Mid-South Conference
| Mid-South Conference (MSC) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1995 |
| Association | NAIA |
| Members | 15 (8 full, 7 associate) |
| Sports fielded | 22 (men's: 11; women's: 10) |
| Region |
Southern United States, Midwestern United States Region XI of the NAIA |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Commissioner | Eric Ward (since Nov. 15, 2013) |
| Website | mid-southconference.org |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Mid-South Conference has eight full members: Campbellsville, Cumberland (TN), Cumberlands (KY), Georgetown College (KY), Lindsey Wilson, Life, Pikeville, and Shawnee State. Six of these members sponsor football; Life and Shawnee State do not.
The Mid-South Conference also has six associate members that compete primarily in other conferences. Faulkner, Kentucky Christian, Union and recently former member Bluefield are associate members of the MSC for football, Bethel is an associate member of the MSC for football and track and field, and Reinhardt is an associate member of the MSC for football. This gave the conference 13 members for football. In the spring of 2016, the conference expanded to 20 members, adding the six football members of The Sun Conference, as well as Faulkner University for football.[1]
The league is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and the commissioner is Eric Ward.
Member schools
Full members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbellsville University | Campbellsville, Kentucky | 1906 | 3,318 | Tigers | 1995 |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon, Tennessee | 1842 | 1,345 | Bulldogs | 1995, 2012 |
| University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, Kentucky | 1887 | 1,743 | Patriots | 1995 |
| Georgetown College | Georgetown, Kentucky | 1829 | 1,400 | Tigers | 1995 |
| Life University | Marietta, Georgia | 1974 | 2,800 | Running Eagles | 2014 |
| Lindsey Wilson College | Columbia, Kentucky | 1903 | 2,677 | Blue Raiders | 2000 |
| University of Pikeville | Pikeville, Kentucky | 1889 | 1,156 | Bears | 2000 |
| Shawnee State University | Portsmouth, Ohio | 1986 | 4,300 | Bears | 2010 |
- Cumberland (TN), Georgetown College — will possibly join the NCAA D-II Great Midwest Athletic Conference in unknown year, pending acceptance into NCAA Division II..
- Cumberland (TN) — left the Mid-South in 2002, and re-joined in 2012.
Affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel University | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | 1,300 | Wildcats | 1995-96, 2003-04 |
football | Southern States |
| Bluefield College | Bluefield, Virginia | 1922 | 793 | Rams | 2014-15 | football | Appalachian |
| Cincinnati Christian University | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1924 | 800 | Eagles | 2015-16 | football | River States |
| Faulkner University | Montgomery, Alabama | 1942 | 2,212 | Eagles | 2008-09 | football | Southern States |
| Kentucky Christian University | Grayson, Kentucky | 1919 | 550 | Knights | 2009 | football | Independent |
| Reinhardt University | Waleska, Georgia | 1883 | 1,057 | Eagles | 2013-14 | football | Appalachian |
| Union College | Barbourville, Kentucky | 1879 | 1,350 | Bulldogs | 2002-03 | football | Appalachian |
- Bethel (TN) — left the Mid-South after the 1996 fall season (1996-97 season); later re-joined in the 2003 fall season (2003-04 season).
- Cincinnati Christian University (OH) - will begin conference play in fall of 2016 (2016-17 season), signed to conference August 2015[2]
Future affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ave Maria University | Ave Maria, Florida | 2003 | 1,080 | Gyrenes | 2017 | Football | The Sun |
| Edward Waters College | Jacksonville, Florida | 1866 | 800 | Tigers | 2017 | Football | Gulf Coast |
| Point University | West Point, Georgia | 1937 | 1450 | Skyhawks | 2017 | Football | Appalachian |
| Warner University | Lake Wales, Florida | 1968 | 1,037 | Royals | 2017 | Football | The Sun |
| Webber International University | Babson Park, Florida | 1927 | 616 | Warriors | 2017 | Football | The Sun |
| St. Andrews University (N.C.) | Laurinburg, North Carolina | 1896 | 600 | Knights | 2017 | Football | Appalachian |
Beginning with the 2017 season, The Sun Conference and Mid-South will merge its football into the largest NAIA football conference in college sports.[3][4] Edward Waters was previously a full member of the Sun Conference from 2006–2010 and a football affiliate member from 2014–2016 seasons. The divisions are divided below.
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield College | Bluefield, Virginia | 1922 | Rams | 2012 | 2014 | Appalachian |
| Lambuth University | Jackson, Tennessee | 1843 | Eagles | 1995 | 2006 | Closed in 2011 |
| North Greenville University | Tigerville, South Carolina | 1891 | Crusaders | 1995 | 2001 | Carolinas (NCAA Division II) |
| St. Catharine College | St. Catharine, Kentucky | 1873 | Patriots | 2008 | 2016 | Closed in 2016 |
| University of Rio Grande | Rio Grande, Ohio | 1876 | RedStorm | 2009 | 2014 | River States |
| Union College | Barbourville, Kentucky | 1879 | Bulldogs | 1995 | 2002 | Appalachian |
| University of Virginia's College at Wise | Wise, Virginia | 1954 | Highland Cavaliers | 2010 | 2013 | Mountain East (NCAA Division II) |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology |
Montgomery, West Virginia | 1895 | Golden Bears | 2006 | 2012 | River States |
Former affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belhaven University | Jackson, Mississippi | 1894 | Blazers | 1998-99 | 2014-15 | football | American Southwest (NCAA Division III) |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon, Tennessee | 1842 | Bulldogs | 2002-03 | 2011-12 | football | Mid-South |
| Bethel University | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | Wildcats | 2007-08 | 2012-13 | track & field | SSAC |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College | Owensboro, Kentucky | 1858 | Panthers | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | football | G-MAC (NCAA Division II) |
| Lambuth University | Jackson, Tennessee | 1843 | Eagles | 2006-07 | 2009-10 | football | Closed in 2011 |
| Shorter University | Rome, Georgia | 1873 | Hawks | 2005-06fb. 2007-08t.f. |
2011-12fb. 2011-12t.f. |
football track & field |
Gulf South (NCAA Division II) |
| University of Virginia's College at Wise | Wise, Virginia | 1954 | Highland Cavaliers | 2002-03 | 2009-10 | football | Mountain East (NCAA Division II) |
Sports
Member teams compete in 22 sports: 11 men's, 10 women's and 1 mixed.
| Sport | Men's | Women's | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | ||
| Basketball | | | |
| Bowling | | | |
| Cheerleading | | ||
| Cross Country | | | |
| Football | | ||
| Golf | | | |
| Soccer | | | |
| Softball | | ||
| Swimming | | | |
| Tennis | | | |
| Track & Field Outdoor | | | |
| Volleyball | | ||
| Wrestling | |
Football divisions
|
|
|
References
- ↑ Wilson, Michael (25 February 2016). "Local teams officially join Mid-South football conference". The Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ "Mid-South Conference Athletics - Members". Mid-southconference.org. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ↑ "Mid-South Conference Creates Largest College Football Conference". The Sun Conference. 2016-02-25. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ↑ 4:40 p.m. CST February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25). "Mid-South, Sun conferences unite for 20-team football league". Tennessean.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.