Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports league
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), founded in 1962, is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas. Difficulties related to travel distances led seven former members to announce the formation of a new Southeastern US-based conference, the Southern Athletic Association, starting with the 2012–13 academic year.
Prior to 1991, the conference was known as the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The commissioner of the SCAC is Dwayne Hanberry. The chair of the Executive Committee of the SCAC for 2022–23 is L. Song Richardson, Colorado College president.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Recent events
On November 1, 2022, McMurry University will join as a full member in the fall of the 2024–25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On March 9, 2023, Trinity University and Southwestern University of Texas announced their departure from the SCAC, joining the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) beginning the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On May 15, 2023, the SCAC announced that Concordia University of Texas and the University of the Ozarks will join the conference, beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On November 24, 2023, Lyon College joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for football, beginning in the 2024 season of 2024–25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On April 26, 2024, the SCAC announced that LeTourneau University would join the conference, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On June 11, 2024, Hendrix College announced it would return to the SCAC, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On March 17, 2025, various outlets reported that McMurry University and Schreiner University would leave the SCAC for the American Southwest Conference (ASC) at the end of the 2025–26 academic year in exchange for a seven-figure sum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These reports were later confirmed by the ASC and SCAC the following day, on March 18th.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
Chronological timeline
- 1962 – On September 1, 1962, the SCAC was founded as the College Athletic Conference (CAC). Charter members included Centre College, Southwestern University at Memphis, The University of the South of Sewanee and Washington and Lee University, which later added Washington University in St. Louis during that same year; beginning the 1962–63 academic year.
- 1972 – Washington (Mo.) [a.k.a. WashU] left the CAC after the 1971–72 academic year.
- 1973 – Washington and Lee left the CAC after the 1972–73 academic year.
- 1974 – Principia College and Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology joined the CAC in the 1974–75 academic year.
- 1980 – Illinois College joined the CAC in the 1980–81 academic year.
- 1983 – Illinois College left the CAC after the 1982–83 academic year.
- 1983 – Fisk University joined the CAC in the 1983–84 academic year.
- 1984:
- Principia left the CAC after the 1983–84 academic year.
- Earlham College joined the CAC in the 1984–85 academic year.
- 1989:
- Two institutions left the CAC to join their future respective primary home conferences, both effective after the 1988–89 academic year:
- Earlham to join the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC)
- and Rose–Hulman to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC)
- Millsaps College and Trinity University of Texas joined the CAC in the 1989–90 academic year.
- Two institutions left the CAC to join their future respective primary home conferences, both effective after the 1988–89 academic year:
- 1990 – Oglethorpe University joined the CAC in the 1990–91 academic year.
- 1991:
- The CAC was re-designated as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), while women's programs became part of the SCAC, beginning in the 1991–92 academic year.
- Hendrix College joined the SCAC in the 1991–92 academic year.
- 1994:
- Fisk left the SCAC to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as an Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
- Southwestern University of Texas joined the SCAC in the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1998 – DePauw University joined the SCAC (with Rose–Hulman rejoining) in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 2006:
- Rose–Hulman left the SCAC again to rejoin the HCAC after the 2005–06 academic year.
- Austin College and Colorado College joined the SCAC in the 2006–07 academic year.
- Rose–Hulman left the SCAC again to rejoin the HCAC after the 2005–06 academic year.
- 2007 – Birmingham–Southern College joined the SCAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2011:
- DePauw left the SCAC to join the NCAC after the 2010–11 academic year.
- The University of Dallas joined the SCAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012:
- Centre, Rhodes, Sewanee, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Hendrix and Birmingham–Southern left the SCAC, to form the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), along with NCAA D-III Independent Berry College, all effective after the 2011–12 academic year.
- The Centenary College of Louisiana joined the SCAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2013:
- Schreiner University and Texas Lutheran joined the SCAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
- The University of California at Santa Cruz joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2014 – UC Santa Cruz left the SCAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving after the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2016 – McMurry University and the University of the Ozarks joined the SCAC as affiliate members for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2016–17 academic year.
- 2018 – The Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University joined the SCAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2019 – The University of St. Thomas joined the SCAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020 – Johnson & Wales–Denver left the SCAC after the 2019–20 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
- 2024:
- Concordia University of Texas, McMurry University and the University of the Ozarks joined the SCAC in the 2024–25 academic year.
- Lyon College joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for football in the 2024 season (2024–25 academic year).
- 2025:
- Trinity (Tex.) and Southwestern (Tex.) left the SCAC to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) after the 2024–25 academic year.
- LeTourneau University joined the SCAC (with Hendrix rejoining) in the 2025–26 academic year.
- 2026 – McMurry and Schreiner will leave the SCAC to rejoin the ASC after the 2025–26 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The SCAC currently has 12 full members, all are private schools:
- Notes
Affiliate members
The SCAC currently has one affiliate member, also a private school.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | SCAC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon College | Batesville, Arkansas | 1872 | Presbyterian Template:Small |
496 | Scots | 2024 | Football | St. Louis (SLIAC) |
- Notes
Former members
The SCAC had 18 former full members, all were private schools:
- Notes
Former affiliate members
The SCAC had three former affiliate members, all but one were private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | LeftTemplate:Efn | SCAC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McMurry University<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | Abilene, Texas | 1923 | United Methodist | 1,430 | War Hawks | 2014 | 2024 | Men's swimming & diving | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2014 | 2024 | Women's swimming & diving | |||||||
| University of the Ozarks<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | Clarksville, Arkansas | 1834 | Presbyterian | 630 | Eagles | 2016 | 2024 | Men's swimming & diving | Southern (SCAC) |
| 2016 | 2024 | Women's swimming & diving | |||||||
| University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC, UC Santa Cruz) |
Santa Cruz, California | 1965 | Public | 19,700 | Banana Slugs | 2013 | 2014 | Men's swimming & diving | Coast to Coast (C2C) |
| 2013 | 2014 | Women's swimming & diving |
- Notes
Membership timeline
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bar:18 color:Full from:2006 till:2009 text:Colorado College (2006–present) bar:18 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end
bar:19 color:Full from:2007 till:2012 text:Birmingham–Southern (2007–2012)
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:Dallas (2011–present)
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2024 text:Centenary (La.) (2012–present) bar:21 color:Full from:2024 till:end
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bar:28 color:FullxF from:2019 till:end text:St. Thomas (2019–present)
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Concordia (Tex.) (2024–present)
bar:30 color:AssocF from:2024 till:end text:Lyon (2024–present)
bar:31 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:LeTourneau (2025–future)
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Conference overview
Prior to the 2012 conference split, the SCAC fielded competition in baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, outdoor track and field and volleyball. With membership greatly reduced and in flux, some of these sports (field hockey, women's lacrosse) no longer have enough participants (zero and two, respectively) to allow the conference to sponsor them. In addition, after struggling with only four football playing schools for several seasons, the conference in November 2015 announced football would be discontinued as a conference sport effective the 2017–18 school year, with football playing institutions affiliating with either the American Southwest Conference<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or the Southern Athletic Association.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> On July 21, 2018, the conference announced that men's and women's lacrosse would once again be offered as conference sports, and made a commitment to holding an eSports championship in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> With only four schools fielding women's lacrosse teams, and five men's, the conference champions will not qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
Unlike many Division III conferences, where geography is the primary determining factor for membership, the SCAC is made up of private institutions where the primary focus is on academics; the New England Small College Athletic Conference and University Athletic Association are other athletic associations with similar academic emphasis. Almost all members sport Phi Beta Kappa chapters. Member schools are prominently featured in annual "Best College" rankings; admissions are highly selective.
In an unusual move for the conference, Colorado College, which offers two Division I (scholarship) sports, was accepted as a member beginning in the 2006–07 season. It is the only SCAC school to offer any sort of scholarship athletics, though the Division I programs—namely men's ice hockey and women's soccer—do not compete in the SCAC. (The conference does not sponsor ice hockey for either men or women.)
The conference had previously announced its desire to expand to a total of twelve members, which would ease scheduling issues and allow the conference to divide into eastern and western divisions spread across the southern US. On May 26, 2006, Birmingham-Southern College, one of the smallest Division I schools in the country, announced its intentions to drop scholarship athletics and join the SCAC. This is a multi-year process subject to final approval by the NCAA. The SCAC approved BSC's application, pending NCAA approval, on June 8, 2006.
Due to the unusual (for Division III) distances between member institutions, travel costs and durations must be factored into any decision to join the conference. Rose–Hulman cited these factors as reasons for leaving the conference when it rejoined the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2006–07. Austin College readily took RHIT's place, moving from the American Southwest Conference before the 2006–07 season.
On June 9, 2010, DePauw University announced that it was departing the SCAC for the North Coast Athletic Conference. Like Rose-Hulman, DePauw cited "a less strenuous and more environmentally friendly travel regimen for our teams." DePauw became a member of the NCAC for the 2011–12 season except for football, which will join for the 2012 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On September 22, 2010, the University of Dallas announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the SCAC at the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The May 10, 2011 issue of the DePauw college newspaper, The DePauw, reported that four schools (Centre, Sewanee, Hendrix, and Rhodes) were considering leaving the conference at the end of the 2011–2012 school year, ostensibly due to travel issues and issues relating to the conference splitting into two divisions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As the two reasons were somewhat exclusive (e.g. divisions would reduce overall travel), and other regional conferences would offer similar issues, it remained to be seen at that time what the schools planned in a post-SCAC world.
After the conclusion of the June 7, 2011 SCAC Presidents' meeting, the conference announced that seven of the twelve schools would be leaving to form a new, more compact conference based in the Southeastern US. This transition was effective at the conclusion of the 2011–12 academic year. The schools departing include founding SCAC [CAC] members Centre, Sewanee, and Rhodes, in addition to Birmingham-Southern, Hendrix, Millsaps, and Oglethorpe. Berry College will also join the newly formed Southern Athletic Association.
The SCAC intends to remain a viable entity, enlisting other schools which subscribe to the SCAC charter. Commissioner D. Dwayne Hanberry will remain with the conference to oversee that effort, which will be complicated by the paucity of unaffiliated Division III schools in the SCAC's new region of Texas and Colorado.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Reflecting that challenge, the conference has sought new members from the American Southwest Conference, whose geographical footprint is similar to that of the "new" SCAC. On September 28, 2011, Centenary College of Louisiana announced it would join the SCAC beginning in the 2012–13 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two more ASC schools joined the SCAC for the 2013–14 season: Schreiner University announced their decision on January 23, 2012,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and on February 16, 2012, Texas Lutheran University announced it too would join the SCAC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Football was no longer be sponsored by the SCAC as of the 2017–18 school year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The conference had four schools playing in 2015 and 2016: Texas Lutheran University, Austin College, Southwestern University and Trinity University. Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University will play football as affiliates in the ASC, while Austin College and Trinity University will be affiliates of the Southern Athletic Association.
A much-needed travel partner for isolated Colorado College will join the conference in 2018. On February 21, 2017, the conference announced that the Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University would join the conference as it transitions from the NAIA to NCAA Division III, after the school's "exploratory year" in 2017–18. It is expected that the school will not be eligible for conference championships or NCAA playoff bids until the transition to Division III is complete, per typical NCAA practice. The conference has already announced plans to pursue a tenth institution to better balance travel and scheduling requirements.<ref name="J&Wjoins">Template:Cite journal</ref>
On February 14, 2018, the University of St. Thomas - Houston announced it would become the SCAC's 10th member after completing an exploratory year in Division III. SCAC competition would begin in the 2019–2020 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On June 25, 2020, Johnson & Wales University announced that it would close its Denver campus at the end of the 2020–21 school year due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and would accept no new students at that campus effective immediately. The following day, the Denver athletic program was shut down.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
On October 31, 2022, the conference announced that McMurry University, currently an affiliate in Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving, will join the conference as a full member starting with the 2024–25 season, becoming the latest school to leave the American Southwest Conference for the SCAC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As McMurry offers football, there was speculation that the conference might once again sponsor the sport; two days later, the conference announced it would reinstate football in 2024 as long as at least four members agree to participate in SCAC play. Austin, Southwestern, Texas Lutheran, and Trinity all are affiliated with other conferences for football and will have to complete any commitments before returning to the SCAC; in addition to McMurry, Centenary and Schreiner have nascent programs which could be ready to compete by 2024. Finally the SCAC also announced that Lyon College will join as an associate for football only in 2024. The conference expects Lyon, Austin, Centenary, and McMurry at a minimum in 2024 with the other schools having until 2026 to return to SCAC play.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The conference's football champion will not earn an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs until the first year six teams participate in SCAC competition.
On March 9, 2023, the conference's plans to restart football were somewhat complicated by the announcement that Trinity and Southwestern would leave the SCAC in favor of the Southern Athletic Association with the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. While the conference will retain enough football-playing schools to receive an automatic bid (if and only the remaining six teams meet their commitments to play football at that time), it may give the conference reason to join forces with the American Southwest Conference, which by that time will only have four schools participating in the sport and thus lack the minimum number of teams to receive an automatic playoff bid.
Sports
| A divisional format was used for baseball, basketball (M / W), softball, and volleyball (W), until after the 2024–25 school year. | |
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The SCAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:
President's Trophy
Each year, the "President's Trophy," a 300-pound railroad bell, is awarded to the school with the best overall sports record. Teams are awarded points for their final position in each sport; the school with the most points is declared the winner. For the 2021–22 school year, the President's Trophy was awarded to Trinity University for the 22nd time, and eleventh-straight season, both conference records. The 174.5-point margin of victory (over second-place Southwestern) was the third-largest in conference history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
NCAA national championship teams and individuals
SCAC members have won a total of ten NCAA team championships and 35 individual championships.
Team champions:
- 1999–00: Men's Tennis (Trinity); Women's Tennis (Trinity)
- 2002–03: Women's Basketball (Trinity), Men's Soccer (Trinity)
- 2006–07: Women's Basketball (DePauw)
- 2008–09: Men's Golf (Oglethorpe)
- 2011–12: Men's Golf (Oglethorpe)
- 2013–14: Men's Golf (Schreiner)
- 2015-16: Men's Baseball (Trinity)
- 2018-19: Women's Softball (Texas Lutheran)
Individual champions:
- 1979–80: Men's 400 IM (Chris Fugman, Centre)
- 1981-82: Men's cross country (Mark Whalley, Principia)
- 1983–84: Men's javelin, outdoor (Chris Trapp, Rose-Hulman)
- 1984–85: Men's javelin, outdoor (Chris Trapp, Rose-Hulman)
- 1985–86: Men's javelin, outdoor (Chris Trapp, Rose-Hulman)
- 1995–96: Women's tennis, singles (Nao Kinoshita, Rhodes)
- 1996–97: Women's tennis, singles (Nao Kinoshita, Rhodes); Women's tennis, doubles (Kinoshita, Taylor Tarver, Rhodes)
- 1997–98: Men's pole vault, indoor (Ryan Loftus, Rose-Hulman)
- 1999–00: Women's 1500 meters, indoor (Heather Stone, Sewanee); Women's 1500 meters, outdoor (Stone, Sewanee)
- 2002–03: Men's 100 breaststroke (Matt Smith, Rose-Hulman)
- 2003–04: Women's high jump, outdoor (Christyn Schumann, Trinity)
- 2004–05: Women's high jump, indoor (Christyn Schumann, Trinity); Women's high jump, outdoor (Schumann, Trinity)
- 2005–06: Women's high jump, outdoor (Christyn Schumann, Trinity)
- 2006–07: Women's tennis, singles (Liz Bondi, DePauw)
- 2008–09: Men's pentathlon, indoor (Todd Wildman, Trinity); Men's golf, medalist (Olafur Loftsson, Oglethorpe); Men's triple jump, outdoor (Chrys Jones, Centre)
- 2009–10: Men's pentathlon, indoor (Todd Wildman, Trinity); Men's triple jump, indoor (Chrys Jones, Centre); Men's triple jump, outdoor (Chrys Jones, Centre); Women's 1-meter diving (Lindsay Martin, Trinity); Women's 3-meter diving (Hayley Emerick, Trinity)
- 2010–11: Men's triple jump, indoor (Chrys Jones, Centre); Men's golf, medalist (Chris Morris, Centre)
- 2011–12: Women's 60 meter hurdles, indoor (Tiarra Goode, Birmingham-Southern); Men's 200 freestyle (Jordan DeGayner, Colorado College); Women's 3-meter diving (Ruth Hahn, Trinity); Men's golf, medalist (Anthony Maccaglia, Oglethorpe); Women's 100 meter hurdles, outdoor (Tiarra Goode, Birmingham-Southern)
- 2013–14: Men's 100 freestyle (Stephen Culberson, Trinity)
- 2016-17: Men's 400 meter run, indoor (Marquis Brown, Texas Lutheran)
- 2023-24: Women's 400 meter individual medley (Neely Burns, Trinity University)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
This list does not include championships won by schools outside of their period of membership in the SCAC.
Overall success on the national level
While championships come infrequently, overall SCAC athletic programs rate favorably when compared against the diverse Division III membership. The Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup provides one representation of any school's athletic success as compared to its peers. Trinity has ranked in the top five nationally twice, most recently in 2004–05 when it placed fourth. Trinity again led the way in 2021–22 when it placed 20th nationally; Colorado College, at 102nd, was the next school among 327 ranked institutions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The SCAC and Division I
On several occasions the SCAC has been used as a role model for academically high-achieving Division I programs considering a move to non-scholarship athletics. In 2004, Rice considered a move to Division III with Trinity cited as a possible model by the Houston Chronicle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The university eventually remained in Division I. In 2006, Birmingham-Southern College elected to leave Division I for Division III, and stated that they would seek membership in the SCAC. This represented the first time since 1988 that a Division I school had changed affiliation to Division III.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, Centenary College of Louisiana joined the SCAC, after leaving Division I in 2011; however, its initial partner in the transition from Division I was the American Southwest Conference.
References
External links
Template:Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division III conference navbox Template:NCAA Division III football conference navbox