Appalachian Athletic Conference Explained

Appalachian Athletic Conference
Founded:	2000
Association:	NAIA
Teams:	16
Sports:	24
Mens:	13
Womens:	11
Region:	Southeastern United States
Headquarters:	Asheville, North Carolina
Commissioner:	Bill Popp^[1]
Website:	aacsports.com
Map:	AppAC conference map.png
Map Size:	250

The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).^[2] Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.^[2]

History

The conference is the successor to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC), which began in the 1940s;^[2] and later the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference (TVAC) that operated during the 1980s and 1990s.^[2] The Appalachian Athletic Conference was formed in 2000 with the additions of members from Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.^[2] In 2019 the conference added Kentucky Christian University as a full member and Savannah College of Art and Design as an associate member in men's and women's lacrosse.

Bluefield College was a member of the AAC from 2000 until 2012 when it left to join the Mid-South Conference. On March 3, 2014, Bluefield announced that it would return to the AAC in fall 2014.^[3]

Chronological timeline

• 2000 - In 2000, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) was founded from the remnants of the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference (TVAC). Charter members included Bryan College, Brevard College, Covenant College, King College (now King University), Milligan College (now Milligan University), Tennessee Wesleyan College (now Tennessee Wesleyan University), Virginia Intermont College, and the University of Virginia–Wise (UVA Wise); as well as the additions of Alice Lloyd College, Bluefield College (now Bluefield University), and Montreat College, beginning the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2002 - Union College (now Union Commonwealth University) joined the AAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
• 2005 - Alice Lloyd left the AAC to re-join the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC; now the River States 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 (NCAA) as an NCAA D-II Independent (to later join the South Atlantic Conference, beginning in the 2008–09 academic year) after the 2005–06 academic year.
• 2009 - Covenant left the AAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an NCAA D-III Independent (to later join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC), beginning the 2010–11 academic year) after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2009 - King (TN) left the AAC to become an NAIA Independent (to later join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2010–11 academic year; before join Conference Carolinas, beginning the 2011–12 academic year) after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2009 - Reinhardt College (now Reinhardt University) joined the AAC in the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2010 - UVa Wise left the AAC to join the Mid-South Conference (MSC) after the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2011 - Columbia College and Point University (formerly 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 (formerly St. Andrews Presbyterian College) 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 announced its closure after the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2014 - Bluefield returned to 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 (2015–16 academic year).
• 2016 - West Virginia University Institute of Technology (West Virginia Tech or WVU Tech) 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.
  • Georgetown College joined the AAC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse, while West Virginia Tech added men's wrestling to its AAC affiliate membership, both effective in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018
  • Cumberlands (KY) and Georgetown (KY) left the AAC as affiliate members for women's lacrosse to compete in their primary home conference in the Mid-South (where they began sponsoring that sport) after the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 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 in mid-season after the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
  • 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 (2019–20 academic year).
• 2020
  • Allen left the AAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and to re-join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) 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 (2020–21 academic year).
• 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 (2021–22 academic year).
• 2022
  • Seven institutions joined the AAC as affiliate members: Life University for men's volleyball and men's wrestling; Warner University and Webber International for men's volleyball; Keiser, Brewton-Parker College, St. Thomas University, and Southeastern University for men's wrestling, beginning the 2022–23 academic year.
  • The AAC began to sponsor football, with core members Bluefield, Kentucky Christian, Point, Reinhardt, St. Andrews, and Union (KY) in the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year).
• 2023
  • Point left the AAC to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) after the 2023–24 academic year. Their football team remains in the AAC as an affiliate member.
  • The University of Pikeville joined the AAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2025
  • Kentucky Christian will leave the AAC to join the River States Conference (RSC) after the 2024–25 academic year.
  • Spartanburg Methodist College will join the AAC as a full member in the 2025 season.
  • The University of Rio Grande will join the AAC as an affiliate member for football in the 2025 season (2025–26 academic year).

Member schools

Current members

The AAC currently has 16 full members, all are private schools. It is the largest conference in the NAIA:^[4]

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Basketball?
Bluefield University	Bluefield, Virginia	1922	Baptist	965	Rams	2000; 2014	both
Brenau University	Gainesville, Georgia	1878	Nonsectarian	2,551	Golden Tigers	2017	women's
Bryan College	Dayton, Tennessee	1930	Nondenominational	1,587	Lions	2000	both
Columbia College	Columbia, South Carolina	1854	United Methodist	1,376	Koalas	2011	both
Columbia International University	Columbia, South Carolina	1923	Christian	2,338	Rams	2018	both
Johnson University	Kimberlin Heights and Knoxville, Tennessee	1893	Christian	1,077	Royals	2021	both
Kentucky Christian University	Grayson, Kentucky	1919	Christian	689	Knights	2019	both
Milligan University	Elizabethton, Tennessee	1866	Restoration Movement	1,162	Buffaloes	2000	both
Montreat College	Montreat, North Carolina	1916	Presbyterian	950	Cavaliers	2000	both
	Pikeville, Kentucky	1889	Presbyterian	2,268	Bears	2023	both
Reinhardt University	Waleska, Georgia	1883	United Methodist	1,217	Eagles	2009	both
	Laurinburg, North Carolina	1958	Presbyterian	887	Knights	2012	both
Savannah College of Art and Design at Atlanta	Atlanta, Georgia	2005	Non-profit art school	2,000	Bees	2012	none
nowrap	Tennessee Wesleyan University	Athens, Tennessee	1857	United Methodist	1,108	Bulldogs	2000	both
Truett McConnell University	Cleveland, Georgia	1946	Baptist	2,710	Bears	2013	both
Union Commonwealth University	Barbourville, Kentucky	1879	United Methodist	1,179	Bulldogs	2002	both

Notes:

Future member

The AAC will have one future full member for the 2025–26 school year:

Notes:

Affiliate members

The AAC currently has ten affiliate members, all but one are private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	AAC sport	Primary conference
Brewton–Parker College^[6]	Mount Vernon, Georgia	1904	Baptist	893	Barons	2022		Southern States (SSAC)
Keiser University	West Palm Beach, Florida	1927	Nonsectarian	19,861	Seahawks	2021		The Sun
						2022
Life University	Marietta, Georgia	1974	Nonsectarian	2,786	Running Eagles	2022		Southern States (SSAC)
Point University	West Point, Georgia	1937	Christian	1,946	Skyhawks	2023	Football	Southern States (SSAC)
Savannah College of Art and Design at Savannah	Savannah, Georgia	1978	Non-profit art school	15,704	Bees	2019		The Sun
	Miami Gardens, Florida	1961	Catholic	5,888	Bobcats	2022		The Sun
Southeastern University^[7]	Lakeland, Florida	1935	Assemblies of God	9,365	Fire	2022		The Sun
	Williamsburg, Kentucky	1887	Nondenominational	19,272	Patriots	2015		Mid-South (MSC)
Warner University	Lake Wales, Florida	1968	Church of God	978	Royals	2022		The Sun
Webber International University	Babson Park, Florida	1927	Nonsectarian	857	Warriors	2020		The Sun
						2022
West Virginia University Institute of Technology	Beckley, West Virginia	1895	Public	1,645	Golden Bears	2016		River States (RSC)
						2017

Notes:

Future affiliate members

The AAC has one future affiliate member, which operates public and private institutions within a single entity.

Former members

The AAC had eight former full members, all but one were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Subsequent conference(s)	Current conference
Alice Lloyd College	Pippa Passes, Kentucky	1925	Nondenominational	613	Eagles	2000	2005	River States (RSC) (2005–present)
Allen University	Columbia, South Carolina	1870	A.M.E. Church	621	Yellow Jackets	2016	2020	Southern (SIAC) (2020–present)
Brevard College	Brevard, North Carolina	1853	United Methodist	779	Tornados	2000	2006	D-II Independent (2006–07) South Atlantic (SAC) (2007–17)	USA South (2017–present)
Covenant College	Lookout Mountain, Georgia	1955	Presbyterian	914	Scots	2000	2009	various	C.C. of the South (CCS) (2022–present)
King College	Bristol, Tennessee	1867	Presbyterian	1,658	Tornados	2000	2009	NAIA Independent (2009–10) D-II Independent (2010–11)	Carolinas (CC) (2011–present)
Point University	West Point, Georgia	1937	Christian	1,946	Skyhawks	2011	2023	Southern States (SSAC) (2023–present)
Virginia Intermont College	Bristol, Virginia	1884	Baptist	N/A	Cobras	2000	2014	Closed in 2014
	Wise, Virginia	1954	Public	1,844	nowrap	Highland Cavaliers	2000	2010	various	South Atlantic (SAC) (2019–present)

Notes:

Former affiliate members

The AAC had three former affiliate members, all private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	AAC sport(s)	Primary conference
Asbury University	Wilmore, Kentucky	1890	Christian	1,720	Eagles	2015	2019		C.C. of the South (CCS)
							2021
						2016
	Williamsburg, Kentucky	1887	Nondenominational	19,272	Patriots	2015	2018		Mid-South (MSC)
Georgetown College	Georgetown, Kentucky	1829	Baptist	1,625	Tigers	2017	2018		Mid-South (MSC)

Notes:

Membership timeline

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bar:1 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2005 text:Alice Lloyd (2000–2005) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end text:River States

bar:2 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2012 text:Bluefield (2000–2012) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2014 text:Mid-South bar:2 color:FullxF from:2014 till:2022 text:(2014–present) bar:2 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:

bar:3 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:Bryan (2000–present)

bar:4 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2006 text:Brevard (2000–2006) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:end text:D-II Ind. bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2017 text:South Atlantic bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text:USA South

bar:5 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2009 text:Covenant (2000–2009) bar:5 shift:(-20) color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:2010 text:D-III Ind. bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:2010 till:2012 text:Great South bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2013 text:D-III Ind. bar:5 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2022 text:USA South bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:C.C. of the South

bar:6 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2009 text:King (Tenn.) (2000–2009) bar:6 shift:(-20) color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:2010 text:NAIA Ind. bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2010 till:2011 text:D-II Ind. bar:6 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text:Carolinas

bar:7 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:Milligan (2000–present)

bar:8 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:Montreat (2000–present)

bar:9 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:Tennessee Wesleyan (2000–present)

bar:10 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2014 text:Virginia Intermont (2000–2014)

bar:11 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2010 text:UVa Wise (2000–2010) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2012 text:Mid-South bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text:G-MAC bar:11 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2019 text:Mountain East bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2019 till:end text:South Atlantic

bar:12 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2022 text:Union (Ky.)/Union Commonwealth (2002–present) bar:12 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:

bar:13 color:FullxF from:2009 till:2022 text:Reinhardt (2009–present) bar:13 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:Columbia (S.C.) (2011–present)

bar:15 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2022 text:Point (2011–2023) bar:15 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 text: bar:15 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:(football, 2023–present)

bar:16 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2022 text:St. Andrews (2012–present) bar:16 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:Savannah A&D–Atlanta (2012–present)

bar:18 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Truett–McConnell (2013–present)

bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2021 text:Asbury (m. lacrosse, 2015–2019; w. lacrosse, m./w. swimming, 2015–2021)

bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:end text:Cumberlands (Ky.) (m. lacrosse, 2015–present; w. lacrosse, 2015–2018)

bar:21 color:FullxF from:2016 till:2020 text:Allen (2016–2020) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:SIAC

bar:22 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:end text:West Virginia Tech (m./w. swimming, 2016–present; m. wrestling, 2017–present)

bar:23 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:Brenau (2017–present)

bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2018 text:Georgetown (Ky.) (w. lacrosse, 2017–2018)

bar:25 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Columbia International (2018–present)

bar:26 color:FullxF from:2019 till:2022 text:Kentucky Christian (2019–2025) bar:26 color:Full from:2022 till:2025 text:

bar:27 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Savannah A&D–Savannah (m./w. lacrosse, 2019–present)

bar:28 shift:(-100) color:AssocOS from:2020 till:end text:Webber International (m. lacrosse, 2020–present; m. volleyball, 2022–present)

bar:29 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:Johnson–Tennessee (2021–present)

bar:30 shift:(-70) color:AssocOS from:2021 till:end text:Keiser (m. lacrosse, 2021–present; m. wrestling, 2022–present)

bar:31 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Brewton–Parker (m. wrestling, 2022–present)

bar:32 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Life (m. volleyball, m. wrestling, 2022–present)

bar:33 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:St. Thomas (Fla.) (m. wrestling, 2022–present)

bar:34 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Southeastern (Fla.) (m. wrestling, 2022–present)

bar:35 shift:(-30) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Warner (m. volleyball, 2022–present)

bar:36 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:Pikeville (2023–present)

bar:37 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Spartanburg Methodist (2025–future)

bar:38 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:Rio Grande (football, 2025–future)

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1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

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Conference sports

The Appalachian Athletic Conference currently fields 24 sports (13 men's and 11 women's):

Men's	Women's
Football
Swimming

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bill Popp . aacsports.com . Appalachian Athletic Conference . 15 November 2023 . en.
2. Web site: NAIA. NAIA Conference Profile: Appalachian Athletic Conference. July 3, 2011.
3. Web site: Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Bluefield College returns to Appalachian Athletic Conference. March 5, 2014.
4. Web site: AAC OFFICIALLY WELCOMES KCU TO LEAGUE, BECOMES LARGEST CONFERENCE IN NAIA. Appalachian Athletic Conference. July 2, 2019.
5. Web site: Spartanburg Methodist College to Join AAC as Full Member in 2025-26. aacsports.com. July 17, 2024. July 30, 2024.
6. https://www.aacsports.com/general/2021-22/releases/20210917fqr17i AAC Welcome 5 New Affiliates, Adds Men's Volleyball as Championship Sport for 2022-23 - Appalachian Athletic Conference Athletics
7. https://fire.seu.edu/news/2021/10/4/fire-wrestling-to-move-to-appalachian-athletic-conference.aspx Fire Wrestling to Move to Appalachian Athletic Conference - Southeastern University Athletics
8. Web site: University of Rio Grande Adding Football in Fall ‘25. Dannelly. Jason. victorysportsnetwork.co. April 23, 2024. April 23, 2024.