River States Conference Explained
River States Conference |
Color: | - 003f7f
|
Font Color: | white |
Founded: | 1916 |
Association: | NAIA |
Teams: | 12 |
Sports: | 17 |
Mens: | 8 |
Womens: | 9 |
Region: | Eastern |
Headquarters: | Middletown, Ohio |
Commissioner: | Michael Schell |
Since: | March 15, 2018 |
Map: | River States Conference map.svg |
Map Size: | 250 |
The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historically a Kentucky-only conference, it has now expanded to include members in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, and at various times in the past has also had members in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
History
In March 2016, the KIAC announced it would change its name to the River States Conference, effective July 1, 2016, to better reflect its membership, which has expanded beyond Kentucky and now includes members in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.[1]
Chronological timeline
- 1916 – The River States Conference was founded as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). Charter members included Berea College, Centre College, Georgetown College, Kentucky Wesleyan College, the University of Louisville, Ogden College, Transylvania University, and Western Kentucky State Teachers College (now Western Kentucky University) beginning with the 1916–17 academic year.
- 1927
- Ogden left the KIAC as the school announced that it would merge with Western Kentucky after the 1926–27 academic year.
- Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College (now Eastern Kentucky University) joined the KIAC in the 1927–28 academic year.
- 1931 – Morehead State Teachers College (now Morehead State University) joined the KIAC in the 1931–32 academic year.
- 1933 – Murray State Teachers College (now Murray State University) and Union College (now Union Commonwealth University) joined the KIAC in the 1933–34 academic year.
- 1948 – Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, and Western Kentucky left the KIAC to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) major-college ranks and to form most of the charter members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) after the 1947–48 academic year.
- 1951 – Bellarmine College (now Bellarmine University) joined the KIAC in the 1951–52 academic year.
- 1955
- Kentucky Wesleyan left the KIAC after the 1954–55 academic year.
- Thomas More College (now Thomas More University) joined the KIAC in the 1955–56 academic year.
- 1958 – Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) joined the KIAC in the 1958–59 academic year.
- 1962 – Centre (KY) left the KIAC to join the College Athletic Conference after the 1961–62 academic year.
- 1964
- Bellarmine left the KIAC after the 1963–64 academic year.
- Campbellsville College (now Campbellsville University) and Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) joined the KIAC in the 1964–65 academic year.
- 1968 – Oakland City College (now Oakland City University) joined the KIAC in the 1968–69 academic year.
- 1971
- 1975 – Oakland City left the KIAC after the 1974–75 academic year.
- 1983 – Alice Lloyd College joined the KIAC in the 1983–84 academic year.
- 1984 – Brescia College (now Brescia University) and Lindsey Wilson College joined the KIAC in the 1984–85 academic year.
- 1991
- 1992
- Alice Lloyd left the KIAC to join the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference (TVAC) after the 1991–92 academic year.
- Spalding University joined the KIAC in the 1992–93 academic year.
- 1994
- UVA Wise left the KIAC to become an independent within the NAIA (which would later join the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference (TVAC) beginning the 1995–96 academic year) after the 1993–94 academic year.
- Indiana University Southeast (athletically IU Southeast or IUS) joined the KIAC in the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1995 – Campbellsville, Georgetown (KY), and Union (KY) left the KIAC to form part as charter members of the Mid-South Conference after the 1994–95 academic year.
- 1999 – Bethel College of Tennessee (now Bethel University of Tennessee) joined the KIAC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
- 2000
- Lindsey Wilson and Pikeville left the KIAC to join the Mid-South after the 1999–2000 academic year.
- Mid-Continent University joined the KIAC in the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2001 – Transylvania left the KIAC to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) after the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2003 – The St. Louis College of Pharmacy (SLCP) joined the KIAC in the 2003–04 academic year.
- 2005 – Alice Lloyd re-joined the KIAC in the 2005–06 academic year.
- 2006 – Bethel (TN) and Mid-Continent left the KIAC after the 2005–06 academic year.
- 2007
- 2008 – Cincinnati Christian University joined the KIAC in the 2008–09 academic year.
- 2012
- Mountain State left the KIAC as the school announced that it would close after the 2011–12 academic year.
- Carlow University and Point Park University joined the KIAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2013 – Indiana University Kokomo (athletically IU Kokomo) joined the KIAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2014
- Two institutions left the KIAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Berea left the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an independent (which would later join the USA South Athletic Conference (USA South) beginning the 2017–18 academic year), and UHSP St. Louis to join the American Midwest Conference, both effective after the 2013–14 academic year.
- Rio Grande rejoined the KIAC in the 2014–15 academic year.
- 2015 – Ohio Christian University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech or West Virginia Tech) joined the KIAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2016 – The KIAC was rebranded as the River States Conference (RSC) in the 2016–17 academic year.
- 2019 – Cincinnati Christian left the RSC as the school announced that it would close at the end of the fall 2019 semester during the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2020 – Oakland City rejoined the RSC in the 2020–21 academic year.
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023 – Ohio Christian announced it would leave the RSC and the NAIA to fully align with the Division I ranks of the NCCAA after the 2023–24 academic year.[3]
- 2024 – Point Park announced it would leave the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Mountain East Conference after the 2023–24 academic year.[4]
Member schools
Current members
The River States currently has twelve full members, equally split between public and private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
---|
Alice Lloyd College | Pippa Passes, Kentucky | 1923 | Nondenominational | 600 | Eagles | 1983; 2005 |
Brescia University | Owensboro, Kentucky | 1925 | Catholic
| 1,100 | Bearcats | 1984 |
Indiana University Columbus (IU Columbus) | Columbus, Indiana | 1970 | Public | 1,411 | Crimson Pride | 2023 |
Indiana University East (IU East) | Richmond, Indiana | 1971 | Public | 2,700 | Red Wolves | 2007 |
Indiana University Kokomo (IU Kokomo) | Kokomo, Indiana | 1945 | Public | 3,719 | Cougars | 2013 |
Indiana University Southeast (IU Southeast) | New Albany, Indiana | 1941 | Public | 6,840 | Grenadiers | 1994 |
Midway University | Midway, Kentucky | 1847 | Disciples of Christ | 1,800 | Eagles | 1991 |
Oakland City University | Oakland City, Indiana | 1885 | Baptist | 2,350 | Mighty Oaks | 1968; 2020 |
| Rio Grande, Ohio | 1876 | Nonsectarian | 1,893 | RedStorm | 1964; 2014 |
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana | 1840 | Catholic
| 1,700 | Pomeroys | 2021 |
Shawnee State University | Portsmouth, Ohio | 1986 | Public | 4,300 | Bears | 2023 |
West Virginia University Institute of Technology | Beckley, West Virginia | 1895 | Public | 2,252 | Golden Bears | 2015 | |
- Notes:
Former members
The River States has thirty former full members, all but six were private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used in the final school year each institution was a conference member:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
---|
Asbury University | Wilmore, Kentucky | 1890 | Christian | 1,854 | Eagles | 1971 | 2021 | C.C. of the South (CCS) |
Bellarmine College | Louisville, Kentucky | 1950 | Catholic
| 3,369 | Knights | 1951 | 1964 | Atlantic Sun (ASUN) |
Berea College | Berea, Kentucky | 1855 | Christian
| 1,613 | Mountaineers | 1916 | 2014 | Heartland (HCAC) |
Bethel College | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | Cumberland Presbyterian | 2,975 | Wildcats | 1999 | 2006 | Mid-South (MSC) |
Campbellsville College | Campbellsville, Kentucky | 1906 | Baptist | 3,318 | Tigers | 1964 | 1995 | Mid-South (MSC) |
Carlow University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1929 | Catholic
| 2,400 | Celtics | 2012 | 2023 | Allegheny Mountain (AMCC) |
Centre College | Danville, Kentucky | 1819 | Presbyterian
| 1,415 | Colonels | 1916 | 1962 | Southern (SAA) |
Clinch Valley College | Wise, Virginia | 1954 | Public | 2,000 | nowrap | Highland Cavaliers | 1971 | 1994 | South Atlantic (SAC) |
Cincinnati Christian University | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1924 | Christian | N/A | Eagles | 2008 | 2019 | Closed in 2019 |
Cumberland College | Williamsburg, Kentucky | 1887 | Nondenominational | 1,743 | Indians | 1966 | 1995 | Mid-South (MSC) |
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College | Richmond, Kentucky | 1906 | Public | 16,959 | Colonels | 1927 | 1948 | Atlantic Sun (ASUN) |
Georgetown College | Georgetown, Kentucky | 1829 | Baptist | 1,400 | Tigers | 1916 | 1995 | Mid-South (MSC) |
Kentucky Wesleyan College | Winchester, Kentucky | 1858 | United Methodist | 830 | Panthers | 1916 | 1955 | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
Lindsey Wilson College | Columbia, Kentucky | 1903 | United Methodist | 2,677 | Blue Raiders | 1984 | 2000 | Mid-South (MSC) |
| Louisville, Kentucky | 1798 | Public | 22,640 | Cardinals | 1916 | 1948 | Atlantic Coast (ACC) |
Mid-Continent University | Mayfield, Kentucky | 1949 | Baptist | N/A | Cougars | 2000 | 2006 | Closed in 2014 |
Morehead State Teachers College | Morehead, Kentucky | 1922 | Public | 10,748 | Eagles | 1931 | 1948 | Ohio Valley (OVC) |
Mountain State University | Beckley, West Virginia | 1933 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Cougars | 2007 | 2012 | Closed in 2012 |
Murray State Teachers College | Murray, Kentucky | 1922 | Public | 10,495 | Racers | 1933 | 1948 | Missouri Valley (MVC) |
Ogden College | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 1906 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Eagles | 1916 | 1927 | N/A |
Ohio Christian University | Circleville, Ohio | 1948 | C.C.C.U. | 300 | Trailblazers | 2015 | 2024 | NCCAA Division I |
Ohio Valley University | Vienna, West Virginia | 1960 | Churches of Christ | N/A | Fighting Scots | 2021 | 2021 | nowrap | Closed in 2021 |
| Pikeville, Kentucky | 1889 | Presbyterian
| 1,156 | Bears | 1958 | 2000 | Appalachian (AAC) |
Point Park University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1960 | Nonsectarian | 3,376 | Pioneers | 2012 | 2024 | Mountain East (MEC) |
| | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 1,260 | Eutectics | 2003 | 2014 | American Midwest |
Spalding University | Louisville, Kentucky | 1814 | Catholic
| 1,692 | Golden Eagles | 1992 | 2007 | |
Thomas More College | Crestview Hills, Kentucky | 1921 | Catholic
| 1,963 | Saints | 1955 | 1991 | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
Transylvania University | Lexington, Kentucky | 1780 | Disciples of Christ | 1,120 | Pioneers | 1916 | 2001 | Heartland (HCAC) |
Union College | Barbourville, Kentucky | 1879 | United Methodist | 1,368 | Bulldogs | 1933 | 1995 | Appalachian (AAC) |
Western Kentucky State Teachers College | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 1906 | Public | 19,456 | Hilltoppers &<br>Lady Toppers | 1916 | 1948 | Conf. USA (CUSA) | |
- Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1916 till:2031TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1916 till:2014 text:Berea (1916–2014)
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1962 text:Centre (Ky.) (1916–1962)
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1995 text:Georgetown (Ky.) (1916–1995)
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1955 text:Kentucky Wesleyan (1916–1955)
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1948 text:Louisville (1916–1948)
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1927 text:Ogden (1916–1927)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1916 till:2001 text:Transylvania (1916–2001)
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1916 till:1948 text:Western Kentucky (1916–1948)
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1927 till:1948 text:Eastern Kentucky (1927–1948)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1931 till:1948 text:Morehead State (1931–1948)
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1948 text:Murray State (1933–1948)
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1995 text:Union (Ky.) (1933–1995)
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1951 till:1964 text:Bellarmine (1951–1964)
bar:14 color:FullxF from:1955 till:1991 text:Thomas More (1955–1991)
bar:15 color:FullxF from:1958 till:2000 text:Pikeville (1958–2000)
bar:16 color:FullxF from:1964 till:1995 text:Campbellsville (1964–1995)
bar:17 color:FullxF from:1964 till:1971 text:Rio Grande (1964–1971) bar:17 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text:(2014–present)
bar:18 color:FullxF from:1968 till:1975 text:Oakland City (1968–1975) bar:18 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:(2020–present)
bar:19 color:FullxF from:1971 till:2021 text:Asbury (1971–2021)
bar:20 color:FullxF from:1971 till:1994 text:UVa–Wise (1971–1994)
bar:21 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1992 text:Alice Lloyd (1983–1992) bar:21 color:FullxF from:2005 till:end text:(2005–present)
bar:22 color:FullxF from:1984 till:end text:Brescia (1984–present)
bar:23 color:FullxF from:1984 till:2000 text:Lindsey Wilson (1984–2000)
bar:24 color:FullxF from:1991 till:end text:Midway (1991–present)
bar:25 color:FullxF from:1992 till:2007 text:Spalding (1992–2007)
bar:26 color:FullxF from:1994 till:end text:IU Southeast (1994–present)
bar:27 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2006 text:Bethel (Tenn.) (1999–2006)
bar:28 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2006 text:Mid-Continent (2000–2006)
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2003 till:2014 text:USHP St. Louis (2007–2014)
bar:30 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end text:IU East (2007–present)
bar:31 color:FullxF from:2007 till:2012 text:Mountain State (2007–2012)
bar:32 color:FullxF from:2008 till:2020 text:Cincinnati Christian (2008–2020)
bar:33 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2023 text:Carlow (2012–2023)
bar:34 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2024 text:Point Park (2012–2024)
bar:35 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:IU Kokomo (2013–present)
bar:36 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Ohio Christian (2015–2024)
bar:37 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2015 till:end text:West Virginia Tech (2015–present)
bar:38 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2021 till:2022 text:Ohio Valley (2021–2022)
bar:39 shift:(-120) color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (2021–present)
bar:40 shift:(-80) color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:IUPUC/IU Columbus (2023–present)
bar:41 shift:(-80) color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:Shawnee State (2023–present)
bar:N color:green from:1916 till:2016 text:Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference bar:N color:blue from:2016 till:end text:River States Conference
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1916
TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center) text:^"River States Conference membership history"
Conference sports
The River States Conference currently sponsors 17 sports (8 men's and 9 women's).
A divisional format is used for men's & women's basketball, and women's volleyball. |
width=20% | - Alice Lloyd
- IU East
- Midway
- Rio Grande
- Shawnee State
- West Virginia Tech
| width=20% | - Brescia
- IU Columbus
- IU Kokomo
- IU Southeast
- Oakland City
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
| |
Notes and References
- News: KIAC announces River States Conference as new name, unveils new logo. March 4, 2016. March 28, 2016.
- News: Carlow University Athletics to join AMCC, NCAA Division III . July 8, 2022 . Carlow Celtics . July 6, 2022.
- Web site: Ohio Christian University Announces NAIA to NCCAA DI Transition . 28 February 2023 .
- Web site: Point Park invited to join Mountain East Conference, will pursue athletics in NCAA Division II . January 9, 2024 . January 9, 2024 .