51ĀŅĀ×

51ĀŅĀ× Director of Athletics Julie Cromer will co-chair an NCAA committee charged with realigning Division I athletics.

The NCAA to implement recommendations that are expected to be made by its Constitution Committee that will transform college sports. Cromer will co-chair the committee with Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.

ā€œIā€™m honored to represent 51ĀŅĀ× and the Mid-American Conference in this work to realign Division I to best serve student-athletes in the future, given the changing landscape of college athletics,ā€ Cromer said. 

The NCAAā€™s Constitution Committee has been meeting since August and is asking each division to review its rules to ensure they are aligned with new principles.

ā€œThe NCAA is taking steps to reimagine itself to more effectively meet the needs of student-athletes, and weā€™re proud that Julie will play a crucial role in that effort,ā€ 51ĀŅĀ× President Hugh Sherman said.

Cromer became 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s athletic director in August 2019 after serving in several roles at the University of Arkansas, Indiana University and the NCAA. 51ĀŅĀ× student-athletes have enjoyed a string of successes in her tenure, including multiple post-season appearances, record NCAA graduation rates in 2021 and a cumulative 3.32 GPA in the spring of 2021. In that time 18 student-athletes from eight different programs have received the MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award, and 221 have received Academic All-MAC honors.