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What is the SCAC? | SCAC Academic Profile | History of SCAC | Member Schools | Sports Sponsorship | SCAC Organization | NCAA Division III | 2006-07 Organizational Directory | SCAC School Profiles | SCAC Staff
What is the SCAC?
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.
The SCAC is currently comprised of Austin College of Sherman, Texas;
Birmingham-Southern College of Birmingham, Alabama; Centre College of Danville, Kentucky;
Colorado College of Colorado Springs, Colorado; DePauw University of Greencastle, Indiana; Hendrix College of Conway, Arkansas; Millsaps
College of Jackson, Mississippi; Oglethorpe University of Atlanta, Georgia;
Rhodes College of Memphis, Tennessee; The University of the South of Sewanee, Tennessee; Southwestern University of Georgetown, Texas; and Trinity University of San Antonio, Texas. The SCAC office is located in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.
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SCAC Academic Profile
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and its member institutions are committed to maintaining high academic standards. The member institutions are committed to the principle that a quality college athletics program is beneficial to the well-being of an institution in that it benefits the entire campus community as well as the student-athletes.
With 11 of the 12 member institutions maintaining Phi Beta Kappa chapters on their campuses, the SCAC boasts some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation. SCAC schools are consistently ranked among the top 50 colleges and universities in the nation in such respected publications as Barron's, Peterson's, Princeton Review and National Review College Guide.
SCAC member institutions maintain consistent enrollments through very selective admissions standards and continuing quality education.
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History of the SCAC
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) was founded and began operation on September 1, 1962, as the College Athletic Conference (CAC). Centre College of Danville, Kentucky; Southwestern at Memphis (Tennessee) (now known as Rhodes College); The University of the South of Sewanee, Tennessee; and Washington and Lee University of Lexington, Virginia, were the four charter members of the conference. Later in 1962, Washington University of St. Louis, Missouri, became the fifth member and the CAC remained unchanged until 1972.
Following membership changes throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the conference went through restructuring and renaming. With the addition of Millsaps College of Jackson, Mississippi, and Trinity University of San Antonio, Texas, in 1988 and Hendrix College of Conway, Arkanasas,
and Oglethorpe University of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1991, membership reached a
then all-time high of eight. In 1991, the conference renamed itself the Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference, its first full-time commissioner Steve Argo was
hired, and a conference office was established in Atlanta, Georgia. The SCAC
added Southwestern University of Georgetown, Texas, in 1993 with participation
beginning in the 1994-95 academic year. In 1997-98, the SCAC added DePauw
University of Greencastle, Indiana, with participation beginning in 1998-99.
Just this past year, Austin College of Sherman, Texas and Colorado College of
Colorado Springs, Colorado, were confirmed as members of the league with
participation beginning in the 2006-07 academic year. Birmingham-Southern
College of Birmingham, Alabama, has been approved as the 12th member of the SCAC
with play in 2007-08.
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Member
|
Year of First Competition |
|
Austin College |
2006 |
|
Birmingham-Southern College |
2007 |
|
Centre College
|
1962
|
|
Colorado College |
2006 |
|
DePauw University
|
1998 |
|
Hendrix College
|
1992 |
|
Millsaps College
|
1989 |
|
Oglethorpe University
|
1991
|
|
Rhodes College
|
1962
|
|
The University of the South-Sewanee
|
1962
|
|
Southwestern University
|
1994
|
|
Trinity University
|
1989
|
|
Former Members
|
|
|
Earlham College
|
1984-89
|
|
Fisk University
|
1983-94
|
|
Illinois College
|
1980-83
|
|
Principia College
|
1974-85
|
|
Rose Hulman Institute of Technology |
1974-1989; 1998-2006 |
|
Washington University
|
1962-72
|
|
Washington & Lee University
|
1962-73
|
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Sports Sponsorship
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) sponsors conference championships in 19
sports, including nine for men and 10 for women. The SCAC currently hosts conference championships in
baseball,
men's
basketball, women's
basketball, men's
cross country, women's cross
country, field hockey,
football,
men's
golf,
women's
golf, men's soccer,
women's soccer,
softball,
men's
swimming and diving,
women's swimming and
diving,
men's
tennis,
women's
tennis,
men's
outdoor track,
women's outdoor
track, and women's
volleyball.
(Click
on the underlined text to go to that sport's home page).
The fall season includes championships in men's and women's cross country, field
hockey, football, men's and women's soccer, and women's
volleyball. The winter is highlighted by men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's swimming and
diving. The spring season is capped off with the annual SCAC Spring Sports Festival, which includes championships in
baseball, men's and women's golf, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's outdoor track.The SCAC annually sends numerous teams and individuals to NCAA
championships with success, including 54 teams in 2006-07.
In the days when the league was known at the College Athletic Conference (CAC),
Chris Trapp of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology won the men's javelin at
the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field national championships three straight years
(1984-1986).
Nao Kinoshita of Rhodes College won the 1996 Division III women's tennis singles title,
capturing the first individual national title in the SCAC era.
Kinoshita also won the 1997 singles title and combined with Taylor Tarver to capture the '97 doubles title. Ryan
Loftus of Rose-Hulman captured the men's pole vault title at the 1998 Indoor
Track & Field championships. Heather
Stone of University of the South-Sewanee claimed both the women's indoor and
outdoor 1,500 meter titles in 2000. And later that same season, the league claimed its first team national championships as Trinity
University won both
the men's and women's tennis titles. In the winter of 2003, Matt Smith of Rose-Hulman won the 100 yard breaststroke at the Division III men's
national swimming championships, and Trinity captured the women's basketball
championship - all in the same weekend. In 2003, the Trinity men's soccer team
gave the league title #4, and the DePauw women's basketball team became the
fifth team from the conference to win a national championship when it
captured the 2006-07 Division III title.
Trinity's Christyn Schumann won the women's high jump
at three consecutive NCAA Outdoor Track & Field national championships
(2004-06), and Liz Bondi of DePauw captured the
16th individual national championship won by a CAC/SCAC student-athlete when
she won the 2007 women's tennis singles title.
A bell, donated by the Norfolk and Western Railway, was adopted as the SCAC's "President's Trophy" and serves as the symbol for the conference. The
President's Trophy is displayed for one year on the campus of the school with the combined men's and women's athletics program that accumulates the highest points total in the all-sports race established by the conference. The bell is awarded at the conclusion of the Spring Sports Festival.
SCAC member institutions are committed to sponsoring a variety of varsity sports to maximize opportunities for student participation. SCAC schools also operate under the principle that participation in sports should be solely from student interest and enjoyment of athletic competition, and that no financial aid shall be given to any student which is conditional upon athletic ability or participation in intercollegiate sports.
SCAC member institutions support students in their efforts to reach high levels of performance by providing them with adequate facilities, competent coaching and appropriate competitive opportunities with students from similar institutions.
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SCAC Organization
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) is governed by the chief executive officers of the member institutions. This group is known as the Board of Directors, which meets twice a year and is ultimately responsible for all policies of the SCAC.
The Athletics Directors Council is comprised of the senior male and female athletics administrators at each member institution. This Council meets twice a year and makes recommendations on legislation to the Board of Directors and accepts reports from the Sports Councils.
The Sports Councils represent the 19 sports sponsored in the conference and includes the head coach, head athletic trainer
and sports information director at each member institution. Each Sports Council meets annually to discuss policies and make recommendations to the Athletics Directors Council.
The commissioner serves as the executive director and is responsible for assisting in the development, coordination and implementation of the conference's policies. The commissioner's office is also responsible for providing publicity and coordination the public and media relations of the conference through the
assistant commissioner for communications..
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NCAA Division III
Colleges and universities in NCAA Division III place highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience. In so doing, they seek to strengthen the integration of objectives and programs in athletics with academic and developmental objectives and to assure the integration of athletes with other students.
Division III member institutions place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on spectators and place greater emphasis on the students, alumni and special friends than on the general public and its entertainment needs. Athletics programs in Division III are controlled, financed and staffed through the same general procedures as other departments of the institution. These programs also ensure that participants receive the same treatment as other students in that they have no unique privileges in admissions, academic advising, course selection, grading, living accommodations or financial aid.
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