Three years after the University of Hartford demoted its athletics program from NCAA Division I, citing financial pressures and the administration’s desire to better align athletics with its “mission and goals,” the University of New Haven is going in the opposite direction.
Tuesday, the university announced it is moving up from Division II to D-I and the Northeast Conference, with competition at the top level of college athletics starting this fall.
"Athletics has been and continues to be a vital driver of enrollment and brand recognition for the University,” said UNH President Dr. Jens Frederiksen. “This move to the Northeast Conference and Division I positions the University for an exciting future – one consistent with the overall strategic focus on academic, professional and global return on investment."
As you might expect in the era of popular social media, word of the move went viral fast. When WTIC reached longtime UNH men’s basketball coach Ted Hotaling on Tuesday afternoon, the phones had already been ringing and coaches’ e-mail accounts were bursting. Hotaling says he’s hearing from current and former players, excited alumni and fellow coaches already looking to put the Chargers on their 2025-26 season D-I schedule.
“When you’re the new kid on the block, I think a lot of people are wanting to schedule you,” says Hotaling. “We’ll go through that process immediately and build on our schedule… Probably play some notable games.”
Hotaling is also hearing from potential recruits: players who want to compete in D-I. He says, “A lot of kids are now interested, maybe, in coming to New Haven because we’re a Division I program.” He expects to feature a virtually all-new roster this fall.
Plans are already in motion to upgrade facilities to match the Chargers’ D-I status. The university says there will be a “major renovation” of its basketball facility, the Hazell Athletics Center, with “expanded viewing and seating areas.”
“That’s been needed for a while, but it’s happening at the right time,” says Hotaling.
All other UNH sports will also be joining D-I and the Northeast Conference. All but one will be on the conference schedule starting this fall. The exception is UNH football, which won’t join the Northeast Conference schedule until sometime after 2025. Chargers football, which has been a regular in the D-II playoffs under coach Chris Pincince, will compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the second highest level within D-I, featuring the likes of crosstown Yale.
Hotaling is entering his 14th season as head coach of men’s basketball at UNH. In 2023, the Chargers reached the D-II Elite Eight for the first time. They can now set their sights on reaching the famed D-I NCAA Tournament, but not for a few more years: UNH won’t be eligible for the big tourney until it becomes a “full” D-I member in 2028-29.