American Southwest Conference

The American Southwest Conference (ASC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference, founded in 1996, whose member schools compete in the NCAA's Division III. All member schools are located in the state of Texas. The conference competes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.

The American Southwest Conference operates from the same headquarters complex in the Dallas suburb of Richardson as the Lone Star Conference of NCAA Division II.

History

The American Southwest Conference was announced in May 1996. The new league included some former members of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA). Founding members of the ASC were Howard Payne University, Austin College, Hardin–Simmons University, McMurry University, Mississippi College, Sul Ross State University, the University of Dallas and the University of the Ozarks.

The expansion soon began as the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor joined the ASC in 1997; followed by East Texas Baptist University, LeTourneau University, Schreiner University and the University of Texas at Dallas in 1998; then Concordia University Texas in 1999, and finally Louisiana Christian University, then known as Louisiana College, and Texas Lutheran University in 2000.

The University of Dallas was a member of the ASC until the end of the 2000–01 season to become a Independent; and Austin College withdrew the ASC in the 2005–06 season to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). The University of Texas at Tyler began athletics in 2002 and became a member in 2003, but as a provisional member of the NCAA, was ineligible to participate in ASC or NCAA postseason tournaments until 2007. Centenary College of Louisiana joined the conference in 2011, after completing their transition from Division I to Division III, but almost immediately announced its departure for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recently, however, several schools have announced plans to leave the conference in favor of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which lost seven of its members at the end of the 2011–12 school year. Centenary<ref>Members leave ASC for SCAC Template:Webarchive</ref> departed at the end of the 2011–12 season after joining the ASC in that same season; Schreiner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Texas Lutheran<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> left at the end of the 2012–13 season.

In 2012, McMurry left the ASC and completed the process of reclassifying to a full-scholarship, Division II institution and joined the Heartland Conference.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, Mississippi College announced that it would be also leaving the conference and reclassifying to Division II in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mississippi College will rejoin the Gulf South Conference, a league that it had been a member of until 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The departures of McMurry, Texas Lutheran and Mississippi College will leave the conference with only six football playing members, below the minimum seven participating schools required to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA football playoffs. The conference has not announced a plan to maintain its automatic bid.

ASC officials announced on March 13, 2014, the forthcoming addition of McMurry University and Belhaven University to its membership.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> McMurry will rejoin the ASC after a two-year stint in the Division II level, competing as a member of the Heartland Conference; while Belhaven is scheduled to join the ASC as a provisional member in 2015.

On December 3, 2015, ASC officials reported that Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University would join the conference for football in 2017 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as football-only members. Both schools are members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, but the conference only had four remaining schools competing in football. Two other SCAC schools. Austin College and Trinity University (Texas), announced they would play football in the Southern Athletic Association beginning with the 2017 season. The SCAC dropped football as a conference sport after the 2016 season.

In July 2018, the NCAA approved UT Tyler's application to begin a transition to NCAA Division II effective with the 2019–20 school year. Accordingly, UT Tyler left the ASC at the end of the 2018–19 school year. While the school did not immediately announce its future affiliation, it stated that it expected to join the Lone Star Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The following month, UT Tyler was officially unveiled as an incoming LSC member.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In July 2020, Louisiana College announced that it would leave the NCAA and applied to rejoin the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics after the 2020–21 school year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

More changes in the ASC membership were announced August 13, 2020, when Austin reported it would return to the conference as a football-only affiliate beginning with the 2021 season, committing to at least four years as an affiliate,<ref name="Austin College Athletics">Template:Cite web</ref> then on August 19, 2021, Southwestern University announced its football program will move to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) to start the 2023 season as an affiliate member.<ref>SOUTHWESTERN FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES MOVE TO SAA IN FALL OF 2023 - Southwestern University</ref> and on November 26, 2021, when the USA South Athletic Conference initially named Belhaven as its newest member in the 2022–23 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, on February 18, 2022, Belhaven was announced as an inaugural member of the new Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) following a geographical split in the USA South, where the Blazers will remain as football associate members.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On November 1, 2022, McMurry University announced that it will leave the ASC in the fall of 2024 to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> While on February 1, 2023, Sul Ross State University announced that it will leave the ASC in the fall of 2024 to join the Lone Star Conference into Division II.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Additionally on May 15, 2023, the SCAC announced it would also be accepting Concordia and University of the Ozarks as members for the 2024–25 school year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The rapid loss of members continued, with UT Dallas announcing their intent to transition to Division II and follow fellow conference member Sul Ross State to the Lone Star Conference on July 20, 2023 and LeTourneau announcing that they would be following McMurry, Concordia, and Ozarks to the SCAC on April 25, 2024, with both changes occurring for the 2025–26 school year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> If no more schools join the ASC, the conference will be down to four schools, below the minimum required to qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA championships for those sports with 100% participation.

David Flores was named the new commissioner of the American Southwest Conference on June 21, 2023, replacing the long-time commissioner, Amy Carlton.<ref name="Flores">Template:Cite web</ref>

Recently, on March 18, 2025, the ASC announced a ten-year agreement that ensures the stability, strength, and growth of the conference (with the return of McMurry University and Schreiner University, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, thus bringing back to six members) to solidify and pave the way for an exciting new chapter in its storied history.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Chronological timeline

• 1996 – In May 1996, the American Southwest Conference (ASC) was founded. Charter members included Austin College, Hardin–Simmons University, Howard Payne University, McMurry University, Mississippi College, Sul Ross State University, the University of Dallas and the University of the Ozarks, beginning the 1996–97 academic year.
• 1997 – The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor joined the ASC in the 1997–98 academic year.
• 1998:
  • East Texas Baptist University, LeTourneau University, Schreiner University and the University of Texas at Dallas joined the ASC in the 1998–99 academic year.
  • Also at that time, Texas Lutheran University joined the ASC as an affiliate member for football.
• 1999 – Concordia University Texas joined the ASC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
• 2000 – Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) joined the ASC, along with Texas Lutheran upgrading to full membership for all sports, in the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2001 – U. of Dallas left the ASC to become a Division III Independent after the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2003 – The University of Texas at Tyler joined the ASC in the 2003–04 academic year.
• 2006 – Austin College left the ASC to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after the 2005–06 academic year.
• 2011 – Centenary College of Louisiana joined the ASC in the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – Two institutions left the ASC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2011–12 academic year:
  • Centenary (La.) to join the SCAC
  • and McMurry to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Heartland Conference
• 2013:
  • Schreiner and Texas Lutheran left the ASC to join the SCAC after the 2012–13 academic year.
  • The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) joined the ASC as an associate member for women's golf in the 2014 spring season (2013–14 academic year).
• 2014:
  • Mississippi College left the ASC to reclassify in the NCAA Division II ranks and the Gulf South Conference (GSC) after the 2013–14 academic year.
  • McMurry rejoined the ASC (therefore it withdrew from Division II to return to Division III) in the 2014–15 academic year.
• 2015 – Belhaven University joined the ASC in the 2015–16 academic year.
• 2017 – Southwestern University joined the ASC as an associate member for football (with Texas Lutheran rejoining back for football) in the 2017 fall season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2019 – UT Tyler left the ASC to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Lone Star Conference (LSC) after the 2018–19 academic year.
• 2021:
  • Louisiana College left the ASC to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) after the 2020–21 academic year.
  • Austin College returned to the ASC as an associate member for football in the 2021 fall season (2021–22 academic year).
• 2022 – Belhaven left the ASC to join the USA South Athletic Conference (USA South) as an affiliate member for football in the 2022–23 academic year. It was initially slated to join the USA South for all sports, but before this move took effect, the USA South amicably had split into two conferences. Instead, Belhaven became a full member of the newly formed Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS).
• 2023 – Southwestern (Tex.) left the ASC as an associate member for football to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) for that sport after the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year).
• 2024:
  • Four institutions left the ASC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
    • McMurry, Concordia (Tex.) and the U. of the Ozarks to join the SCAC
    • and Sul Ross State to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the LSC.
  • Austin College and Texas Lutheran left the ASC as associate members for football to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) for that sport after the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year).
• 2025 – Two institutions left the ASC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year:
  • UT Dallas to join the LSC
  • and LeTourneau to join the SCAC
• 2026 – McMurry and Schreiner will both rejoin the ASC, beginning the 2026–27 academic year; with McMurry rejoining the ASC for a second time.

Member schools

Current members

The ASC currently has four full members, all are private schools:

Institution	Location (population)<ref>US Census via Google</ref>	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	U.S. News ranking <ref name="Rankings">Rankings Template:Webarchive</ref>	Endowment <ref name="Rankings"/>	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	Mascot	Football?
East Texas Baptist University	Marshall, Texas (24,751)	1912	Baptist	1,771	19 (Regional College: West)	$58,780,000	Tigers	1998	Toby	Yes
Hardin–Simmons University	Abilene, Texas (118,887)	1891	Baptist	2,333	39 (Regional: West)	$120,430,000	Cowboys & Cowgirls	1996	Hoss	Yes
Howard Payne University	Brownwood, Texas (18,972)	1889	Baptist	1,400	14 (Regional College: West)	$45,700,000	Yellow Jackets	1996	Buzzsaw	Yes
University of Mary Hardin–Baylor	Belton, Texas (19,409)	1845	Baptist	2,713	54 (Regional: West)	$59,500,000	Crusaders	1997	CRUnk the Sader	Yes

Notes

Future members

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoiningTemplate:Efn	Current conference
McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	1923	United Methodist	1,430	War Hawks	2026Template:Efn	Southern (SCAC)
Schreiner University	Kerrville, Texas	1923	Presbyterian	1,117	Mountaineers	2026Template:Efn

Notes

Affiliate members

The ASC currently has one affiliate member, a public school.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	Current conference	ASC sport
University of California, Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz, California	1965	Public	18,783	Banana Slugs	2013	Coast to Coast (C2C)	women's golf

Notes

Former members

The ASC has fifteen former full members, all but two were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	LeftTemplate:Efn	Current conference	Football?
Austin College	Sherman, Texas	1849	Presbyterian	1,320	Kangaroos	1996	2006	Southern (SCAC)	YesTemplate:Efn
Belhaven University	Jackson, Mississippi	1883	Presbyterian	3,245	Blazers	2015	2022	C.C. of the South (CCS)	Yes
Centenary College of Louisiana	Shreveport, Louisiana	1825	United Methodist	787	Gentlemen Template:Small Ladies Template:Small	2011	2012	Southern (SCAC)	NoTemplate:Efn
Concordia University Texas	Austin, Texas	1926	Lutheran (LCMS)	1,200	Tornados	1999	2024	Southern (SCAC)	No
University of Dallas	Irving, Texas	1956	Catholic	2,977	Crusaders	1996	2001	Southern (SCAC)	No
LeTourneau University	Longview, Texas	1946	Interdenominational	3,758	Yellowjackets	1998	2025	Southern (SCAC)	No
Louisiana Christian UniversityTemplate:Efn	Pineville, Louisiana	1906	Baptist	1,265	Wildcats & Lady Wildcats	2000	2021	Red River (RRAC)Template:Efn	Yes
McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	1923	United Methodist	1,430	War Hawks	1996; 2014Template:Efn	2012; 2024	Southern (SCAC)	Yes
Mississippi College	Clinton, Mississippi	1826	Baptist	4,162	Choctaws	1996	2014	Gulf South (GSC)Template:Efn	Yes
Template:Sort	Clarksville, Arkansas	1834	Presbyterian	630	Eagles	1996	2024	Southern (SCAC)	No
Schreiner University	Kerrville, Texas	1923	Presbyterian	1,117	Mountaineers	1998	2013	Southern (SCAC)	No
Sul Ross State University	Alpine, Texas	1917	PublicTemplate:Efn	2,070	Lobos	1996	2024	Lone Star (LSC)Template:Efn	Yes
Texas Lutheran University	Seguin, Texas	1891	Lutheran (ELCA)	1,400	Bulldogs	2000	2013	Southern (SCAC)	YesTemplate:Efn
University of Texas at Dallas	Richardson, Texas	1961	PublicTemplate:Efn	31,570	Comets	1998	2025	Lone Star (LSC)Template:Efn	No
University of Texas at Tyler	Tyler, Texas	1971	PublicTemplate:Efn	5,326	Patriots	2002	2019	Lone Star (LSC)Template:Efn	No

Notes

Former affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	LeftTemplate:Efn	Current conference	ASC sport
Austin College	Sherman, Texas	1849	Presbyterian	1,278	'Roos	2021Template:Efn	2024	Southern (SCAC)	football
Southwestern University	Georgetown, Texas	1840	United Methodist	1,536	Pirates	2017	2023	Southern (SAA)	football
Texas Lutheran University	Seguin, Texas	1891	Lutheran (ELCA)	1,400	Bulldogs	1998	2000	Southern (SCAC)	football
						2017Template:Efn	2024

Notes

Membership timeline

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         id:line value:black
         id:bg value:white
         id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
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 bar:1  color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2021  text:SCAC
 bar:1  shift:(-60) color:AssocF from:2021 till:2024  text:SCAC (ASC fb. 2021–2024)
 bar:1  color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:2  color:FullxF from:1996 till:2001  text:Dallas (1996–2001)
 bar:2  color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2011  text:Independent
 bar:2  color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:3  color:Full from:1996 till:end  text:Hardin–Simmons (1996–present)

 bar:4  color:Full from:1996 till:end  text:Howard Payne (1996–present)

 bar:5  color:Full from:1996 till:2012  text:McMurry (1996–2012)
 bar:5  color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2014  text:LSC
 bar:5  color:FullxF from:2014 till:2016  text:(2014–2024)
 bar:5  color:Full from:2016 till:2024
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 bar:7  color:FullxF from:1996 till:2024  text:University of the Ozarks (1996–2024)
 bar:7  color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:8  color:Full from:1996 till:2024  text:Sul Ross State (1996–2024)
 bar:8  color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end  text:LSC

 bar:9  color:FullxF from:1997 till:1998  text:Mary Hardin–Baylor (1997–present)
 bar:9  color:Full from:1998 till:end

 bar:10  color:FullxF from:1998 till:2000  text:East Texas Baptist (1998–present)
 bar:10  color:Full from:2000 till:end

 bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:end  text:LeTourneau (1998–2025)
 bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:12 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2013  text:Schreiner (1998–2013)
 bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2026  text:SCAC
 bar:12 color:Full from:2026 till:end  text:(2026–future)

 bar:13 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2025  text:UT Dallas (1998–2025)
 bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end  text:LSC

 bar:14 color:AssocF from:1998 till:2000  text:Texas Lutheran (1998–2000, fb.; 2000–2013, full)
 bar:14 color:Full from:2000 till:2013  text:
 bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2017  text:SCAC
 bar:14 color:AssocF from:2017 till:2024  text:SCAC (ASC fb. 2017–2024)
 bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:15 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2024  text:Concordia (Tex.) (1999–2024)
 bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:16 color:Full from:2000 till:2021  text:Louisiana College (2000–2021)
 bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:end  text:RRAC

 bar:17 color:FullxF from:2003 till:2019 text:UT Tyler (2003–2019)
 bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2019 till:end text:LSC

 bar:18 shift:(-110) color:FullxF from:2011 till:2012  text:Centenary (La.) (2011–2012)
 bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end  text:SCAC

 bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:end  text:UC Santa Cruz (2013–present)

 bar:20 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2017  text:Belhaven (2015–2022)
 bar:20 color:Full from:2017 till:2022  text:
 bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end  text:CCS

 bar:21 shift:(-10) color:AssocF from:2017 till:2023  text:Southwestern (Tex.) (2017–2023)
 bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:2025 text:SCAC (SAA fb.)
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Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total ASC Sports
ETBU	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	8
Hardin-Simmons	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	8
Howard Payne	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:N	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:N	6
UMHB	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:N	7
2025–26 Totals	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	2	29

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the ASC that are played by ASC schools

School	Bass Fishing	Clay Target Shooting	Esports	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field (Indoor)	Wrestling
ETBU	MLF	Template:N	Template:N	Independent	MCLA, LSA (DII)	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total ASC Sports
ETBU	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	8
Hardin-Simmons	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	8
Howard Payne	Template:Y	Template:N	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:N	Template:Y	6
UMHB	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:Y	Template:N	Template:Y	7
2025–26 Totals	4	3	4+1	4	4	4	2	4	29+1
UC Santa Cruz			Template:Y						1

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the ASC that are played by ASC schools

School	Acrobatics & Tumbling	Beach Volleyball	Clay Target Shooting	Esports	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field (Indoor)	Wrestling
ETBU	Independent	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N
UMHB	Independent	Independent	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N	Template:N

External links

• Template:Oweb