Great South Athletic Conference
| Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1999 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 8 |
| Sports fielded | 6 (men's: 0; women's: 6) |
| Region | Southeast |
| Headquarters | LaGrange, Georgia |
| Commissioner | Phil Williamson |
| Website | greatsouth.org |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C..
History
The Great South Athletic Conference was founded in 1999 as a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III member institutions from the Southeast with similar academic and athletic interests. Charter members included Fisk University, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont College and Stillman College. In 2002, Huntingdon College and women’s colleges Agnes Scott College and Wesleyan College were granted membership. In 2003, Spelman College and Wesleyan (Ga.) were admitted to the GSAC on a provisional basis and given full membership status in 2005. Salem College, a women’s school in Winston-Salem, NC, became the conference’s eighth member for the 2009-10 season.[1] Covenant College, located on top of Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia, joined the conference in Spring 2010 and began playing in Fall 2010,[2] while completing its requirements for NCAA Division III provisional status. Stillman, a charter member, dropped out of the conference following the 2001-02 season, now currently competing in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC); while Fisk, another charter member, dropped out of the conference following the 2005-06 season, now currently competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Three schools (also charter members of the GSAC) left for the USA South Athletic Conference beginning with the 2012-13 season: Piedmont,[3] LaGrange[4] and Maryville. Pine Manor College[5] and Trinity Washington University[6] joined the conference in the 2012-13 season to replace those schools. Due to the lack of men's athletic programs in the GSAC, the conference stopped sponsoring men's sports championships at the end of the 2011-12 season.
On May 10, 2012, Covenant College and Huntingdon College announced plans to leave the Great South and join USA South Athletic Conference beginning in the 2013-14 season. In the 2012-13 season, the Covenant and Huntingdon women's sports competed as full members of the GSAC, while their men's sports competed as NCAA Division III independents.
On November 1, 2012, Spelman College announced that they will be dropping all intercollegiate sports at the end of the 2012-13 academic year.[7]
On January 14, 2013, the GSAC announced that Mills College, Finlandia University, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle will join the GSAC in 2013-14.[8] Finlandia and Maine-Presque Isle are co-educational colleges. The women's sports will join the GSAC, while the men's sports at the two schools will remain Division III Independents.
Member schools
Current members
The league currently has 8 full members:
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes Scott College† | Decatur, Georgia | Scottish Terriers | 1889 | Private/Presbyterian | 914 | 2002 |
| Finlandia University^* | Hancock, Michigan | Lions | 1896 | Private/Lutheran | 500 | 2013 |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle^ | Presque Isle, Maine | Owls | 1903 | Public | 1,600 | 2013 |
| Mills College† | Oakland, California | Cyclones | 1854 | Private/Non-sectarian | 1,555 | 2013 |
| Pine Manor College† | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | Gators | 1911 | Private/Non-sectarian | 480 | 2012 |
| Salem College† | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Spirits | 1772 | Private/Non-sectarian | 1,100 | 2009 |
| Trinity Washington University† | Washington, D.C. | Tigers | 1897 | Private/Catholic | 2,100 | 2012 |
| Wesleyan College† | Macon, Georgia | Wolves | 1839 | Private/Methodist | 645 | 2003 |
- Notes
* - Finlandia has joined the GSAC for softball for the spring of the 2012-13 season.
^ - Co-educational college, but only competing in women's sports in the GSAC in the 2013-14 season.
† - Women's college
Affiliate members
The league currently has 2 affiliate members, both in the sport of tennis:
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary Conference |
GSAC Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Mary University† | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Blue Angels | 1913 | Private/Catholic | 1,209 | NCAA D-III Independent | tennis |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, California | Banana Slugs | 1965 | Public | 17,203 | NCAA D-III Independent | tennis |
- Note
† - Women's college
Former members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant College | Lookout Mountain, Georgia | Scots (men's) Lady Scots (women's) |
1955 | Private/Presbyterian | 1,282 | 2010 | 2013^ | USA South |
| Fisk University | Nashville, Tennessee | Bulldogs | 1866 | Private/United Church of Christ | 800 | 1999 | 2006 | NAIA Independent |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, Alabama | Hawks | 1854 | Private/Methodist | 900 | 2002 | 2013^ | USA South |
| LaGrange College | LaGrange, Georgia | Panthers | 1831 | Private/Methodist | 942 | 1999 | 2012 | USA South |
| Maryville College | Maryville, Tennessee | Scots | 1819 | Private/Presbyterian | 1,176 | 1999 | 2012 | USA South |
| Piedmont College | Demorest, Georgia | Lions | 1897 | Private/United Church of Christ | 2,000 | 1999 | 2012 | USA South |
| Stillman College | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Tigers | 1876 | Private/Presbyterian | 1,500 | 1999 | 2002 | SIAC (NCAA Division II) |
| Spelman College† | Atlanta, Georgia | Jaguars | 1881 | Private/Non-sectarian | 2,318 | 2003 | 2013 | dropped athletics |
- Notes
† - Women's college
^ - Co-educational college, but only competed in women's sports in the GSAC in the 2012-13 season while its men's sports competed until the end of the 2011-12 season.
Membership timeline
Sports
As of the 2012-13 academic year, GSAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in women's sports only: basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, golf, and volleyball.
References
- ↑ "Salem becomes newest GSAC member". Great South Athletic Conference. May 13, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
- ↑ Branton, B.B. (8 April 2010). "Covenant College Joins Great South Athletic Conference". The Chattanoogan (John Wilson). Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ↑ McCormack, Timmy (11 April 2011). "Piedmont College Announces Plan To Join USA South Athletic Conference". Piedmont College Athletics. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ↑ "LaGrange College accepts invitation to join USA South Athletic Conference". LaGrange Panthers. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ↑ "Pine Manor College Joins GSAC". Great South Athletic Conference. Aug 27, 2012. Retrieved Sep 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Trinity Washington University Joins GSAC". Great South Athletic Conference. Sep 7, 2012. Retrieved Sep 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Spelman eliminates athletics in favor of campus-wide wellness initiative". Inside Higher Ed. Nov 1, 2012. Retrieved Nov 4, 2012.
- ↑ "GSAC Adds Finlandia University, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Mills College". Great South Athletic Conference. January 14, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.