The Summit League officially lost a member Wednesday with the announcement by IUPUI that it will join the Horizon League.

Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple released a statement:

“I was first notified on Friday morning (June 23) by IUPUI Chancellor Paydar that they will be withdrawing from our league, effective June 30. He stated to me that they enjoyed their membership in The Summit League, but geography was the factor in their decision to switch leagues.

“IUPUI was a 20-year member of our league and while we will miss the relationships forged over that time, The Summit League remains a solid entity going forward. The recent addition of the University of North Dakota for the fall of 2018 is a move that strengthens the quality of league membership.

“The Summit League has made continued progress in recent years and there is no reason to believe that will not continue. Men’s and women’s basketball success is evident in RPI ascension and our tournament continues to gain notoriety as one of the best environments in the nation. In 2016-17 alone, we advanced a team to the Men’s Soccer College Cup and crowned our latest track and field national champion. Those achievements are indicative of the dedication to pursue excellence across our league membership.

“We will continue our efforts to explore the expansion options that we currently have and create new membership options for the future. When membership changes have occurred in The Summit League, there has been short term disappointment, but in the long term, the end result has proven to be a stronger league.”