News release

For immediate release
May 4, 2011

Mount Royal University Athletics joins Canada West

(CALGARY — May 5, 2011) Mount Royal University is pleased to announce that its Cougars athletic program will be joining the ranks of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA), the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), as the institution was accepted as a probationary member earlier today.

Mount Royal secured more than the seventy-five per cent membership approval which was required for CWUAA acceptance. The decision was finalized at Canada West's annual general meeting in Saskatoon, SK.

The decision paves the way for the Cougars to join the ranks of CIS, the highest level of amateur athletics in Canada, though their application will still need to be accepted for CIS membership. That application will be reviewed at the CIS annual general meeting, June 6 – 9, 2011 in Victoria, BC.

Mount Royal Athletics Manager Karla Karch says, Wednesday’s decision was the culmination of a decade’s worth of work and she is ecstatic with the results.

“I’m thrilled that Canada West has approved us as a probationary member,” says Karch. “This has been ten plus years in the making and there are so many people who have been involved in the application process and the decision that was made today.”

The Cougars will begin a three-year probationary term starting in September 2011 and will begin competing in Canada West in fall 2012.

"It’s a landmark day for Mount Royal University,” says Mount Royal President David Marshall. “For us, it’s just another step in finalizing our transition to a university and another milestone in our 100-year history. It provides a tremendous opportunity and another option for student-athletes who are looking to stay in the city and compete at the CIS level and furthers our mandate to become Canada’s premier undergraduate university."

With their inclusion, Mount Royal is set to become the 15th member of Canada West. The university will be competing in the CWUAA in men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, soccer and volleyball.

For more information, visit the Cougars website at: cougars.mtroyal.ca

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For further information contact:
Fred Cheney, Media Relations Officer
Marketing and Communications
Office of University Advancement
Office: 403.440.5195
Cell: 403.542.7904
mediarelations@mtroyal.ca

Kyle Henry, Event & Communications Coordinator
Cougar Athletics
Office: 403.440.6256
Cell: 403.700.28944
khenry@mtroyal.ca