Great West Conference / Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA)
Most of the Highlanders’ programs competed Independently until 2009, when the Highlanders became a part of the newly expanded Great West Conference. In the summer of 2008 the Highlanders were one of six athletic programs to announce they had joined the expansion of the Great West Conference to form a Division I all-sports league that will begin full conference scheduling and championships in 2009-10.
The Great West Conference was formerly a football-only league but has expanded into an all-sports league with the addition of NJIT, University of Texas–Pan American, Utah Valley, Houston Baptist University, University of North Dakota and University of South Dakota. Chicago State University joined the conference in October 2008 making the total full-sports members to 7.
The Highlander programs that will participate in the Great West are men’s and women’s basketball; baseball; women’s volleyball; women’s tennis; men’s and women’s cross country; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Although the newly expanded conference is not eligible for automatic Division I championship postseason qualification, it does offer NJIT’s athletics some benefits. The benefits offered are conference championship competition, stable scheduling opportunities in all conference sports and individual recognition for student-athletes through weekly and season all-conference recognition.
Currently, the Great West Conference men's basketball tournament champion has an automatic bid to CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
NJIT's Men's volleyball team competes in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA). The Women's soccer team used to compete in the United Soccer Conference but stopped in 2009-2010 season when Great West Conference officially started as an all-sports conference.
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