and our level of recruiting. We’ve seen more people watching our games on our livestream,” she said.

The teams are facing an increased level of competition. Brandywine is attracting interest from more talented student-athletes, including more out-of-state students who are interested in athletics and the Penn State’s academic experience.

The NCAA has provided a variety of new resources, including access to health and safety grants.

One will be used to bring a nutritionist and a sports psychologist to campus to talk with student-athletes about physical and mental health.

Professional development is also a priority, and Caprice, Wells, Associate Athletic Director Jeff Scarpone, Faculty Athletic Representative Joshua Phillips and recent graduate Karly Rees have all had the opportunity to attend NCAA conferences covering topics from managing coaches to fundraising to inclusion.

“Every other college in the conference has opened their arms to us and offered to be a resource to us,” Caprice noted. “It’s been great to see everyone working together for the betterment of our conference and the betterment of our student-athlete experience.

In addition to the softball championship, highlights of the 2024-25 year include the tennis team competing in a conference for the first time since 2011, the men’s soccer team advancing to the second round of playoffs and the baseball team narrowly missing a playoff appearance.

Off the field, some key accomplishments from the year have included:

• 35 fall student-athletes and 57 winter and spring student-athletes earned United East Scholar Awards, recognizing that they earned a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher.
• Four Brandywine teams received United East Academic Awards, recognizing a team grade-point average of 3.25 or higher.
• Student Athlete Advisory Council President Karly Rees was selected to attend the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville on behalf of the United East Conference.

The Brandywine athletic department currently supports more than 175 student-athletes competing for six men’s teams (baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis) and six women’s teams (basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball). I

Since 1968, Penn State Brandywine athletics has claimed more than 40 conference championships and four national championships. In addition, more than 60 percent of its student-athletes receive academic awards annually.