Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

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The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers Conference, and was temporarily named the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference in 1956 before being assuming its current name in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The conference's 17 full-time members include 16 based in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia. The conference's headquarters are in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and staffed by a commissioner, two assistant commissioners, and a director of media relations.

History

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education organized the conference in 1951 to promote competition in men's sports amongst the system's 14 universities.

In 1977, following growing interest, the conference was expanded to offer competition in women's sports. From its inception, each conference member selected its own competitive division within the NCAA (I, II, or III).

In 1980, however, the presidents voted to reclassify the entire conference to Division II within the NCAA.<ref name=overview>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:OSM Location map

Membership remained unchanged until the conference announced on June 18, 2007, that it had invited three private universities—Gannon University and Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania and C.W. Post of Brookville, New York—to join the conference.<ref name="postgazette">Template:Cite news</ref> Gannon and Mercyhurst left the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to join the PSAC, effective July 1, 2008.<ref name="accept">Template:Cite web</ref> C.W. Post became an associate member for football and field hockey.<ref name="trib">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2010, Seton Hill University was accepted to join the conference as an associate member for field hockey. With the transition of West Chester from Division I to Division II, the number of teams competing in field hockey increased from 10 to 12 for the 2011 season.<ref name="psacsports.org">Template:Cite web</ref>

On August 19, 2012, the PSAC announced that Seton Hill and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, formerly members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), would become full members beginning with the 2013–14 school year. This announcement was fallout from a split in the WVIAC that ultimately led to the formation of the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Although Seton Hill was one of the schools that initially broke away from the WVIAC, it chose not to join the MEC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The arrival of these two schools brought the PSAC to 18 full members, making it the largest NCAA all-sports conference in terms of membership at that time.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> While two other conferences briefly expanded to more members, the D-II Lone Star Conference to 19 in 2019–20 and the D-III USA South Athletic Conference to the same number in 2021–22, both have since reduced their memberships to less than 18, once again giving the PSAC the largest membership of any NCAA all-sports conference.Template:Efn Template:Efn

In March 2018, charter member Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, facing crises in enrollment, graduation rates, and finances, announced that it would leave NCAA Division II and the PSAC at the end of the 2017–18 school year. The school had dropped football in December 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Later that year, the conference announced that it would expand into West Virginia, bringing in Shepherd University from the MEC as a full member effective with the 2019–20 school year. Shepherd is the first full PSAC member outside of Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

As of April 4, 2024, Mercyhurst announced that it will leave the PSAC to transition to NCAA Division I and join the Northeast Conference, beginning the 2024–25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The PSAC responded on June 26, 2025 by extending an invitation to Lackawanna College to join as a full member, becoming the third-ever institution (and first football-sponsoring institution) to transition from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) directly into Division II.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Role in Division I conference realignment

The PSAC played a little-known but nonetheless significant role in the history of NCAA Division I conference realignment. In 1986, the conference was seeking a way out of a football scheduling conundrum. The PSAC had 14 members at the time, and had been split into divisions for decades. One of the methods it historically used to determine a football champion involved a championship game between the winners of its two divisions. However, due to NCAA limits on regular-season games, every PSAC team had to leave a schedule spot open, with only the two division winners getting to play all of their allowed regular-season games. Then-conference commissioner Tod Eberle asked Dick Yoder, then athletic director at West Chester and member of the Division II council, to draft NCAA legislation that would allow the PSAC to play a conference title game that would be exempt from regular-season limits. The initial draft required that a qualifying league have 14 members and play a round-robin schedule within each division; only the PSAC then qualified. Before Yoder formally introduced the proposal, he was approached by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which was interested in co-sponsoring the legislation because it was also split into football divisions and wanted the option of a championship game. Since the CIAA then had 12 members, Yoder changed the legislation to require 12 members instead of 14. Although at the time all NCAA legislation had to be approved by the entire membership, regardless of divisional alignment, the proposal passed with little notice. It was generally seen as a non-issue by Division I-A (now FBS) schools since no conference in that group then had more than 10 members. While the PSAC planned to stage its first exempt title game in 1988, it decided against doing so at that time because the D-II playoffs expanded from 8 to 16 teams that season, and it feared that the result of a title game could cost the league a playoff berth. The new NCAA rule would not see its first use until the Southeastern Conference took advantage of it by expanding to 12 members in 1991 and launching a title game the following year.

Chronological timeline

1951 – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) was founded as the State Teachers Conference of Pennsylvania (STCP). Charter members included Bloomsburg State Teachers College (now Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania), California State Teachers College (now Pennsylvania Western University California), Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), Clarion State Teachers College (now Pennsylvania Western University Clarion), East Stroudsburg State Teachers College (now East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania), Edinboro State Teachers College (now Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro), Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Kutztown State Teachers College (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania), Lock Haven State Teachers College (now Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania), Mansfield State Teachers College (now Mansfield University of Pennsylvania), Millersville State Teachers College (now Millersville University of Pennsylvania), Shippensburg State Teachers College (now Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania), Slippery Rock State Teachers College (now Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania) and West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University), beginning the 1951–52 academic year.
1956 – The STCP was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference (PSTCC) in the 1956–57 academic year.
1964 – The PSTCC was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in the 1964–65 academic year.
1980 – The PSAC had joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II ranks, transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), beginning the 1980–81 academic year.
2008:
- Gannon University and Mercyhurst University joined the PSAC in the 2008–09 academic year.
  - Long Island University–Post (LIU Post) joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey and football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
2011 – Seton Hill University joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in the 2011 fall season (2011–12 academic year).
2013:
- LIU Post left the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey and football after the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year).
- The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown joined the PSAC (along with Seton Hill for all sports) in the 2013–14 academic year.
2018 – Cheyney left the PSAC to become an independent school without an affiliation with any athletic conference or any college sports organization after the 2017–18 academic year.
2019 – Shepherd University joined the PSAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
2024:
- Mercyhurst left the PSAC to transition and join to the NCAA Division I ranks and the Northeast Conference (NEC) after the 2023–24 academic year.
- Frostburg State University joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in the 2024 fall season (2024–25 academic year).

Notes

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Member schools

Current members

The PSAC currently has 17 full members, all but two being public schools. Also, only three of the 15 public members are outside of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	Colors
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (Bloomsburg)	Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania	1839	PublicTemplate:Efn	7,206	Huskies	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (Lock Haven)	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania	1870	PublicTemplate:Efn	2,702	Bald Eagles	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (Mansfield)	Mansfield, Pennsylvania	1857	PublicTemplate:Efn	1,195	Mountaineers	1951	Template:College color boxes
East Stroudsburg University	East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania	1893	PublicTemplate:Efn	5,636	Warriors	1951	Template:College color boxes
Gannon University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1925	Catholic Template:Small	4,665	Golden Knights	2008	Template:College color boxes
Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana, Pennsylvania	1875	PublicTemplate:Efn	9,081	Crimson Hawks	1951	Template:College color boxes
Kutztown University	Kutztown, Pennsylvania	1866	PublicTemplate:Efn	7,468	Golden Bears	1951	Template:College color boxes
Millersville University	Millersville, Pennsylvania	1855	PublicTemplate:Efn	7,009	Marauders	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (California)	California, Pennsylvania	1852	PublicTemplate:Efn	2,717	Vulcans	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (Clarion)	Clarion, Pennsylvania	1867	PublicTemplate:Efn	1,743	Golden Eagles	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:SortTemplate:Efn (Edinboro)	Edinboro, Pennsylvania	1857	PublicTemplate:Efn	2,259	Fighting Scots	1951	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Johnstown, Pennsylvania	1927	Public (State-related)	1,809	Mountain Cats	2013	Template:College color boxes
Seton Hill UniversityTemplate:Efn	Greensburg, Pennsylvania	1883	Catholic Template:Small	1,989	Griffins	2013	Template:College color boxes
Shepherd University	Shepherdstown, West Virginia	1871	Public	3,339	Rams	2019	Template:Color box Template:Color box
Shippensburg University	Shippensburg, Pennsylvania	1871	PublicTemplate:Efn	5,165	Raiders	1951	Template:College color boxes
Slippery Rock University	Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania	1889	PublicTemplate:Efn	8,394	The Rock	1951	Template:College color boxes
West Chester UniversityTemplate:Efn	West Chester, Pennsylvania	1871	PublicTemplate:Efn	17,202	Golden Rams	1951	Template:College color boxes

Notes

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Future members

The PSAC will have one future full member, which will be a private school, yet a date will to be announced:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoiningTemplate:Efn	Colors	Current conference
Lackawanna College<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>	Scranton, Pennsylvania	1894	Nonsectarian	1,939	Falcons	TBA	Template:Color box Template:Color box	Eastern Pennsylvania (EPAC)Template:Efn Template:Small

Notes

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Affiliate members

The PSAC has three affiliate members, one public school and two private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	PSAC sport(s)	Primary conference
Chestnut Hill College	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1924	Catholic Template:Small	Griffins	2025	men's tennis	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Frostburg State University	Frostburg, Maryland	1898	Public	Bobcats	2024<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>	field hockey	Mountain East (MEC)
Thomas Jefferson University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1824	Nonsectarian	Rams	2025	men's tennis	Central Atlantic (CACC)

Notes

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Former members

The PSAC had two former full members, a public school and a private school:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	LeftTemplate:Efn	Colors	Current conference
Cheyney University	Cheyney, Pennsylvania	1837	PublicTemplate:Efn	642	Wolves	1951	2018	Template:College color boxes	Independent
Mercyhurst University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1926	Catholic	2,801	Lakers	2008	2024	Template:College color boxes	Northeast (NEC)Template:Efn

Notes

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Former affiliate members

The PSAC had one former affiliate member, which was also a private school:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Nickname	JoinedTemplate:Efn	LeftTemplate:Efn	PSAC sport(s)	Primary conference
Long Island University–Post	Brookville, New York	1954	Nonsectarian	Pioneers	2008	2013	Field hockey	Northeast (NEC)Template:Efn Template:Efn
Long Island University–Post	Brookville, New York	1954	Nonsectarian	Pioneers	2008	2013	Football	Northeast (NEC)Template:Efn Template:Efn

Note

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Membership timeline

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         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
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         id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
         id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
         id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

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bar:2 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:California (1951–present)

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bar:4 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Clarion (1951–present)

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bar:6 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Edinboro (1951–present)

bar:7 color:Full from:1951 till:1966 text:Indiana (1951–present)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1966 till:1974
bar:7 color:Full from:1974 till:end

bar:8 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Kutztown (1951–present)

bar:9 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Lock Haven (1951–present)

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bar:11 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Millersville (1951–present)

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bar:14 color:Full from:1951 till:1977 text:West Chester (1951–present)
bar:14 color:FullxF from:1977 till:1982
bar:14 color:Full from:1982 till:end

bar:15 color:Full from:2008 till:end text:Gannon (2008–present)

bar:16 color:Full from:2008 till:2024 text:Mercyhurst (2008–2024)

bar:17 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2013 text:LIU–Post (2008–2013)

bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2013 text:Seton Hill (2011–present)
bar:18 color:Full from:2013 till:end

bar:19 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Pitt–Johnstown (2013–present)

bar:20 color:Full from:2019 till:end text:Shepherd (2019–present)

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Sports

In wrestling; Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven compete as members of the Division I Mid-American Conference. The PSAC held an annual championship open to all Division I and Division II teams, however with the transition of all of the former members of the Eastern Wrestling League into the MAC starting in 2019 the Division I level PSAC programs will focus on Division I level competition. The PSAC offers championships in the following sports.<ref name=psac>Template:Cite web</ref>

A 2-divisional format is used for baseball, basketball (M / W), football, and tennis (W).

A 3-divisional format is used for softball.

A 4-divisional format is used for volleyball.

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Bloomsburg
East Stroudsburg
Kutztown
Lock Haven
Mansfield
Millersville
Shepherd
Shippensburg
West Chester

West