Coast to Coast Athletic Conference


The Coast to Coast Athletic Conference, formerly named Capital Athletic Conference, is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located throughout the United States in the states of California, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

History

Formed in 1989 as Capital Athletic Conference, the charter members were The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, the University of Mary Washington, Marymount University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and York College of Pennsylvania.
On May 6, 2011, Hood and Stevenson departed the CAC for the Middle Atlantic Conferences, effective June 1, 2012. Both Hood and Stevenson would also compete on some sports within the multi-conference umbrella as part of the MAC's Commonwealth Conference.
On July 26, 2012, Christopher Newport University, Penn State Harrisburg and Southern Virginia University joined the CAC for all sports in the 2013–14 academic year, effective on June 1, 2013.
On March 1, 2018, Marymount and Wesley departed the CAC for the newly-formed Atlantic East Conference following the end the 2017–18 academic year.
On July 5, 2018, Frostburg State began the transition to the Division II for the 2019–20 academic year, thus departed the CAC to join the Mountain East Conference, effective after the 2018–19 academic year.
On July 8, 2018, Penn State Harrisburg departed the CAC to return to the NEAC following the end of the 2018–19 academic year.
On April 2, 2019, York departed the CAC to join the MAC, effective after the 2019–20 season.
On December 11, 2019, Southern Virginia departed the C2C to join the USA South Athletic Conference, effective after the 2020–21 academic year.
On December 12, 2019, St. Mary's departed the C2C to join the United East Conference, effective after the 2020–21 academic year.
On May 26, 2020, it was announced that the Capital Athletic Conference would expand to 11 teams as they offered memberships to all schools in the American Collegiate Athletic Association. .All full ACAA members and an associate member joined the CAC in the 2020–21 school year; the announcement also stated that the expanded CAC planned to adopt a new name. The post-merger conference does not conduct regular-season competition in any sports; members establish their own schedules, with NCAA championship bids handed out in conference tournaments or championship meets, depending on the sport. Therefore, all full members, the University of California, Santa Cruz, Finlandia University, Mills College, Mount Mary University, Pine Manor College, and Pratt Institute, and associate member, the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, of the ACAA joined in their respective memberships.
On November 18, 2020, the Capital Athletic Conference announced its rebranding as the "Coast to Coast Athletic Conference".
On March 17, 2021, Mills announced that it would end conferment degrees to become a research institution after the 2022–23 school year, thus dissolving their athletic programs. This was later revised to be acquired by Northeastern University to become Northeastern University at Mills College. Through this merger, Mills transitioned to a co-ed university and would discontinue athletics after the 2021–22 season.
On August 4, 2021, St. Mary's rejoined the C2C as an associate member in men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field.
On January 11, 2022, the University of Wisconsin–Platteville joined the C2C as an associate member for men's soccer, starting in the 2022 fall season.
On July 26, 2022, the C2C announced that it would form the Coastal Lacrosse Conference, a single sport, men's lacrosse conference, with the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The members would include Christopher Newport University, Salisbury University, and University of Mary Washington from the C2C and Kean University, Montclair State University, and Stockton University from the NJAC. Play began in the 2022–23 season.
On July 27, 2022, the C2C announced the addition of Warren Wilson College as a full member starting in the 2022–23 season.
On March 2, 2023, Finlandia University announced that it would close following the 2022–23 school year, thus departing the conference.

Chronological timeline

  • 1989 – The Capital Athletic Conference was founded. Charter members included The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, Mary Washington College, Marymount University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and York College of Pennsylvania, beginning in the 1989–90 academic year.
  • 1991 – Salisbury State University joined the CAC in the 1991–92 academic year.
  • 1993 – Goucher College joined the CAC in the 1993–94 academic year.
  • 2005 – Catholic and Goucher left the CAC for the newly-formed Landmark Conference after the 2006–07 academic year.
  • 2006 – Hood College and Villa Julie College joined the CAC for some sports in the 2006–07 academic year.
  • 2007 – Wesley College joined the CAC for all sports in the 2007–08 academic year.
  • 2010 – Gallaudet left the CAC to join the North Eastern Athletic Conference after the 2009–10 academic year.
  • 2010 – Frostburg State University joined the CAC in the 2010–11 academic year.
  • 2012 – Hood and Stevenson left the CAC for the Commonwealth Conference within the Middle Atlantic Conferences after the 2011–12 academic year.
  • 2013 – Christopher Newport University, Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg—Capital College and Southern Virginia University joined the CAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
  • 2013 – William Paterson University and New Jersey City University joined the CAC as associate members for men's golf in the 2014 spring season.
  • 2016 – William Paterson left from the CAC as an associate member for men's golf after the 2016 spring season.
  • 2018 – Marymount and Wesley left the CAC for the newly-formed Atlantic East Conference after the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 2018 – Babson College joined the CAC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2019 spring season.
  • 2019 – Frostburg State began the transition to the NCAA Division II ranks, thus departed the CAC to join the Mountain East Conference after the 2018–19 academic year.
  • 2019 – Penn State–Harrisburg left the CAC to return to the NEAC after the 2018–19 academic year.
  • 2019 – Carnegie Mellon University joined the CAC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2020 spring season.
  • 2020 – York left the CAC to join the MAC after the 2019–20 academic year.
  • 2020 – The C2C dropped men's and women's swimming and golf as conference sports after the 2019–20 academic year; therefore, men's golf associates had departed.
  • 2020 – The CAC announced that it would absorb the American Collegiate Athletic Association, beginning in the 2020–21 academic year. Therefore, all full members, Mount Mary University and associate member of the ACAA joined in their respective memberships.
  • 2020 – The CAC announced that it would rebrand as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference during the 2020–21 academic year.
  • 2021 – St. Mary's left the C2C to join the United East Conference after the 2020–21 academic year; while it would later rejoined to the conference as an associate member in men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2022 spring season.
  • 2021 – Southern Virginia left the C2C to join the USA South Athletic Conference after the 2020–21 academic year.
  • 2021 – Pine Manor left the C2C as it was acquired by Boston College, thus dissolving their athletics programs, after the 2020–21 academic year.
  • 2022 – Mills left the C2C to become a research institution, thus dissolving their athletics programs, after the 2021–22 academic year.
  • 2022 – The University of Wisconsin–Platteville joined the C2C as an associate member for men's soccer in the 2022 fall season.
  • 2022 – The C2C, alongside the New Jersey Athletic Conference, announced that it would form the Coastal Lacrosse Conference, beginning in the 2023 spring season. Therefore, the conference no longer sponsored men's lacrosse.
  • 2022 – Warren Wilson College joined the C2C in the 2022–23 academic year.
  • 2023 – Finlandia left the C2C due to announcing its closure after the 2022–23 academic year.
  • 2024 – Pratt left the C2C to join the AEC after the 2023–24 academic year.
  • 2025 – Mount Mary will leave the C2C and the NCAA to begin a transition to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference after the 2024–25 academic year.
  • 2025 – Johnson & Wales University—Charlotte and Regent University joined the C2C, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.
  • 2026 – Alverno College will join the C2C, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.

    Member schools

Current members

The C2C currently has seven full members, four are public schools and three are private schools:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoined
Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, Virginia1961Public5,186Captains2013
Johnson & Wales University–CharlotteCharlotte, North Carolina1914Nonsectarian1,681Wildcats2025
Fredericksburg, Virginia1908Public4,862Eagles1989
Regent UniversityVirginia Beach, Virginia1977Interdenominational
10,365Royals2025
Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, Maryland1925Public7,383Sea Gulls1993
Santa Cruz, California1965Public19,700Banana Slugs2020
Warren Wilson CollegeSwannanoa, North Carolina1894Presbyterian
650Owls2022

;Notes: