A message from Athletic Director
Dan Viola

This is an exciting time for Islander athletics, as we have finally been accepted into the Southland Conference, a goal we have been trying to reach since 1998. The athletic department and the university as a whole will now have an affiliation that both our students and other institutions in the Southland Conference can identify with.

Now that we are part of the league, our teams have the opportunity to play for conference championships as well as participate in the NCAA postseason.

Being a part of the Southland Conference will give A&M-Corpus Christi immediate in-state rivals, including the University of Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Lamar University and others.

The department is going to see an immediate impact, and so are the athletes, as they are now eligible to receive various conference honors including player of the week awards and other conference accolades.

We have played against institutions from the Southland Conference since 1998 and have been very competitive against those schools. Our men’s tennis team has been a part of the Southland for the past two seasons and has won two conference championships. The team has yet to lose a league match.

I am sure our programs will contend for conference titles when they start competing during the 2006-07 season. We look forward to participating in league competitions and hosting conference championships as well. We will have the opportunity to showcase our facilities, which will help the University and the city of Corpus Christi.