Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
(SCAC)
Established 1962
Association NCAA
Division Division III
Members 8
Sports fielded 19 (men's: 10; women's: 9)
Former names College Athletic Conference
Headquarters Lawrenceville, Georgia
Commissioner D. Dwayne Hanberry
Website www.scacsports.com
Locations

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in 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. The current commissioner of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is Dwayne Hanberry. The current chair of the Executive Committee of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler, current Colorado College president.

Member schools

Current members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment U.S. News
Ranking[1]		 Endowment[1] Nickname Colors Football? Joined
Austin College Sherman, Texas 1849 Private/Presbyterian 1,291 82
(National: Lib. Arts)		 $119,460,000 Kangaroos           Yes 2006
Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana 1825 Private/United Methodist 500 167
(National: Lib. Arts)
N/A
 Gentlemen (men's)
Ladies (women's)		           No 2012
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 Private 2,011 31
(National: Lib. Arts)		 $507,000,000 Tigers           No 2006
University of Dallas Irving, Texas 1956 Private/Roman Catholic 3,255 13
(Regional: West)		 $45,630,000 Crusaders           No 2011
Schreiner University Kerrville, Texas 1923 Private/Presbyterian 930 not ranked
N/A
 Mountaineers           No 2013
Southwestern University Georgetown, Texas 1840 Private/United Methodist 1,536[2] 65
(National: Lib. Arts)		 $250,620,000 Pirates           Yes 1994
Texas Lutheran University Seguin, Texas 1891 Private/Lutheran 1,400 3
(Regional College: West)		 $76,820,000 Bulldogs           Yes 2013
Trinity University San Antonio, Texas 1869 Private 2,487 1
(Regional: West)		 $915,920,000 Tigers           Yes 1989

Future members

The University of California, Santa Cruz will join as an affiliate member for swimming and diving only in the 2013-14 school year.[3] No other future members are known at this time.

Former members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Current Conference
Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham, Alabama 1856 Private/United Methodist 1,600 Panthers 2007 2012 SAA
Centre College Danville, Kentucky 1819 Private 1,215 Colonels 1962 2012 SAA
DePauw University Greencastle, Indiana 1837 Private 2,400 Tigers 1998 2011 NCAC
Earlham College Richmond, Indiana 1847 Private 1,181 Quakers 1984 1989 HCAC
Fisk University Nashville, Tennessee 1866 Private 800 Bulldogs 1983 1994 NAIA Independent
Hendrix College Conway, Arkansas 1876 Private/United Methodist 1,400 Warriors 1992 2012 SAA
Illinois College Jacksonville, Illinois 1829 Private 1,000 Blueboys (men's)
Lady Blues (women's)		 1980 1983 Midwest
Millsaps College Jackson, Mississippi 1890 Private/United Methodist 1,146 Majors 1989 2012 SAA
Oglethorpe University Atlanta, Georgia 1835 Private 1,000 Stormy Petrels 1991 2012 SAA
Principia College Elsah, Illinois 1910 Private 550 Panthers 1974 1984 SLIAC
Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee 1848 Private/Presbyterian 1,690 Lynx 1962 2012 SAA
Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, Indiana 1874 Private 1,970 Fightin' Engineers 1974,
1998		 1989,
2006		 HCAC
Sewanee: The University of the South Sewanee, Tennessee 1857 Private/Episcopal 1,383 Tigers 1962 2012 SAA
Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia 1749 Private 2,203 Generals 1962 1973 ODAC
Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri 1853 Private 14,070 Bears 1962 1972 UAA

Membership timeline

Texas Lutheran University Schreiner University Centenary College of Louisiana University of Dallas Birmingham–Southern College Colorado College Austin College DePauw University Southwestern University Hendrix College Oglethorpe University Trinity University (Texas) Millsaps College Earlham College Fisk University Illinois College Principia College Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Washington University in St. Louis Washington and Lee University Sewanee: The University of the South Rhodes College Centre College

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 [4] or the Southern Athletic Association.[5]

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 2011-2012 season except for football, which will join for the 2012 season.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] Two more ASC schools joined the SCAC for the 2013–14 season: Schreiner University announced their decision on January 23, 2012,[11] and on February 16, 2012, Texas Lutheran University announced it too would join the SCAC.[12]

Football will no longer be sponsored by the SCAC beginning in 2017.[13] The conference had four schools playing in 2015 and 2016: Texas Lutheran University, Austin College, Southwestern University and Trinity University. Texas Lutheran University and Southwest University will play football as affiliates in the ASC, while Austin College and Trinity University will be affiliates of the Southern Athletic Association.

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 2012–13 school year, the President's Trophy was awarded to Trinity University.[14]

National championship teams and individuals

SCAC members have won a total of eight team championships and 32 individual championships.

Team champions:

Individual champions:

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 NACDA Director's 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 2004–2005 when it placed fourth. Trinity again led the way in 2013-14 when it placed 18th nationally; no other conference member placed in the top 100.[15]

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.[16] That program 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.[17] 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

  1. 1 2 "College Rankings - Best Colleges - US News". rankingsandreviews.com.
  2. ↑ "Southwestern: About Southwestern". Southwestern.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  3. ↑ "UC-Santa Cruz Joins SCAC as Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Affiliate Member". scacsports.com.
  4. ↑ "Southwestern; Texas Lutheran Accept Football Affiliate Membership Offer from ASC". scacsports.com. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Austin College; Trinity Accept Football Affiliate Membership Offer from SAA". scacsports.com. 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  6. ↑ Archived June 30, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "University of Dallas to join Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - Dallas". Udallasathletics.com. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  8. ↑ "Four schools consider SCAC departure in 2012". thedepauw. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Major Changes for the SCAC Following 2011-12 Academic Year - SCAC". Scacsports.com. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  10. ↑ "Centenary College to Join Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference". centenary.edu.
  11. ↑ "Schreiner University". schreiner.edu.
  12. ↑ "Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs - Texas Lutheran University to join Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference". Tlubulldogs.com. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  13. ↑ "Southwestern; Texas Lutheran Accept Football Affiliate Membership Offer from ASC". Scacsports.com. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  14. ↑ "SCAC". Scacsports.com. 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  15. ↑ 2013-4 Final NACDA Division III Cup Standings
  16. ↑ http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3761186
  17. ↑ http://www.bsc.edu/communications/southern/summer07/features.pdf

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 27, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.