Maryville (Tenn.) has accepted an invitation to join the USA South
Athletic Conference, beginning competition in the 2012-13 academic
year.
Maryville joins Piedmont and LaGrange in making the shift, after all three schools were given an announced deadline of May 1 to accept the invitation.
“On behalf of Maryville College, I am pleased to accept the invitation to join the USA South Athletic Conference as a full member in the year 2012,” stated Maryville president Tom Bogart.
"We have enjoyed developing rivalries on the football field and look forward to continuing those rivalries in other sports. The opportunity to continue our previous relationship with LaGrange College and Piedmont College is an important attraction. Maryville College looks forward to being a constructive and engaged member of the conference.”
The USA South sponsors championships in men’s and
women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer,
women’s volleyball, football, men’s and women’s
basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s
tennis, men’s golf and women’s lacrosse, for a total of
14 sports.
Maryville athletic director Kandis Schram is excited for the
student-athletes. “It will be exciting to be affiliated with
the USA South Athletic Conference in all sports. We have enjoyed
the rivalries created over the past six years that have been
established in football and look forward to being a full
member.”
Schram continues, “As a full member in this prestigious league, we look forward to enhancing the student athlete experience with automatic bids and access to NCAA championships in all sports for men and women while constructing conference schedules that help reduce missed class time and allow each student-athlete to enjoy the NCAA Division III experience.”
The USA South is presently made up of 10 institutions: Averett University, Va.; Christopher Newport University, Va.; Ferrum (Va.) College; Greensboro (N.C.) College; Mary Baldwin College, Va.; Meredith College, N.C.; Methodist University, N.C.; North Carolina Wesleyan College; Peace College, N.C.; and Shenandoah University, Va. Affiliate members include Agnes Scott College, Ga., and LaGrange College in women’s lacrosse only and Maryville (Tenn.) College in football only. Georgia’s Piedmont College and LaGrange College will be joining Maryville in the jump to the USA South in the 2012-13 academic year; Shenandoah University is scheduled to join the Old Dominion Athletic Conference beginning with the 2011-12 year.
“We proudly welcome Maryville College as a full member to the USA South Athletic Conference," stated Rita Wiggs, USA South Commissioner. "Their membership in the Conference as a football-only member has been a positive and competitive affiliation. We are excited to extend their relationship to full membership. Maryville’s tradition of athletic and academic excellence will enhance and strengthen the programs, competition and championships of the USA South. We look forward to working with their administrators, coaches, staff and student-athletes.”
"It is an exciting day as the USA South Athletic Conference welcomes Maryville College as our newest member," said Pamela Fox, President of Mary Baldwin and Chair, USA South Presidents Council. "Known for its academic rigor and focus on the liberal arts, Maryville College will be a strong partner with our institutions. They provide a well-rounded Division III collegiate experience for their student-athletes. We look forward to the upcoming years of competition with their coaches and student-athletes."
For the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year Maryville will compete within the Great South Athletic Conference and conclude its 12-year association with the GSAC where it were a founding member of the league in 1999.