The Bismarck State Mystics are Headed to the NAIA
This could be a major piece in the Frontier puzzle
On Monday, the NAIA announced on their website that they were accepting the membership of two more schools: Bismarck State College for 2025/26 and Carolina University for 2024/25.
Carolina University is based in Salem, Virginia and will be coming into the NAIA having previously only been a member of the NCCAA and will presumably keep that membership with the move. The conference affiliation notes in the press release appear to be swapped as there would be zero logic in the school applying to the Frontier Conference, but the big news is coming out of North Dakota.
At this time, Bismarck State College is a member of the NJCAA and operates as a polytechnic school with a blend of 2-year and 4-year program offerings. They are transitioning to a more fully-fledged 4-year institution and will bring with them a well-developed athletic program currently under the guidance of Athletic Director Myron Schulz.
There is some reading between the lines to be done here, but when Dr. Scott Crawford took hold of the Frontier Conference reigns, he did note that they were considering membership of schools that would be looking to step up to 4-year status.
Previously, I had overlooked Bismarck State when writing about possible expansion candidates for the conference, but this is a very good fit.
At the moment, the Mystics sponsor Baseball, Softball, M/W Basketball, M/W Cross Country, M/W Track & Field, and Women’s Volleyball which will transfer over to the NAIA quite smoothly. They are also working to get Men’s & Women’s Wrestling programs back off the mat and return to competition by 2025.
In addition to these programs, the school also offers Coed competition in Clay Dusters and Esports as well as Men’s & Women’s Rodeo, which is an excellent regional and cultural fit for the Frontier.
The other elephant in the room is Football.
Bismarck State is a step ahead of many schools as they already have an active football stadium on campus with the Mary Marauders as the primary tenant.
AD Myron Schulz has deep roots in the local football culture as he grew up in Bismarck as well as enrolling at BSC out of high school, which did sponsor football at that time. He was a part of the inaugural coaching staff at Mary in 1988 and became their Head Coach in 1999 where he remained through 2013. He remained at Mary until 2021 as director of their Sports and Leisure Management program before returning to Bismarck State in 2021. It is rare to see someone so connected to one community from childhood through their professional life in this field, and it does make for a great story.
To bring football back to the school would open the door to the Frontier hitting the 12-team threshold without further full-member additions. This has to be right near the top of the conference’s priorities with the only question being how quickly the school could hit the field.
The sponsorship of Softball is the second key item.
At this time, Bismarck would represent the 4th Softball program in the conference as of the 2025/26 school year, with Rocky Mountain College likely to become the 5th should they announce a program of their own once their ballpark renovations are complete.
A sixth program would be needed for an AQ bid, and of the Montana-based public institutions, Montana Tech is the logical candidate there.
The addition of Bismarck State would stretch the footprint of the Frontier eastward, but the school could also play an important role in the growth of the conference.
Although the enrollment cliff looms, recent investment within the conference along with their market position bodes well for the future.