PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — West Florida will begin the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1 and compete in the United Athletic Conference in football and the Atlantic Sun Conference in other sports, the school announced Thursday.

The Argonauts have had one of the top Division II athletic programs and lead the Gulf South Conference in all-time championships and all-sports trophies. Their 15-sport program has won 11 national and 136 conference championships.

The United Athletic Conference was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference. The UAC plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The eight-team ASUN was founded in 1978.

West Florida will not be eligible for NCAA postseason tournaments during the three-year reclassification process. The school will be eligible for ASUN and UAC championships immediately.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports