LeTourneau athletics photo

The dissolution of the American Southwest Conference continues, as LeTourneau is the latest member of the conference to accept a spot in the neighboring Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

LeTourneau will be the fourth member of the American Southwest Conference to join the SCAC in the past two years. In addition to the losses of LeTourneau, Concordia (Texas), McMurry and University of the Ozarks, the ASC lost Texas-Dallas and Sul Ross State, which announced that they were moving to NCAA Division II.

“Every conference around us is dealing with change in some form or fashion,” said SCAC commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. “I’m proud of where the SCAC is today and excited for our future as we prepare to onboard our newest members over the next couple of years. The addition of LeTourneau further strengthens our conference and positions us well in our corner of the Division III world.”

The move leaves the ASC with just the so-called Baptist Four: East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne and Mary Hardin-Baylor. The dominance of UMHB in Division III football makes it a hard sell to a conference such as the SCAC, which is in its 50th year but is rebuilding its football conference from scratch, starting this year with five members and without access to an automatic bid.

LeTourneau sponsors baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.

"Adding LeTourneau University makes a ton of sense for us,” said Hanberry. “From both a geographical and a sports sponsorship basis, they will fit seamlessly into our current structure.

“I’m excited that LeTourneau viewed our league as a preferred destination for their student-athletes. We look forward to the opportunity of growing our relationship with the institution beyond the fields and courts.”

The addition of so many ASC schools and the diminished focus on schools with high academic standards prompted longtime SCAC members Southwestern and Trinity (Texas) to announce their departure for the Southern Athletic Association more than a year ago. But the SCAC announced the additions of Concordia and Ozarks two months later. And the conference is growing. Barring additional changes, the conference will feature the following lineup in the fall of 2025: Austin College, Centenary (La.), Colorado College, Concordia (Texas), LeTourneau, McMurry, Schreiner, St. Thomas (Texas), Texas Lutheran, University of Dallas and University of the Ozarks.

Long-rumored discussions between the ASC and the C2C, the Coast-to-Coast Conference, have yet to yield an announcement, but an alliance of the two conferences may be the only way to keep the ASC's four together. And that would not solve football, as the C2C's football members of Christopher Newport and Salisbury compete in football in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.