Surrey and Burnaby are one step closer to jumping ship for showtime.
The NCAA modified their acceptance policies on Thursday, effectively allowing Simon Fraser University to become a full-time member in its athletic competitions and divisions. Next Thursday, the NCAA's Division II President's Council will vote on whether or not to include SFU.
The school and its teams – the Clan – joined the NCAA as its first non-U.S. member in 2009, and was then introduced as a Provisional Division II Institution in September, 2011, after it completed a two-year membership candidacy.
However, if SFU passes next Thursday's vote, they will become a full-time member and will be eligible to play in NCAA championships.
The move would be historic for both SFU and the NCAA.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic to be the first Canadian school to join the NCAA and to give our student-athletes the opportunity to compete against the best pro-grams in the United States and Canada," said Milton Richards, Simon Fraser's senior director of athletics and recreation, in an interview with Canadian and Associated Press.
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(contributing editor of the Cloverdale Reporter)