River States Conference

The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a collegiate athletic conference with membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historically a Kentucky-only conference, it has now expanded to include members in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and at various times in the past has also had members in Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia.

River States Conference
RSC
Established1916
AssociationNAIA
Members14
Sports fielded
  • 17
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 9
RegionEastern
HeadquartersMiddletown, Ohio
CommissionerMichael Schell (since March 15, 2018)
Websitewww.riverstatesconference.com
Locations

In March 2016, the KIAC announced it would change its name to the River States Conference, effective July 1, 2016, to better reflect its membership, which has expanded beyond Kentucky and now includes members in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.[1]

Member schools

Current members
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined
Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes, Kentucky 1923 Private (Christian) 600 Eagles 1983;
2005[lower-alpha 1]
Brescia University Owensboro, Kentucky 1925 Private (Catholic) 1,100 Bearcats 1984
Carlow University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1929 Private (Catholic) 2,400 Celtics 2012
Indiana University East Richmond, Indiana 1971 Public/IU 2,700 Red Wolves 2007
Indiana University Kokomo Kokomo, Indiana 1945 Public/IU 3,719 Cougars 2013
Indiana University Southeast New Albany, Indiana 1941 Public/IU 6,840 Grenadiers 1994
Midway University Midway, Kentucky 1847 Private (Disciples of Christ) 1,800 Eagles 1991[lower-alpha 2]
Oakland City University Oakland City, Indiana 1885 Private (Baptist) 2,350 Mighty Oaks 1968; 2020[lower-alpha 3]
Ohio Christian University Circleville, Ohio 1948 Private (CCCU) 3,300 Trailblazers 2015
Ohio Valley University Vienna, West Virginia 1960 Private (Church of Christ) 509 Fighting Scots 2021
Point Park University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1960 Private (Nonsectarian) 3,376 Pioneers 2012
University of Rio Grande Rio Grande, Ohio 1876 Private (Nonsectarian) 1,893 RedStorm 1964;
2014[lower-alpha 4]
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana 1840 Private (Catholic) 1,700 Pomeroys 2021
West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, West Virginia 1895 Public/WVU 2,252 Golden Bears 2015
  1. Alice Lloyd left the KIAC in 1992 and rejoined in 2005.
  2. Midway was a women's college until 2016.[2] The school began sponsoring men's sports in 2017.
  3. Oakland City[3] had been a member until 1975, during the conference's KIAC era.
  4. Rio Grande left the KIAC in 1971 and rejoined in 2014.

Former members

School names and nicknames reflect those used in the final school year each institution was a conference member.

Institution Location Founded Nickname Joined Left Current
conference
Asbury University Wilmore, Kentucky 1890 Eagles 1971 2021 TBD (NCAA D-III)
Bellarmine College[lower-alpha 1] Louisville, Kentucky 1950 Knights 1951 1964 ASUN (NCAA D-I)
Berea College Berea, Kentucky 1855 Mountaineers 1926 2014 USA South
(NCAA D-III)
Bethel College[lower-alpha 2] McKenzie, Tennessee 1842 Wildcats 1999 2006 Southern States
Campbellsville College[lower-alpha 3] Campbellsville, Kentucky 1906 Tigers 1964 1995 Mid-South
Centre College Danville, Kentucky 1819 Colonels 1926 1962 Southern Athletic
(NCAA D-III)
Clinch Valley College[lower-alpha 4] Wise, Virginia 1954 Highland Cavaliers[lower-alpha 5] 1971 1994 South Atlantic
(NCAA D-II)
Cincinnati Christian University Cincinnati, Ohio 1924 Eagles 2008 2019[lower-alpha 6] Closed in 2019
Cumberland College[lower-alpha 7] Williamsburg, Kentucky 1887 Indians[lower-alpha 8] 1966 1995 Mid-South
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College[lower-alpha 9] Richmond, Kentucky 1906 Colonels 1927 1948 ASUN
(NCAA D-I)
Georgetown College Georgetown, Kentucky 1829 Tigers 1926 1995 Mid-South
Kentucky Wesleyan College Winchester, Kentucky[lower-alpha 10] 1858 Panthers 1926 1955 Great Midwest
(NCAA D-II)
Lindsey Wilson College Columbia, Kentucky 1903 Blue Raiders 1984 2000 Mid-South
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 Cardinals 1926 1948 Atlantic Coast
(NCAA D-I)
Mid-Continent University Mayfield, Kentucky 1949 Cougars 2000 2006 Closed in 2014
Morehead State Teachers College[lower-alpha 11] Morehead, Kentucky 1922 Eagles 1931 1948 Ohio Valley
(NCAA D-I)
Mountain State University Beckley, West Virginia 1933 Cougars[lower-alpha 12] 2007 2012 Closed in 2012
Murray State Teachers College[lower-alpha 13] Murray, Kentucky 1922 Racers 1933 1948 Ohio Valley
(NCAA D-I)
Ogden College Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 Eagles 1926 1927 Merged in 1927 with
Western Kentucky University
University of Pikeville Pikeville, Kentucky 1889 Bears 1958 2000 Mid-South
St. Louis College of Pharmacy St. Louis, Missouri 1864 Eutectics 2003 2014 American Midwest
Spalding University Louisville, Kentucky 1814 Golden Eagles 1992 2007 St. Louis
(NCAA D-III)
Thomas More College[lower-alpha 14] Crestview Hills, Kentucky 1921 Saints 1955 1991 Mid-South
Transylvania University Lexington, Kentucky 1780 Pioneers 1926 2001 Heartland Collegiate
(NCAA D-III)
Union College Barbourville, Kentucky 1879 Bulldogs 1933 1995 Appalachian
Western Kentucky State Teachers College[lower-alpha 15] Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 Hilltoppers 1926 1948 Conference USA
(NCAA D-I)
  1. Known as Bellarmine University since 2000.
  2. Known as Bethel University since 2009.
  3. Known as Campbellsville University since 1996.
  4. Known as University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) since 1999.
  5. UVA Wise dropped "Highland" from its nickname in 2017.
  6. Closed at the end of the fall 2019 semester.
  7. Known as University of the Cumberlands since 2005.
  8. Cumberlands changed its nickname to Patriots in 2002.
  9. Renamed Eastern Kentucky State College immediately after leaving the KIAC, and known as Eastern Kentucky University since 1966.
  10. Kentucky Wesleyan moved to its current campus in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1956.
  11. Renamed Morehead State College immediately after leaving the KIAC, and known as Morehead State University since 1966.
  12. Mountain State competed as an independent in men's basketball during its tenure in the conference.
  13. Renamed Murray State College immediately after leaving the KIAC, and known as Murray State University since 1966.
  14. Known as Thomas More University since 2018.
  15. Renamed Western Kentucky State College immediately after leaving the KIAC, and known as Western Kentucky University since 1966.

Conference sports

The River States Conference currently fields 17 sports (8 men's and 9 women's):

Conference sports
Sport Men's Women's
BaseballY
BasketballYY
Cross CountryYY
GolfYY
SoccerYY
SoftballY
TennisYY
Track & Field IndoorYY
Track & Field OutdoorYY
VolleyballY

References
  1. "KIAC announces River States Conference as new name, unveils new logo". March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  2. "Midway University Trustees vote to accept men into its daytime undergraduate programs" (Press release). Midway University. May 16, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  3. VSN Staff (March 31, 2020). "NAIA Approves Five Institutions for Membership". Victory Sports Network. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
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