Appalachian Athletic Conference Explained
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 (Tenn.) 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 re-joined back 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) 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.
- 2017 - 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.
- 2018 - 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).
- 2019 - Kentucky Christian University joined the AAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2019 - 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.
- 2020 - 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.
- 2021 - The Tennessee campus of Johnson University joined the AAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
- 2021 - 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. Point announced its departure from the conference in 2023–24 for the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) and was replaced by University of Pikeville from Mid-South. 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).
- 2025 - The University of Rio Grande will join the AAC as an affiliate member for football in the 2025 season (2025–26 academic year). Spartanburg Methodist College will join the AAC as a full member in the 2025 season.
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 | women's
(both starting in 2024–25) |
| 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, also a private school.
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 two former affiliate members, both were private schools:
- Notes:
Membership timeline
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PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
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–present) bar:26 color:Full from:2022 till:end 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)
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TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Appalachian Athletic Conference membership history"
- > 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):
Notes and References
- Web site: Bill Popp . aacsports.com . Appalachian Athletic Conference . 15 November 2023 . en.
- Web site: NAIA. NAIA Conference Profile: Appalachian Athletic Conference. July 3, 2011.
- Web site: Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Bluefield College returns to Appalachian Athletic Conference. March 5, 2014.
- Web site: AAC OFFICIALLY WELCOMES KCU TO LEAGUE, BECOMES LARGEST CONFERENCE IN NAIA. Appalachian Athletic Conference. July 2, 2019.
- Web site: Spartanburg Methodist College to Join AAC as Full Member in 2025-26. aacsports.com. July 17, 2024. July 30, 2024.
- 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
- 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
- Web site: University of Rio Grande Adding Football in Fall ‘25. Dannelly. Jason. victorysportsnetwork.co. April 23, 2024. April 23, 2024.
