Posted: Jul 14, 2026
NCAA Membership Committee Advances Brandywine To Third Year Of Division III Provisional Process
MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine has officially advanced to the third and final year of the NCAA Division III provisional membership process as annouced by the Division III Membership Committee following its June meeting.
Brandywine successfully completed its first two years of provisional membership and remains on track to earn full membership status in Division III beginning with the 2027-28 academic year.
2025-26 was highlighted by the softball team's second-straight United East Conference championship. The Lions, who went 16-0 en route to claiming the No. 1 seed in the tournament and hosting rights, walked-off with a 3-2 victory over Penn College on May 9.
Brandywine served as a host for United East postseason events in four sports. In addition to softball, men's and women's cross country hosted the conference's championship meets on campus in November. After winning a share of the regular-season title, men's basketball played United East Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal games on its home floor. The Lions enjoyed their finest season in nearly a decade, completing a 10-win turnaround, led by United East Coach of the Year Nick Burke.
Overall, 10 of Brandywine's 12 varsity teams competed in the postseason with baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's soccer, women's tennis and volleyball all reaching the United East Tournament for the first time.
Academically, Brandywine student-athletes combined to earn a 3.18 grade-point average, the department's highest cumulative GPA since at least 2013. A total of 108 of Brandywine's 168 student-athletes recorded a GPA of 3.20 or higher during their semester of competition to earn United East Academic All-Conference honors.
Five of Brandywine's squads were named United East Academic Teams for producing a GPA of 3.25 or greater, including the men's golf program that led all conference golf teams with a 3.55 GPA. Individually, Kaylee Mushinski was named United East Softball Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year as the top achieving softball student-athlete in the conference.
Brandywine's third year as a NCAA Division III provisional member officially begins September 1.