Point Park University Approved for Year Two of NCAA Membership Process Thursday, July 10, 2025
“It has truly been a remarkable year for Pioneer Athletics. Our coaches and student-athletes achieved at a high level during our first year of NCAA competition. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time, and I’m thrilled by the NCAA’s decision to advance Point Park University to year two of the membership process this fall. The future is bright for Pioneer athletics.”
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) today announced that Point Park University has been officially approved for its second provisional year of the NCAA Division II membership process.
The announcement was made following a meeting of the NCAA Division II Membership Committee on Thursday, which included a videoconference with members of the university’s leadership team.
Dr. Chris W. Brussalis, president of Point Park University, made it a priority for the school to move to the NCAA.
“It was clear to me that moving to the NCAA was critical for the growth and future of Point Park. We are fortunate that the Mountain East Conference welcomed us with open arms,” said Brussalis. “While we understood there would be stronger competition, I had high expectations for how our student-athletes would perform in this first season, and they still exceeded all of them.”
In year one of the NCAA membership process, Point Park made an immediate impact competing in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), headlined by its north division and tournament championship in baseball this spring.
The Pioneers also finished runner-up in the league in women’s indoor track & field and men’s outdoor track & field, while finishing third in men’s indoor track & field and women’s cross country. In 2024-25, Point Park finished sixth out of 11 institutions in the MEC Commissioner’s Cup standings.
Vice President of Athletics Scott Swain additionally shared his praise for the Pioneer coaches and student-athletes this season.
“It has truly been a remarkable year for Pioneer Athletics,” said Swain. “Our coaches and student-athletes achieved at a high level during our first year of NCAA competition. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time, and I’m thrilled by the NCAA’s decision to advance Point Park University to year two of the membership process this fall. The future is bright for Pioneer athletics.”
The Pioneer baseball team finished the year with a 41-13 record, including a 22-6 mark in league play. As a result, the Pioneers won the MEC North Division Championship and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the MEC Baseball Tournament.
At GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, West Virginia, Point Park won four straight games to win their first tournament championship as a member of the MEC. The Pioneers opened up tournament play with a 15-5 win over Concord, before defeating West Virginia State, 8-2, in its second matchup following a day off. In the semifinals, Point Park defeated Frostburg State by a 7-4 final to advance to the championship round.
On Championship Sunday, the Pioneers closed out the championship win with a 7-0 victory over Fairmont State. Point Park’s Jared Campbell was named the MEC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while teammates Omar Morillo, Harold Boyce and Javier Cardoso II were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Pioneers also turned in impressive performances at the MEC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier this year. To wrap up the indoor season, the Point Park women finished runner-up at the league championship, while the men took fourth place. The Pioneers won three individual championships at the MEC Indoor Championships, including Emma Pavelek in the high jump and Akeem Mustapha in the high jump and long jump. In all, Point Park earned 12 all-conference honors at the indoor championships.
At the MEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Point Park men took second place, while the Pioneer women finished third.
The Pioneers took home four individual championships to wrap up the league’s outdoor season, including Nick Zaller in the javelin, Akeem Mustapha in the long jump, Kamar Sutherland in the 110m hurdles, and Cassondra O’Connor in the 10,000m. The four individual championships headlined 18 all-conference performances the Pioneers turned in during the event.
The Point Park women’s cross country team also turned in a third-place finish at the MEC Championships in the fall, headlined by a second-place individual finish by Cassondra O’Connor in the championship 6k. Allison Plassio (12th) and Jana Schmid (17th) also turned in top 20 finishes at the meet.
The Point Park baseball and men’s and women’s track & field teams both ranked in the Atlantic Region Top 10 throughout the 2024-25 campaigns in each sport.
2024-25 By the Numbers
All-American (1): Jared Campbell (Baseball)
All-Region (11): Cassondra O’Connor (Indoor Track & Field), Emma Pavelek (Indoor Track & Field), Dunya Van den Tooren (Indoor Track & Field), Akeem Mustapha (Indoor Track & Field), Cassondra O’Connor (Outdoor Track & Field), Kamar Sutherland (Outdoor Track & Field), Jannik Windelband (Outdoor Track & Field), Jared Campbell (Baseball), Javier Cardoso II (Baseball), Omar Morillo (Baseball), Crixtian Taveras (Baseball)
MEC Individual Championships (7): Akeem Mustapha (3, Indoor High jump, Indoor Long Jump, Outdoor Long Jump), Cassondra O’Connor (Outdoor 10,000m), Emma Pavelek (Indoor High Jump), Karmar Sutherland (Outdoor 110m Hurdles), Nick Zaller (Outdoor Javelin)
MEC Player of the Year (4): Cassondra O’Connor (Women’s Cross Country), Akeem Mustapha (Men’s Indoor Field Athlete), Akeem Mustapha (Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete), Jared Campbell (Baseball)
MEC Freshman of the Year (3): Cassondra O’Connor (Women’s Cross Country), Dunya Van den Tooren (Women’s Indoor Track & Field), Kamar Sutherland (Men’s Outdoor Track & Field)
MEC Coach of the Year (2): Tim Creamer (Women’s Indoor Track & Field), Loren Torres (Baseball)
Most Outstanding Performer at MEC Championship (3): Akeem Mustapha (Men’s Indoor Track & Field), Akeem Mustapha (Men’s Outdoor Track & Field), Jared Campbell (Baseball)
2024-25 Athletics Department GPA (3.35)
All Sports
- All-Mountain East Conference Honorees (47)
- All-Mountain East Conference Academic Honorees (157)
- First Team All-MEC (13)
- Second Team All-MEC (19)
- Honorable Mention All-MEC (15)