| Huntingdon has fielded a
football team since 2003 but has only played in a conference for
one of those seasons. Huntingdon athletics photo |
Huntingdon president J. Cameron West announced that Huntingdon
will join the USA South Athletic Conference beginning in the fall
of 2013. Huntingdon and Covenant were approved as members at a
meeting of the USA South presidents.
As it stands currently, 2013-14 USA South members will be Averett,
Ferrum, Greensboro, Mary Baldwin, Meredith, Methodist, N.C.
Wesleyan, William Peace, and the conference's new 2012-13 members,
LaGrange, Piedmont and Maryville (Tenn.).
Shenandoah is leaving the USA South for the Old Dominion
Athletic Conference at the conclusion of the 2012 spring season. Christopher Newport will leave the USAC following the
2012-13 academic year but will remain a football affiliate
through 2015. The departure of Shenandoah, in Northern Virginia,
and CNU, in the Tidewater area of the state, gives the USAC a more
southern focus.
"We have now achieved the institutional goal of becoming part of an
NCAA Division III conference that will enable our athletic teams to
participate in conference championship competition leading to
qualification for NCAA postseason play," said West. "We have
aligned ourselves with a group of institutions who share our values
and with whom we already have competitive relationships in many
sports. The recent expansion of the USA South into Georgia and
Tennessee, and now its expansion into Alabama, strengthens an
already strong conference and gives it a broad Division III
Southeastern identity."
"This is a great day for Huntingdon College," said football coach
Mike Turk, speaking on behalf of the athletic department in the
absence of athletic director Buzz Phillips, who has accompanied the
women's softball team to NCAA postseason competition in Texas. "And
when I say that, I really mean for Huntingdon College, as well as
for the football program. We are thrilled to join the USA South.
Huntingdon student-athletes have played for many years with limited
opportunities in most sports for NCAA postseason competition.
Membership in this conference will increase Huntingdon's visibility
with prospective student-athletes and will offer new possibilities
for our entire athletic program."
The Great South Athletic Conference did not have an automatic bid
to the NCAA Tournament in any men's sport.
"We are excited to welcome Huntingdon College to the USA South,"
said USA South Athletic Conference Commissioner Rita Wiggs in a
prepared statement. "Their strong academic profile and commitment
to the Division III philosophy for their athletic program makes
them a perfect fit for our Conference. Their programs will
strengthen and enhance the competition of our league. We look
forward to the future with Huntingdon College as a full partner in
athletic competition and the development of well-rounded
student-athletes."
Huntingdon fields teams in men's baseball, basketball, cross
country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track &
field; and in women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse,
soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The
USA South Athletic Conference will accommodate conference
championship competition for most of Huntingdon's intercollegiate
athletic teams, including football. Track & field, men's
lacrosse, and women's golf are not offered by the USA South and
will remain as independents at this time.