BIRMINGHAM, Ala./NEW ORLEANS — The Gulf South Conference (GSC) announced that Loyola University New Orleans will join the conference as a full member effective, July 1, 2027. The 2027-28 academic year will the Wolf Pack’s inaugural season of competition, returning the Conference to the State of Louisiana for the first time in nearly five decades. Loyola New Orleans will also have the distinction of being the state’s only institution competing at the NCAA Division II level and the first in 48 years.
The institution and conference held an in-person celebration on campus on Tuesday, June 9.
“Today, we are proud to officially welcome Loyola University New Orleans to the Gulf South Conference. Loyola carries a long, respected legacy in collegiate athletics, and bringing the Wolf Pack into GSC is a massive win for everyone involved,” said Dr. Carl A. Stockton, chairman of the GSC Board of Directors and Auburn University at Montgomery Chancellor. “Their tradition of excellence—both in the classroom and on the field—perfectly aligns with our conference values. I want to thank President Cole and his team for their wonderful hospitality during our visit. We look forward to building a tradition of friendly rivalries.”
Loyola University New Orleans will compete in 14 GSC-sponsored sports. Men’s sports will include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field. Women’s sports will include basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball. Upon joining, the Wolf Pack will be immediately eligible for GSC postseason competition and student-athlete awards.
"This is a transformative moment for Loyola University New Orleans and for Wolf Pack Athletics," said Loyola University President Dr. Xavier A. Cole. "This move reflects our institutional growth and the direction we are heading as a university. We are continuing to elevate Loyola on the national stage while deepening our commitment to our students, alumni, and community. Returning to NCAA competition aligns with our mission and our aspirations for the future. We are investing in opportunity, infrastructure, and most importantly, the student experience, ensuring that Loyola remains a destination for students seeking excellence in academics, athletics, and personal growth."
Loyola New Orleans currently competes in the NAIA and is a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). The Wolf Pack have two national titles, both in the men’s basketball, with the most recent coming in 2022; and has made eight national tournament appearances since the 2017-18 academic year. As a result, Loyola New Orleans has consistently finished among the top-third of the Learfield Directors Cup NAIA standings, placing 46th or better three times in the last six years.
The Wolf Pack has also seen success at the conference-level, capturing 48 regular season or tournament titles since athletics returned to the school in 1991. Since 2021, Loyola New Orleans has celebrated 28 SSAC titles, highlighted by the women’s basketball program, which won both regular-season and tournament trophies three times in the last six seasons with regular-season titles in 2023 and 2026. Men’s basketball won three consecutive tournament titles from 2022-24, while baseball recently claimed back-to-back tournament crowns.
“We are excited to welcome Loyola University New Orleans to the Gulf South Conference,” said GSC Interim Commissioner Tommy Sadler. “The Wolf Pack align with the Conference’s core values and will offer championship quality teams and a tradition of excellence in the classroom. Being able to return in Louisiana enhances and strengthens the GSC footprint across the south now and as the GSC looks to the future.”
"This has been years in the making and represents a defining moment in Loyola Athletics history," said Brett Simpson, Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We are proud to return Loyola to NCAA competition while building on the extraordinary momentum our student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and supporters have created in recent years. This moment honors Loyola's athletics tradition while positioning us for an incredibly exciting future. The move allows us to continue growing competitively while remaining grounded in the authentic student-athlete model that defines Loyola, where academic excellence, athletic achievement, and personal development go hand in hand."
Established in 1904, Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit institution and is guided by the more than 450-year Ignatian tradition and ideals of faith, truth, justice, and service. Located in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans, the university enrolls around 4,300 students annually, with music and law among its most popular academic programs.
Loyola is the second full-member addition announced for the 2027-28 academic year by the GSC after its unveiled Spring Hill College in March.
Established in the summer of 1970, the Gulf South Conference is a charter member of NCAA Division II. Since its inception, the GSC has celebrated 56 national championships and more than 160 regional titles. Its student-athletes meanwhile have captured 76 individual NCAA national crowns and have claimed 364 CoSIDA/College Sport Communicators Academic All-America honors.