USA South Athletic Conference

USA South Athletic Conference
USA South Athletic Conference
Established	1963
Association	NCAA
Division	Division III
Members	19 (18 in 2022)
Sports fielded	18 men's: 9; women's: 9; ;
Region	South
Former names	Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Dixie Conference
Headquarters	Rome, Georgia
Commissioner	Dr. Tom Hart
Website	usasouth.net
Locations

The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.

History

The Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was founded in 1963 as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with the philosophy that participation would be strictly amateur, so no athletic financial aid or scholarships would be awarded by its affiliate institutions. The six charter members were Charlotte College, College of Charleston, Methodist College, North Carolina Wesleyan College, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, and Lynchburg College.[1] In 1973, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association divided into a three-division format, the Dixie Conference left the NAIA and moved into the non-scholarship NCAA Division III.[1]

On June 30, 2003, the conference changed to its name to the USA South Athletic Conference.[2]

During the 2010–11 school year, changes to the membership of the USA South were announced. Three colleges announced plans to join the USA South Conference beginning in the 2012–13 season while one will depart the league. Piedmont College,[3] LaGrange College,[4] and Maryville College joined the Great South Athletic Conference on July 1, 2012.

Shenandoah University left the USA South on the above date, to become a full member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), a league in which it held associate membership in several sports.

Christopher Newport University left the USA South after the 2012–2013 season to join the Capital Athletic Conference in all sports except for football which will remain a USA South affiliate member through the 2015 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 2013–2014 season.

On May 6, 2015, the USA South announced that Agnes Scott College, Salem College, and Wesleyan College would leave the Great South Athletic Conference and join the USA South beginning in the 2016–17 school year.[5] The conference announced the future arrival of three more schools during the 2015–16 school year. First, it announced on December 9, 2015, that Brevard College, transitioning from the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference to Division III, would join for 2017–18 and beyond.[6] Then, on May 4, 2016, two more incoming members were announced: Berea College, nearing completion of a transition from the NAIA to Division III, and Pfeiffer University, transitioning from the Division II Conference Carolinas to Division III. Both joined in 2017–18 as well.[7]

On June 27, 2017, Ferrum College, a conference member since 1988, announced that it would leave for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after the 2017–18 school year.[8]

On December 11, 2019, the USA South announced the addition of Southern Virginia University who will join in the 2021–22 academic year.[9]

It was revealed on March 8, 2021, when Averett University announced its intention to leave the USA South and join Ferrum College in the ODAC as a full member in 2022.[10]

The most recent change to the USA South membership came on November 22, 2021, when Belhaven University was accepted for membership in the USA South for the 2022–2023 academic year. Belhaven is leaving the American Southwest Conference.[11]

Member schools

Current members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname
East Division
Averett University^	Danville, Virginia	1859	1978	Private/Non-sectarian	2,719	Cougars
Greensboro College^	Greensboro, North Carolina	1838	1966	Private/Methodist	1,233	Pride
Mary Baldwin University	Staunton, Virginia	1842	2007	Private/Presbyterian	2,242	Fighting Squirrels
Meredith College†	Raleigh, North Carolina	1891	2007	Private/Non-sectarian	1,990	Avenging Angels
Methodist University^	Fayetteville, North Carolina	1956	1963	Private/Methodist	2,215	Monarchs
North Carolina Wesleyan College^	Rocky Mount, North Carolina	1956	1963	Private/Methodist	900	Battling Bishops
Pfeiffer University	Misenheimer, North Carolina	1885	2017	Private/Methodist	1,200	Falcons
Salem College†	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	1772	2016	Private/Moravian	565	Spirits
Southern Virginia University^	Buena Vista, Virginia	1867	2021	Private/LDS Church	1,106	Knights
William Peace University	Raleigh, North Carolina	1857	2003	Private/Presbyterian	950	Pacers
West Division
Agnes Scott College†	Decatur, Georgia	1889	2016	Private/Presbyterian	914	Scotties
Berea College	Berea, Kentucky	1855	2017	Private/Christian (unaffiliated)	1,613	Mountaineers
Brevard College^	Brevard, North Carolina	1853	2017	Private/Methodist	708	Tornados
Covenant College	Lookout Mountain, Georgia	1955	2013	Private/Presbyterian	1,282	Scots (men's) Lady Scots (women's)
Huntingdon College^	Montgomery, Alabama	1854	2013	Private/Methodist	900	Hawks
LaGrange College^	LaGrange, Georgia	1831	2012	Private/Methodist	1,137	Panthers
Maryville College^	Maryville, Tennessee	1819	2012	Private/Presbyterian	1,103	Scots
Piedmont University	Demorest, Georgia	1897	2012	Private/Congregationalist	2,640	Lions
Wesleyan College†	Macon, Georgia	1836	2016	Private/Methodist	550	Wolves

Notes

† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.
^ - Football-playing member

Departing member in pink

Future members

Institution	Location	Nickname	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joining
Belhaven University	Jackson, Mississippi	Blazers	1883	Private	3,245	2022

Former members

Institution	Location	Nickname	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Left	Current conference
Chowan University	Murfreesboro, North Carolina	Hawks	1848	Private	1260	2000	2004	Conference Carolinas (NCAA Division II)
Christopher Newport University	Newport News, Virginia	Captains	1960	Public	4,793	1972	2013	C2C
College of Charleston	Charleston, South Carolina	Cougars	1770	Public	11,320	1963	1970	CAA (NCAA Division I)
Ferrum College	Ferrum, Virginia	Panthers	1913	Private/Methodist	1,100	1988	2018	ODAC
Shenandoah University	Winchester, Virginia	Hornets	1875	Private	1767	1992	2012	ODAC
St. Andrews Presbyterian University	Laurinburg, North Carolina	Knights	1958	Private	600	1963	1988	AAC (NAIA)
University of Lynchburg	Lynchburg, Virginia	Fighting Hornets	1903	Private	2500	1963	1976	ODAC
University of North Carolina at Charlotte	Charlotte, North Carolina	49ers	1961	Public	25,227	1963	1970	C-USA (NCAA Division I)
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Greensboro, North Carolina	Spartans	1891	Public	18,502	1968	1988	SoCon (NCAA Division I)
Virginia Wesleyan College	Norfolk, Virginia	Marlins	1961	Private	1446	1970	1989	ODAC

Membership timeline

Sports

The conference sponsors championships in the following sports:

**Conference sports**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	14
Basketball	15	19
Cross Country	14	17
Football	9
Golf	11	7
Lacrosse	10	9
Soccer	15	19
Softball		17
Tennis	15	19
Track and field (outdoor)	10	13
Volleyball		19

Men's sponsored sports by school

Departing members are displayed in red.

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total USA South Sports
Averett	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	8
Berea	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	5
Brevard	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Covenant	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	7
Greensboro	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	7
Huntingdon	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
LaGrange	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	8
Mary Baldwin	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Maryville	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	7
Methodist	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
North Carolina Wesleyan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Pfeiffer	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Piedmont	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Southern Virginia	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
William Peace	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	14	15	14	9	11	10	15	15	10	114

Women's sponsored sports by school

Departing members are displayed in red.

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total USA South Sports
Agnes Scott	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	6
Averett	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	7
Berea	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Brevard	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Covenant	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Greensboro	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	5
Huntingdon	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
LaGrange	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	6
Mary Baldwin	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Maryville	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	7
Meredith	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Methodist	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
North Carolina Wesleyan	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Pfeiffer	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Piedmont	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Salem	Y	N	N	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	4
Southern Virginia	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Wesleyan	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
William Peace	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	19	17	7	9	19	17	19	13	19	139

Conference facilities

School	Football		Basketball
School	Stadium	Capacity	Arena	Capacity
Agnes Scott	Non-football school	--	Woodruff Athletic Complex	--
Averett	Cougars Den	5,000	Grant Center	2,500
Berea	Non-football school	--	Seabury Center Arena	2,000
Brevard	Brevard Memorial Stadium	5,000	Boshamer Gymnasium	1,000
Covenant	Non-football school	--	Barnes Physical Education Center	650
Greensboro	Jamieson Stadium	10,000	Hanes Gymnasium	850
Huntingdon	Charles Lee Field at Samford Stadium	2,500	Catherine Dixon Roland Arena	976
LaGrange	Callaway Stadium	5,000	Mariotti Gymnasium	500
Maryville	Lloyd L. Thornton Stadium	3,000	Boydson-Baird Gymnasium	2,000
Mary Baldwin	Non-football school	--	MBC Physical Activities Center	--
Meredith	Non-football school	--	Weatherspoon Gymnasium	500
Methodist	Monarch Field	1,500	March F. Riddle Center	1,200
North Carolina Wesleyan	Rocky Mount Athletic Stadium[12]	5,000	Everett Gymnasium	800
Pfeiffer	Non-football school	--	Merner Gymnasium	1,500
Piedmont	Non-football school	--	Johnny Mize Athletic Center and Cave Arena[13]	1,500
Salem	Non-football school	--	Spirit Center	--
Southern Virginia	Knight Stadium	1,000	Knight Arena	525
Wesleyan	Non-football school	--	Porter Gymnasium	586
William Peace	Non-football school	--	Hermann Center	1,000

References

2007 Football Media Guide (PDF), USA South Athletic Conference, archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2008, retrieved April 28, 2008
"Dixie Conference Chooses New Name", Greensboro News Record, pp. C1, February 3, 2003
McCormack, Timmy (April 11, 2011). "Piedmont College Announces Plan To Join USA South Athletic Conference". Piedmont College Athletics. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
"LaGrange College accepts invitation to join USA South Athletic Conference". LaGrange Panthers. April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
"Agnes Scott, Salem and Wesleyan Set to Join USA South". May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
"Brevard College Set to Join USA South" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. December 9, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
"Berea College and Pfeiffer University Set to Join USA South" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
"ODAC Membership Set to Expand with Inclusion of Ferrum College" (Press release). Old Dominion Athletic Conference. June 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
"Southern Virginia Set to Join USA South" (Press release). Southern Virginia University Athletics. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
"Averett University to Join the ODAC as a Full-Time Member". ODAC. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
"Belhaven University Set to Join USA South". USA South Athletic Conference. November 22, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
"Bishops to Return to Rocky Mount Athletic Stadium". NC Wesleyan Battling Bishops. July 31, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
"Johnny Mize Athletic Center with Video". Piedmont Lions. Piedmont College. Retrieved April 12, 2014.

External links

Official website

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[usasacfbmedia-1] 2007 Football Media Guide (PDF), USA South Athletic Conference, archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2008, retrieved April 28, 2008

[2] "Dixie Conference Chooses New Name", Greensboro News Record, pp. C1, February 3, 2003

[3] McCormack, Timmy (April 11, 2011). "Piedmont College Announces Plan To Join USA South Athletic Conference". Piedmont College Athletics. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.

[4] "LaGrange College accepts invitation to join USA South Athletic Conference". LaGrange Panthers. April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.

[5] "Agnes Scott, Salem and Wesleyan Set to Join USA South". May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.

[6] "Brevard College Set to Join USA South" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. December 9, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2016.

[7] "Berea College and Pfeiffer University Set to Join USA South" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

[8] "ODAC Membership Set to Expand with Inclusion of Ferrum College" (Press release). Old Dominion Athletic Conference. June 27, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.

[9] "Southern Virginia Set to Join USA South" (Press release). Southern Virginia University Athletics. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.

[10] "Averett University to Join the ODAC as a Full-Time Member". ODAC. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

[11] "Belhaven University Set to Join USA South". USA South Athletic Conference. November 22, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.

[12] "Bishops to Return to Rocky Mount Athletic Stadium". NC Wesleyan Battling Bishops. July 31, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.

[13] "Johnny Mize Athletic Center with Video". Piedmont Lions. Piedmont College. Retrieved April 12, 2014.

USA South Athletic Conference
Full members with football	Averett (leaving in 2022) Brevard Greensboro Huntingdon LaGrange Maryville Methodist North Carolina Wesleyan Southern Virginia
Full, non-football members	Agnes Scott^† Berea Covenant Mary Baldwin Meredith^† Pfeiffer Piedmont Salem^† Wesleyan (GA)^† William Peace
^† Women's sports only