The Norse, 1996 and 1997 NCAA Division II runners-up, are leaving the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Their arrival in the Atlantic Sun for the 2012-13 academic year will help fill the void left by Belmont's departure for the Ohio Valley Conference. Curiously, the OVC was Northern Kentucky's first conference choice; however, the league rejected them out of fear that the Norse "would be too powerful for other Ohio Valley Conference members," according to Cincinnati.com. NKU will have to go through the typical Division I transition, which means they won't actually be eligible for a berth in the NCAA Tournament until the 2016-17 season.