TAHLEQUAH — By Kenton Brooks

Phoenix Sports Writer

TAHLEQUAH — After weeks of speculation, Northeastern State University officially accepted an invitation Thursday to join the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

Jeff Konya, the NSU athletic director, said the official date when the school will join the new league, a Division II conference that’s existed since 1912, has not been determined.

“It could be as early as 2011 and late as 2012, depending on what sports fill their scheduling cycle,” Konya said. “We have a lot of things to work out on that front.”

NSU, though, will continue to compete in the Lone Star Conference for the upcoming school year. Fellow LSC member Central Oklahoma also accepted an invitation to the MIAA on Thursday.

NSU’s invitation and acceptance comes just days before it had to inform the LSC it was not going to remain in the league. That had to be done by Sunday. If NSU notified the LSC after that date, it would not be able to join the MIAA until the summer of 2013 or would have to pay a financial penalty for leaving early, according to LSC membership policy.

“While we came down to the wire, we felt it was necessary to stay within those guidelines with the Lone Star Conference and work in a time for the MIAA institutions,” Konya said. “We want to work with the (LSC) on an exit strategy and, where we can, together on an acceptable timetable.”

Konya said the LSC was not upset about NSU leaving. NSU joined the LSC in 1995.

“Everybody in this business knows you have to do right by your own institutions first and foremost,” he said. “While there may have been a sense of disappointment the league was going in a different direction, there’s at the same time support for an institution to do what is in their own best interest.”

Earlier this month, LSC members East Central, Southwestern Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma announced they were going to be leaving the league and their last date will be June 2012.

One factor that drew NSU to the MIAA is the geographical proximity of its schools, particularly Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State.

“They’re really in our backyard and close to where we sit in our campus in Tahlequah,” Konya said. “While the distance looks similar to some the institutions we had in the Lone Star Conference, it’s much safer travel for our student-athletes and easier travel for our fans to get to these games.”

The MIAA, though, has a strong conference with national champions Northwest Missouri State in football and Emporia State in women’s basketball playing in the league.

Emporia also beat NSU for the South Central Regional Championship in March. NSU coach Randy Gipson doesn’t see the competitive level dropping off in the new league.

“It’s hard to talk about something that’s two years out,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of time to go before we make the transition into one of the great Division II conferences in the country. In this region, we’re in the other one.

“I can appreciate why our administrator s think it’ll be a good fit for us. We’re a proud member of the Lone Star for two years and will be a proud member of the MIAA...whenever it’s official.”

Meanwhile, Konya  said a committee also has been formed at NSU “to look at everything from facility upgrades to Title  IX considerations and addition of more sports programs.”