ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A proposal was passed at the NCAA Convention this morning during the Division III Business meeting which will allow RIT to offer scholarships to its Division I men's and women's hockey student-athletes.
 
"This is a great day for our department and our hockey programs," said Executive Director of Athletics Jacqueline Nicholson. "I'm grateful for the Division III membership's support of this legislation which will have a profound effect on the lives of our student-athletes and what our teams can accomplish."
 
Multi-divisional intercollegiate athletic programs like RIT, which sponsors 22 Division III teams along with two Division I hockey teams, were previously not allowed to apply all Division I legislation to its Division I teams, including the inability to award athletic grant-in-aid to its players based on a 2004 bylaw. However, with this morning's vote overwhelmingly passing by a 388-18-39 margin, the Tigers will be on the same footing as the rest of its peers across the country with a full 18 scholarships available to each hockey team.
 
"This changes things on many different levels for our teams," said RIT Men's Hockey Coach Wayne Wilson, who is in the midst of his 23rd season on the Tiger bench. "Our coaches have always done a tremendous job on the recruiting trail finding players who would excel in our program, but the conversation is completely different when you can sit them down and offer the same thing as all the other teams. Decisions don't have to be made based on finances anymore."
 
Four other multi-divisional institutions will benefit from today's vote. The Union men's and women's hockey teams are now also eligible to award scholarships, along with Hobart (men's lacrosse), Franklin & Marshall (wrestling) and MIT (rowing).
 
"I'm excited for the future of our program," said second-year Bruce B. Bates Women's Hockey Coach Celeste Brown '15. "We have already made some significant strides in a short period of time to take our program to the next level. This only accelerates our journey toward where we know we can take this team in the future. It also will help make the women's game stronger, overall, by creating more opportunities for women to get a scholarship while playing the sport at a premier level."
 

The RIT men are currently in their 17th season at the Division I level after making the transition from Division III in 2005. The women are in the midst of their 10th Division I season, making the move after winning the 2012 Division III National Championship. Both teams have enjoyed their share of success despite playing competition permitted to award athletic grant-in-aid to its players. The men have won three Atlantic Hockey Championships and made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a historic run to the 2010 Frozen Four where they finished a game short of playing for a national championship. The women also won back-to-back College Hockey America Championships in 2014 and 2015, while making one NCAA Tournament showing.
 
"Our players make a commitment to represent our program on the highest level on the ice and in the classroom when they decide to come to RIT," continued Wilson. "Now, we can make that same type of commitment to them by offering a scholarship."