JOHNSTOWN — The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown provided a lesson in geography on Tuesday.

History and a sense of good timing also were on display during a crowded news conference at the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame room in the Sports Center.

All of those elements were part of the official announcement that UPJ and Seton Hill University in Greensburg will join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

“It’s the footprint of our college,” UPJ Athletic Director Pat Pecora said.

“Geographically you’re talking about being with IUP, Slippery Rock and Clarion, schools that are so close.

“Even brand and name recognition is going to be great for our fans. They grew up with these schools. Ninety percent of our student-athletes are from Pennsylvania.

“You definitely have more of a fan awareness from student-athletes, students at the college and the community.”

UPJ had to explore its options when the nine football-playing members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) abruptly announced in June that they would form a new conference. UPJ doesn’t have a football team, which left the Mountain Cats in limbo after six seasons in the WVIAC.

“Given the recent announcement of several schools planning to leave the WVIAC after this year, we felt the time was right to consider Pitt-Johns­town and Seton Hill as full-time members,” PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray said.

“Our board of directors was unanimous in its support for adding both schools. This addition will strengthen us as a conference and within the region.

“It will open up more scheduling and competition opportunities while staying within the NCAA Division II regional-based competition model.”

The PSAC currently has 16 full-time members and fields divisions in the Eastern and Western regions of the state. UPJ and Seton Hill will increase that number to 18 schools, and both likely will be in the Western Division with natural regional rivals such as IUP, California (Pa.), Slippery Rock and Clarion.

“Geography is the biggest thing,” Murray said. “In Division II you’re always looking for geography for scheduling. In the southwest corner with IUP and California so close, it helps with that. The Western Division is a pretty compact division. The travel for that is going to be phenomenal.”

Former UPJ Athletic Director Ed Sherlock was pleased by the move to the PSAC. Sherlock helped UPJ enter the NCAA Division II nearly four decades ago and always believed the PSAC was a great fit for UPJ during his tenure. But the Mountain Cats’ lack of a football program had been an obstacle in past informal discussions.

UPJ previously had been part of the Mason-Dixon Athletic Conference and Mid-East Conference, but each of those conferences eventually dissolved, leaving the UPJ program as an independent.

Independent programs often face scheduling difficulties and have a harder time earning playoff berths because conferences have automatic postseason bids, leaving fewer at-large berths.

The WVIAC alleviated some of those challenges for six years.

Now, the PSAC will fill a void and bring UPJ’s athletic teams closer to home.

“It’s a milestone for the program,” Sherlock said. “It’s like watching your kid grow up. It’s like going to graduation. You’ve come through all the phases and now we’ve been validated by being admitted into the conference.”

Clyde Horner had a hall of fame coaching career at UPJ in men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and track. Horner lauded the move to the PSAC and said he “wished it would have happened 30 years ago.”

“This is something I felt all along was going to happen eventually given the proximity of the schools and the fact that we had played each other over the years in various sports,” Horner said. “There are going to be some of our programs that are a little behind (their PSAC counterparts), and others will be the same, and some will be ahead. I think we’ll fit in really well.”

Pecora, who has won two national championships as UPJ’s wrestling coach, agreed.

“This is a big day,” Pecora said. “In this day and age of collegiate sports, proper conference alignment is critical to the success of any athletic program. Being accepted into the PSAC is a huge step in the progression of Pitt-Johnstown athletics. Huge. We’re excited and we’re ready.”

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