 "Photo: Mitchell Webson/echo staff photographer")
Five years ago when N.C. Central University decided to make the jump from division II CIAA conference to division I in hopes of joining the MEAC, many thought the Eagles would never make it.
But the athletic staff and student athletes rose to the challenge.
The Eagles final year in the CIAA, 2006, arguably may be its most successful as several teams won the CIAA championship highlighted by the football team which was also voted as the Black College National Champions.
The volleyball team won back to back CIAA titles in the 2005-06 season.
"My freshmen and sophomore year were my most memorable experiences here because we won back to back CIAA titles," said senior football player Gabriel Manns.
The community, students, athletes, and fans have had mixed reactions to the transition period.
Some students said they feel that it is good to see NCCU play bigger names. Others said they would like to have seen the school stay in the CIAA and win more games.
"The excitement of the CIAA games is what I miss because those games used to have so many people at them," said women's basketball player Latoya Bennett.
Student-athletes have welcomed the challenge of transitioning from division II to division I and some teams had instant success which is uncommon among schools in transition.
The volleyball team and football teams both accrued winning records in the fall of 2007.
"We transitioned well," said volleyball player Rachel Lloyd.
"We lost a couple of players the past couple of seasons so we had to rely on a lot of younger players but we still have done well."
Other teams have had a tougher time of adjusting to the level of competition as they face better opponents than they would have faced if the University had remained in the CIAA.
"Speed and size of the players at the division I level are better than the CIAA," said Manns.
"We play teams like Duke, App. State, and Liberty with great team speed," said Manns.
NCCU was accepted into the MEAC this past November. If the school passes its final process and becomes a full fledge member of the MEAC, it will be allowed to compete for championships again.
The original athletes that transitioned to division I should not be forgotten says some students.
"To me it is more important to be a pioneer than winning conference championships because 20-30 years later I can say I helped start this," said former NCCU basketball player and recent graduate Joshua Worthy.
Worthy also said that the NCCU athletic department is handling the transition well and that the program is excelling in ways that no one would have imagined.
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