WASHINGTON — The Atlantic 10 Conference concluded its annual spring meetings Tuesday, June 3, 2025.  The A-10 Presidents Council and the Athletic Directors met at the league headquarters in Washington, D.C., and prior to Tuesday the Athletic Directors met with the men’s and women’s basketball coaches, corporate sponsors and select NCAA staff in Naples, Fla.
 
The most significant topics of discussion in both meetings was the future landscape of intercollegiate athletics in the NIL and post-House settlement era, the potential expansion of the NCAA basketball tournament field and the financial challenges facing higher education.  Unanimously, all in attendance reaffirmed the league’s commitment to the importance of supporting student athletes athletically, academically and personally through NIL opportunities, mentorships and career development.
 
The Presidents approved the proposed 2025-26 conference operating budget at Tuesday’s meeting, highlighted by the establishment of an additional revenue distribution incentive fund tied to a program’s success in men’s basketball. The Presidents also reaffirmed another conference-wide supplemental distribution of $2.8 million for the 2025-26 academic year.
 
“The Presidents Council and Athletic Directors are committed to maintaining the Atlantic 10’s status as one of the nation’s premier basketball-centric leagues, which was evident in the discussions held in both meetings,” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “The enhanced financial commitment is crucial to continuing the five decades of success the league has enjoyed. As we prepare to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Conference we will honor the history of the A-10 and enthusiastically embrace the future.”
 
“Although this is a challenging time in higher education and intercollegiate athletics, our A-10 membership engaged in great discussions, reaffirmed our commitment to national success in basketball, and will focus on supporting and developing our student-athletes,” said Dr. Eric Spina, University of Dayton President and Chair of the A-10 Presidents Council.
 
The group acknowledged the presentation provided to the Athletic Directors from PPG Paints Arena, host of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship and extended the contract with Henrico Sports and Entertainment to host the Women’s Championship through 2029.  Approval was granted to host the men’s and women’s basketball media day together for the second year in a row in Pittsburgh, Pa., where the A-10 was founded in 1975-76. In conjunction with the joint media day the Presidents approved a 50^th Anniversary Luncheon to “Tip-Off” the year-long celebration. A full slate of 50^th Anniversary celebrations and plans were shared with all. 

“We had great spring meetings where all of the Atlantic 10 coaches and Athletic Directors came together with a focus on elevating the Atlantic 10 as a top basketball-centric conference that includes many sport programs enjoying high levels of success on the national level,” said Chris May, Director of Athletics at Saint Louis University and Chair of the Athletic Directors. “I want to thank the Presidents for their unwavering support and partnership as we lead the conference through this evolutionary moment in college athletics.”
 
Review of 2024-25: The A-10 staff reviewed the success the Atlantic 10 in 2024-25, with the addition of women’s golf as the league’s 23rd championship sport, national semifinal appearances in field hockey by Saint Joseph’s and Massachusetts, with the Hawks reaching the NCAA national championship game. Men’s soccer tied a league record and were fourth among all conferences with four bids to the NCAA Tournament. Men’s and women’s basketball had tightly contested championships with record high attendance, including the highest neutral site men’s championship day crowd in league history with 12,516 fans in attendance. Women’s basketball recorded the highest ticket revenue generated in a single championship. Men’s basketball placed eight teams in the postseason while women’s basketball had six postseason teams, including a first-ever appearance by George Mason, Richmond women reaching the NCAA Round of 32 and Duquesne advancing to the Super 16 of the WNIT.  Baseball also recorded the first ever sold-out championship game day crowd at 1,121 in attendance.
 
NCAA Topics: Jenn Fraser, NCAA Vice President of Division I and Dave Schnase, NCAA Vice President of Academic and Membership Affairs attended and provide updates on the pending House Settlement Implementation Committee work, as well as the proposed NCAA ”new” governance structure. NCAA General Counsel Director Greg Pottorff also joined remotely to provide briefings on legal issues facing the Association.
 
Olympic Sports: Further action taken at the May meetings related to Olympic Sports included approval of the following items:

• Extending the existing agreement with Virginia Beach Sports Center to serve as home of the 2027 and 2028 A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship site.
• Approval of the full slate of championship sites for 2026.
• A new format for the men’s and women’s tennis championship at the USTA National Campus.
• Addition of required video replay for men’s and women’s soccer championships.

 
A-10 Reports: Reports on communications, television and streaming, advanced media and an update from the Senior Woman Administrators and the Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, were delivered and approved.
 
The Presidents Council recognized Dr. Fred Pestello, President of Saint Louis University who is retiring after 11 years at SLU.