Appalachian Athletic Conference

History

Recent changes

Chronological timeline

• 2000 – In 2000, the Appalachian Athletic Conference was founded from the remnants of the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference. Charter members included Alice Lloyd College, Bluefield College, King College, Milligan College, Montreat College, Tennessee Wesleyan College, Virginia Intermont College and the University of Virginia–Wise ; as well as the additions of Bryan College, Brevard College, and Covenant College, beginning the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2002 – Union College joined the AAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
• 2005 – Alice Lloyd left the AAC to rejoin the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the 2004–05 academic year.
• 2006 – Brevard left the AAC and the NAIA to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as an Division II independent schools|NCAA D-II Independent] after the 2005–06 academic year.
• 2009 – Two institutions left the AAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2008–09 academic year:
• * Covenant to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an NCAA D-III Independent
• * King to become an NAIA Independent
• 2009 – Reinhardt College joined the AAC in the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2010 – UVa Wise left the AAC to join the Mid-South Conference after the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2011 – Columbia College and Atlanta Christian College joined the AAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – Bluefield left the AAC to join the Mid-South after the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – St. Andrews University and the Savannah College of Art and Design at Atlanta joined the AAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
• 2013 – Truett McConnell University joined the AAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2014 – Virginia Intermont left the AAC when the school ceased operations after the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2014 – Bluefield rejoined the AAC in the 2014–15 academic year.
• 2015 – Asbury University and the University of the Cumberlands joined the AAC as affiliate members for men's and women's lacrosse in the 2016 spring season.
• 2016 – West Virginia University Institute of Technology joined the AAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming in the 2016–17 academic year.
• 2016 – Allen University joined the AAC in the 2016–17 academic year.
• 2017
• * Brenau University joined the AAC in the 2017–18 academic year.
• * Two institutions joined the AAC as affiliate members, both effective in the 2017–18 academic year:
• ** Georgetown College for women's lacrosse
• ** and West Virginia Tech for men's wrestling
• 2018
• * Cumberlands and Georgetown left the AAC as affiliate members for women's lacrosse to compete in their primary home conference in the Mid-South after the 2018 spring season.
• * Columbia International University joined the AAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
• 2019
• * Asbury left the AAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse as the school announced to discontinue the sport during mid-season within the 2019 spring season.
• * Kentucky Christian University joined the AAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
• * Savannah College of Art and Design at Savannah joined the AAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's lacrosse in the 2020 spring season.
• 2020
• * Allen left the AAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and to rejoin the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the 2019–20 academic year.
• * Webber International University joined the AAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse in the 2021 spring season.
• 2021
• * Asbury left the AAC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming after the 2020–21 academic year.
• * The Tennessee campus of Johnson University joined the AAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
• * Keiser University joined the AAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse in the 2022 spring season.
• 2022
• * Eight institutions joined the AAC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2022–23 academic year:
• ** Brewton-Parker College, Keiser, St. Thomas University and Southeastern University for men's wrestling
• ** Georgetown returned for women's lacrosse
• ** Life University for men's volleyball and men's wrestling
• ** and Warner University and Webber International for men's volleyball
• * The AAC began to sponsor football, with core members Bluefield, Kentucky Christian, Point, Reinhardt, St. Andrews, and Union in the 2022 fall season.
• 2023
• * Point left the AAC to join the Southern States Athletic Conference after the 2023–24 academic year; while their football team still remains in the AAC as an affiliate member.
• * The University of Pikeville joined the AAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2025
• * Kentucky Christian left the AAC to join the River States Conference after the 2024–25 academic year; while their football team still remains in the AAC as an affiliate member.
• * St. Andrews left the AAC as the school announced its closure after the 2024–25 academic year.
• * Spartanburg Methodist College joined the AAC as a full member, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
• * The University of Rio Grande joined the AAC as an affiliate member for football in the 2025 fall season.

Member schools

Current members

Affiliate members

Former members

Former affiliate members

Membership timeline

Conference sports