After being left at the altar by the Ohio Valley Conference on Wednesday, officials at the University of North Alabama are seeking an alternate plan in the school’s attempt to move from NCAA Division II to Division I.

OVC officials informed UNA and Northern Kentucky University they have shelved expansion plans for “the near future,” creating an air of uncertainty for the schools’ future athletic home.

UNA officials vow to continue exploring their Division I options despite being caught off guard by the OVC decision. Athletic Director Mark Linder, however, admitted there were no alternate plans to the OVC bid.

According to NCAA bylaws, institutions are prohibited from joining Division I without a conference invitation in hand.

Belmont was accepted to the OVC in May and will begin competition in 2012.

“We felt the OVC was a great fit for UNA,” Linder said. “From the other institutions to the geography, it was the best fit.”

Steve Pierce, UNA board of trustees president pro tem, a staunch proponent of taking the Lions to Division I, said that remains the plan despite the outcome of the OVC vote.

Pierce said UNA officials need to regroup and evaluate other options. He said the athletic subcommittee that has been studying the move to Division I likely will meet soon to determine how to proceed.

“This is certainly disappointing, but it can be overcome for sure,” Pierce said. “This is not over by any means. It’s a roadblock, but we’re not going to give up on it. I am of the belief that this is the best thing for the university and our community, and that will continue to be my belief.”

Pierce said he and others at UNA viewed the Ohio Valley Conference as the best fit, but “there’s nothing in our resolution that says it has to be the OVC.”

“We have other options we need to explore like the (Southland Conference) or we could stay in the Gulf South Conference until something else develops,” he said. “Our future, in my opinion, is still in Division I.”

The two closest Football Championship Subdivision conferences are the Southland and Southern conferences. The Southland is based largely in Louisiana and Texas and has eight football-playing members, including former UNA rivals Central Arkansas and Nicholls State.

The Southern Conference consists of 12 teams scattered throughout Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia. Current members are Appalachian State, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Davidson, Elon, Furman, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro, Samford, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Wofford.

Despite the setback, Linder said UNA would proceed with its plans to make the transition to Division I.

“I told our staff that I have two thoughts on it,” he said. “No. 1 is that the resolution from our board of trustees has not changed. We’re going to work every day to honor that resolution.

“The other thing is that in athletics we’re used to dealing with adversity. Coaches draw up game plans and sometimes those plans don’t work. What you do then is regroup at halftime and make adjustments, and that’s where we are with this.

“In athletics and in life, things don’t always go your way, but that doesn’t mean you give up. I’m not a quitter. If we were to just give up on this then it goes against everything we believe in.”

Linder said it is too early to speculate on which conference UNA might approach about joining.

“Right now, we just have to get to that halftime,” he said. “With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, it will be a good time for our team to pull together and take a deep breath. Then we will regroup and come up with a plan.”

According to a published report in the Cincinnati Enquirer and other sources with knowledge of the decision, eight of 11 OVC presidents voted to expand. Sources indicate the three dissenting votes were cast by Tennessee members.

OVC officials said nine votes are needed to approve expansion.

The vote stunned UNA officials. They said a recent site visit seemingly went well and the school provided answers last week to other questions OVC representatives asked.

The OVC office said it does not discuss schools that are not conference members, and in Wednesday’s news release simply acknowledged discussing potential members and having site visits.

The Cincinnati Enquirer quoted Northern Kentucky President Jim Votruba saying those who voted against expanding were concerned about upsetting the competitive balance in the conference.

“They talk about balance being an OVC principle,” Votruba told the Enquirer. “That was threatening, I think, to some of the universities.”

Northern Kentucky does not have a football team but its basketball teams play in a three-year-old, on-campus arena that seats 10,000.

Linder said he found out about the decision late Wednesday afternoon in a meeting with university President William Cale.

“I was surprised,” Linder said. “We had been in contact with the OVC quite a bit and there was no indication this would happen. I certainly did not pick up on any concerns in my talks with them.

“It sounds like it just came down to them making the decision not to expand. We certainly believed they would be expanding and that was an assumption made by a lot of people.”

Linder said UNA’s fundraising efforts to finance the Division I move will continue as planned.

“Nothing in the resolution from the board of trustees has changed,” Linder said. “The resolution does not state that we must secure an invitation to join the OVC. Is this a hurdle for us? Yes. But our intent remains the same. Nothing has changed except for where and when we might land.”

Pierce said membership to the OVC “could still work out,” but he agrees the university must proceed with its plan to move to Division I.

UNA’s plans were to have everything in place by the spring to proceed with the move and inform the Gulf South Conference of its departure. The GSC requires one year’s notice to leave without financial penalty. UNA would be required to give that notice by late May.

“We will have to look at the time frame,” Linder said. “That only gives us six months and that might be pushing it.”

Pierce said the most difficult part of moving to Division I has been accomplished. He said momentum continues to build in the community as well as financial commitments, which he said has surpassed the goal of $500,000 a year for six years. He said athletic officials already have a good idea of what two sports would be added, if the move to Division I is completed.

“There are still some naysayers out there, but the community has embraced this now and the students have a wonderful attitude of ‘the decision has been made, so let’s move it forward,’ ” Pierce said. “We’re ready to go; we just need a place to go.”

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at 256-740-5748 or gregg.dewalt@TimesDaily.com.

Jeff McIntyre can be reached at 256-740-5737 or jeff.mcintyre@TimesDaily.com.