BISMARCK (AP) -- The University of Mary's quest for active status in NCAA Division II athletics has ended two years earlier than expected.
School officials said Tuesday the Marauders will be eligible for Division II tournaments this season after the NCAA waived the final two years of the mandatory waiting period.
Quarterback Blair Sandy called the news "truly Christmas in July."
"To get two years knocked off without asking is truly a great success story and a tribute to the leadership of the University of Mary," said Al Bortke, Mary's athletic director.
The Marauders applied for admission to the NCAA in 2005. The NCAA normally requires schools to play a provisional schedule for four years.
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"Our seniors didn't expect this, and maybe not even our juniors," Bortke said.
The Marauders also will be eligible for all Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships. Last year, Mary was allowed to compete for titles in sports where the conference champions did not automatically qualify for NCAA tournaments.
"This definitely enhances the competitiveness of the Northern Sun and the University of Mary to compete nationally at the NCAA Division II level," Butch Raymond, the NSIC commissioner, said in a statement.
Mary was one of five schools promoted from provisional to active status during the June meeting of the NCAA Division II membership committee. The others are California State University Monterey Bay, Chowan, North Georgia College and State University, and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
