Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, founded in 1962, is an List of [NCAA conferences|intercollegiate athletic conference] which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Arkansas, 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 commissioner of the SCAC is Dwayne Hanberry. The chair of the Executive Committee of the SCAC for 2022–23 is L. Song Richardson, Colorado College president.

History

Recent events

On November 1, 2022, McMurry University will join as a full member in the fall of the 2024–25 academic year.
On March 9, 2023, Trinity University and Southwestern University of Texas announced their departure from the SCAC, joining the Southern Athletic Association beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
On May 15, 2023, the SCAC announced that Concordia University of Texas and the University of the Ozarks will join the conference, beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.
On November 24, 2023, Lyon College joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for football, beginning in the 2024 season of 2024–25 academic year.
On April 26, 2024, the SCAC announced that LeTourneau University would join the conference, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.
On June 11, 2024, Hendrix College announced it would return to the SCAC, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.
On March 17, 2025, various outlets reported that McMurry University and Schreiner University would leave the SCAC for the American Southwest Conference at the end of the 2025–26 academic year in exchange for a seven-figure sum. These reports were later confirmed by the ASC and SCAC the following day, on March 18th.

Chronological timeline

1962 – On September 1, 1962, the SCAC was founded as the College Athletic Conference . Charter members included Centre College, Southwestern University at Memphis, The University of the South of Sewanee and Washington and Lee University, which later added Washington University in St. Louis during that same year; beginning the 1962–63 academic year.
1972 – Washington left the CAC after the 1971–72 academic year.
1973 – Washington and Lee left the CAC after the 1972–73 academic year.
1974 – Principia College and Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology joined the CAC in the 1974–75 academic year.
1980 – Illinois College joined the CAC in the 1980–81 academic year.
1983 – Illinois College left the CAC after the 1982–83 academic year.
1983 – Fisk University joined the CAC in the 1983–84 academic year.
1984:
* Principia left the CAC after the 1983–84 academic year.
* Earlham College joined the CAC in the 1984–85 academic year.
1989:
* Two institutions left the CAC to join their future respective primary home conferences, both effective after the 1988–89 academic year:
** Earlham to join the North Coast Athletic Conference
** and Rose–Hulman to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
* Millsaps College and Trinity University of Texas joined the CAC in the 1989–90 academic year.
1990 – Oglethorpe University joined the CAC in the 1990–91 academic year.
1991:
* The CAC was re-designated as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , while women's programs became part of the SCAC, beginning in the 1991–92 academic year.
* Hendrix College joined the SCAC in the 1991–92 academic year.
1994:
* Fisk left the SCAC to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as an Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
* Southwestern University of Texas joined the SCAC in the 1994–95 academic year.
1998 – DePauw University joined the SCAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
2006:
* Rose–Hulman left the SCAC again to rejoin the HCAC after the 2005–06 academic year.
** Austin College and Colorado College joined the SCAC in the 2006–07 academic year.
2007 – Birmingham–Southern College joined the SCAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
2011:
* DePauw left the SCAC to join the NCAC after the 2010–11 academic year.
* The University of Dallas joined the SCAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
2012:
* Centre, Rhodes, Sewanee, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Hendrix and Birmingham–Southern left the SCAC, to form the Southern Athletic Association, along with Division III independent schools|NCAA D-III Independent] Berry College, all effective after the 2011–12 academic year.
* The Centenary College of Louisiana joined the SCAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
2013:
* Schreiner University and Texas Lutheran joined the SCAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
* The University of California at Santa Cruz joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2013–14 academic year.
2014 – UC Santa Cruz left the SCAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving after the 2013–14 academic year.
2016 – McMurry University and the University of the Ozarks joined the SCAC as affiliate members for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2016–17 academic year.
2018 – The Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University joined the SCAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 – The University of St. Thomas joined the SCAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
2020 – Johnson & Wales–Denver left the SCAC after the 2019–20 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
2024:
* Concordia University of Texas, McMurry University and the University of the Ozarks joined the SCAC in the 2024–25 academic year.
* Lyon College joined the SCAC as an affiliate member for football in the 2024 season.
2025:
* Trinity and Southwestern left the SCAC to join the Southern Athletic Association after the 2024–25 academic year.
* LeTourneau University joined the SCAC in the 2025–26 academic year.
2026 – McMurry and Schreiner will leave the SCAC to rejoin the ASC after the 2025–26 academic year.
Member schools

Current members

The SCAC currently has 12 full members, all are private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	U.S. News Ranking	Endowment	Nickname	Joined	Colors
Austin College	Sherman, Texas	1849	Presbyterian	1,228	82	$134,746,000	Kangaroos	2006
Centenary College of Louisiana	Shreveport, Louisiana	1825	Methodist Church\|United Methodist]	563	167	$122,482,000	Gentlemen & Ladies	2012
Colorado College	Colorado Springs, Colorado	1874	Nonsectarian	2,266	31	$720,085,000	Tigers	2006
Concordia University Texas	Austin, Texas	1926	Lutheran LCMS	1,200	not ranked	$18,570,000	Tornados	2024
	Irving, Texas	1956	Catholic	2,538	13	$45,630,000	Crusaders	2011
Hendrix College	Conway, Arkansas	1876	United Methodist	1,130		$200,700,000	Warriors	1992; 2025
LeTourneau University	Longview, Texas	1946	Interdenominational	3,758		$10,500,000	Yellowjackets	2025
McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	1923	United Methodist	1,430	15	$84,000,000	War Hawks	2024
	Clarksville, Arkansas	1834	Presbyterian	630	6	$87,540,000	Eagles	2024
	Houston, Texas	1947	Catholic	3,975	26	$78,360,000	Celts	2019
Schreiner University	Kerrville, Texas	1923	Presbyterian	1,103	8	$62,946,000	Mountaineers	2013
Texas Lutheran University	Seguin, Texas	1891	Lutheran ELCA	1,442	3	$89,986,000	Bulldogs	2013

;Notes:

Affiliate members

The SCAC currently has one affiliate member, also a private school.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	SCAC sport	Primary conference
Lyon College	Batesville, Arkansas	1872	Presbyterian	496	Scots	2024	Football	St. Louis

;Notes:

Former members

The SCAC had 18 former full members, all were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
Birmingham–Southern College	Birmingham, Alabama	1856	United Methodist	1,600	Panthers	2007	2012	Defunct
Centre College	Danville, Kentucky	1819	Presbyterian	1,215	Colonels	1962	2012	Southern
DePauw University	Greencastle, Indiana	1837	Episcopal Church\|Methodist]	2,400	Tigers	1998	2011	North Coast
Earlham College	Richmond, Indiana	1847	Quakers	1,181	Quakers	1984	1989	Heartland
Fisk University	Nashville, Tennessee	1866	United Church of Christ	800	Bulldogs	1983	1994	HBCU
Hendrix College	Conway, Arkansas	1876	United Methodist	1,400	Warriors	1992	2012	Southern
Illinois College	Jacksonville, Illinois	1829	UCC & PCUSA	1,000	Blueboys & Lady Blues	1980	1983	Midwest
Johnson & Wales University–Denver	Denver, Colorado	1914	Nonsectarian	1,291	Wildcats	2018	2020	Defunct
Millsaps College	Jackson, Mississippi	1890	United Methodist	1,146	Majors	1989	2012	Southern
Oglethorpe University	Atlanta, Georgia	1835	Nondenominational	1,000	Stormy Petrels	1991	2012	Southern
Principia College	Elsah, Illinois	1910	Scientist	550	Panthers	1974	1984	St. Louis
Rhodes College	Memphis, Tennessee	1848	Presbyterian	1,690	Lynx	1962	2012	Southern
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	Terre Haute, Indiana	1874	Nonsectarian	1,970	Fightin' Engineers	1974, 1998	1989, 2006	Heartland
Sewanee: The University of the South	Sewanee, Tennessee	1857	Episcopal	1,383	Tigers	1962	2012	Southern
Southwestern University	Georgetown, Texas	1840	United Methodist	1,536	Pirates	1994	2025	Southern
Trinity University	San Antonio, Texas	1869	Nonsectarian	2,703	Tigers	1989	2025	Southern
Washington and Lee University	Lexington, Virginia	1749	Nonsectarian	2,203	Generals	1962	1973	Old Dominion
Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri	1853	Nonsectarian	14,070	Bears	1962	1972	University

;Notes:

Former affiliate members

The SCAC had three former affiliate members, all but one were private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	SCAC sport	Primary conference
McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	1923	United Methodist	1,430	War Hawks	2014	2024	Men's swimming & diving	Southern
McMurry University	Abilene, Texas	1923	United Methodist	1,430	War Hawks	2014	2024	Women's swimming & diving	Southern
University of the Ozarks	Clarksville, Arkansas	1834	Presbyterian	630	Eagles	2016	2024	Men's swimming & diving	Southern
University of the Ozarks	Clarksville, Arkansas	1834	Presbyterian	630	Eagles	2016	2024	Women's swimming & diving	Southern
University of California, Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz, California	1965	Public	19,700	Banana Slugs	2013	2014	Men's swimming & diving	Coast to Coast
University of California, Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz, California	1965	Public	19,700	Banana Slugs	2013	2014	Women's swimming & diving	Coast to Coast

;Notes:

Membership timeline

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id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
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bar:1 color:Full from:1962 till:2012 text:Centre
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bar:4 color:Full from:1962 till:1973 text:Washington and Lee
bar:5 color:Full from:1962 till:1972 text:Washington
bar:6 color:Full from:1974 till:1989 text:RHIT
bar:6 color:Full from:1998 till:2006 text:
bar:7 color:Full from:1974 till:1984 text:Principia
bar:8 color:Full from:1980 till:1983 text:Illinois College
bar:9 color:Full from:1983 till:1994 text:Fisk
bar:10 color:Full from:1984 till:1989 text:Earlham
bar:11 color:Full from:1989 till:2012 text:Millsaps
bar:12 color:Full from:1989 till:2017 text:Trinity
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bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2012 text:Oglethorpe
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bar:15 color:Full from:2013 till:2017
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2017 till:2025
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bar:17 color:FullxF from:2017 till:2024
bar:18 color:Full from:2006 till:2009 text:Colorado College
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bar:19 color:Full from:2007 till:2012 text:Birmingham–Southern
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:Dallas
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2024 text:Centenary
bar:21 color:Full from:2024 till:end
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2026 text:Schreiner
bar:23 color:Full from:2013 till:2017 text:Texas Lutheran
bar:23 color:FullxF from:2017 till:2024
bar:23 color:Full from:2024 till:end
bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:2014 text:UC Santa Cruz
bar:25 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:2024 text:McMurry
bar:25 color:Full from:2024 till:2026
bar:26 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:end text:Ozarks
bar:26 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end
bar:27 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2020 text:Johnson & Wales
bar:28 color:FullxF from:2019 till:end text:St. Thomas
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Concordia
bar:30 color:AssocF from:2024 till:end text:Lyon
bar:31 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:LeTourneau
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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 no longer have enough participants 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 or the Southern Athletic Association. On July 21, 2018, the conference announced that men's and women's lacrosse would once again be offered as conference sports, and made a commitment to holding an eSports championship in 2019. With only four schools fielding women's lacrosse teams, and five men's, the conference champions will not qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
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 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 Tigers men's ice hockey|men's ice hockey] and women's soccer—do not compete in the SCAC.
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 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 2011–12 season except for football, which will join for the 2012 season.
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.
The May 10, 2011 issue of the DePauw college newspaper, The DePauw, reported that four schools 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. As the two reasons were somewhat exclusive, 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 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. 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. Two more ASC schools joined the SCAC for the 2013–14 season: Schreiner University announced their decision on January 23, 2012, and on February 16, 2012, Texas Lutheran University announced it too would join the SCAC.
Football was no longer be sponsored by the SCAC as of the 2017–18 school year. The conference had four schools playing in 2015 and 2016: Texas Lutheran University, Austin College, Southwestern University and Trinity University. Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University will play football as affiliates in the ASC, while Austin College and Trinity University will be affiliates of the Southern Athletic Association.
A much-needed travel partner for isolated Colorado College will join the conference in 2018. On February 21, 2017, the conference announced that the Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University would join the conference as it transitions from the NAIA to NCAA Division III, after the school's "exploratory year" in 2017–18. It is expected that the school will not be eligible for conference championships or NCAA playoff bids until the transition to Division III is complete, per typical NCAA practice. The conference has already announced plans to pursue a tenth institution to better balance travel and scheduling requirements.
On February 14, 2018, the University of St. Thomas - Houston announced it would become the SCAC's 10th member after completing an exploratory year in Division III. SCAC competition would begin in the 2019–2020 season.
On June 25, 2020, Johnson & Wales University announced that it would close its Denver campus at the end of the 2020–21 school year due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and would accept no new students at that campus effective immediately. The following day, the Denver athletic program was shut down.
On October 31, 2022, the conference announced that McMurry University, currently an affiliate in Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving, will join the conference as a full member starting with the 2024–25 season, becoming the latest school to leave the American Southwest Conference for the SCAC. As McMurry offers football, there was speculation that the conference might once again sponsor the sport; two days later, the conference announced it would reinstate football in 2024 as long as at least four members agree to participate in SCAC play. Austin, Southwestern, Texas Lutheran, and Trinity all are affiliated with other conferences for football and will have to complete any commitments before returning to the SCAC; in addition to McMurry, Centenary and Schreiner have nascent programs which could be ready to compete by 2024. Finally the SCAC also announced that Lyon College will join as an associate for football only in 2024. The conference expects Lyon, Austin, Centenary, and McMurry at a minimum in 2024 with the other schools having until 2026 to return to SCAC play. The conference's football champion will not earn an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs until the first year six teams participate in SCAC competition.
On March 9, 2023, the conference's plans to restart football were somewhat complicated by the announcement that Trinity and Southwestern would leave the SCAC in favor of the Southern Athletic Association with the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. While the conference will retain enough football-playing schools to receive an automatic bid, it may give the conference reason to join forces with the American Southwest Conference, which by that time will only have four schools participating in the sport and thus lack the minimum number of teams to receive an automatic playoff bid.

Sports

The SCAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Esports
Football
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Swimming & Diving
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball

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 2021–22 school year, the President's Trophy was awarded to Trinity University for the 22nd time, and eleventh-straight season, both conference records. The 174.5-point margin of victory was the third-largest in conference history.

NCAA national championship teams and individuals

SCAC members have won a total of ten NCAA team championships and 35 individual championships.
Team champions:

1999–00: Men's Tennis ; Women's Tennis
2002–03: Women's Basketball, Men's Soccer
2006–07: Women's Basketball
2008–09: Men's Golf
2011–12: Men's Golf
2013–14: Men's Golf
2015-16: Men's Baseball
2018-19: Women's Softball

Individual champions:

1979–80: Men's 400 IM
1981-82: Men's cross country
1983–84: Men's javelin, outdoor
1984–85: Men's javelin, outdoor
1985–86: Men's javelin, outdoor
1995–96: Women's tennis, singles
1996–97: Women's tennis, singles ; Women's tennis, doubles
1997–98: Men's pole vault, indoor
1999–00: Women's 1500 meters, indoor ; Women's 1500 meters, outdoor
2002–03: Men's 100 breaststroke
2003–04: Women's high jump, outdoor
2004–05: Women's high jump, indoor ; Women's high jump, outdoor
2005–06: Women's high jump, outdoor
2006–07: Women's tennis, singles
2008–09: Men's pentathlon, indoor ; Men's golf, medalist ; Men's triple jump, outdoor
2009–10: Men's pentathlon, indoor ; Men's triple jump, indoor ; Men's triple jump, outdoor ; Women's 1-meter diving ; Women's 3-meter diving
2010–11: Men's triple jump, indoor ; Men's golf, medalist
2011–12: Women's 60 meter hurdles, indoor ; Men's 200 freestyle ; Women's 3-meter diving ; Men's golf, medalist ; Women's 100 meter hurdles, outdoor
2013–14: Men's 100 freestyle
2016-17: Men's 400 meter run, indoor
2023-24: Women's 400 meter individual medley

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 Learfield IMG College Directors' 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 2004–05 when it placed fourth. Trinity again led the way in 2021–22 when it placed 20th nationally; Colorado College, at 102nd, was the next school among 327 ranked institutions.

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. The university 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. 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.