Lindenwood’s Division I Transition: What does Head Coach Kyle Gerdeman have to say?

Next steps for Lindenwood

While the Lions wait out the four-year post-season ban, they will get the lay of the land in the new look Ohio Valley Conference. Perennial powers Belmont and last season’s regular-season and tournament champion Murray State both exited this offseason for new conferences. Combine that with the departures of Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State, and you will notice how the conference landscape will be vastly different.

As mentioned, Lindenwood will rise alongside Southern Indiana, but the OVC will also add the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to completely shake up the landscape and change its amount of members from 12 to 10. From the coaches side of things, all the changes and the pressure of being a division I program might feel overwhelming, but Coach Gerdeman understands the importance of spending time with family to offset his job’s responsibilities.

Gracious with his time and a clear family man at heart, head coach Kyle Gerdeman will have his hands full, but with him at the helm, the Lions will have a chance to make history. For the university, alums, and current players, it is a once and a lifetime opportunity.

But if my time with Coach Gerdeman was any indication of the future of the program, expect the Lindenwood Lions to burst onto the division I scene and quickly thrust themselves into the conversation to be America’s Sweetheart come March. Located just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, with an enrollment around 7,000 undergraduate students, the Lions are a name to learn now, and their brand will only grow moving forward.