|
| McMurry and Austin College currently play football together in the American Southwest Conference, but will both be Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference members once 2024 rolls around. Austin College athletics photo |
McMurry has accepted an offer of membership in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, becoming the 10th member of the NCAA Division III league. The shift to the new conference will take place beginning Fall of 2024. Currently, McMurry is an affiliate member of the SCAC in swimming and esports. By moving to the SCAC, the university will unify all its sports into one conference.
This statement makes it appear as though the SCAC will sponsor football in 2024. With Centenary (La.) adding the sport in 2024, the SCAC would have enough programs to do so and take an automatic bid.
No announcement regarding football was made, although the McMurry football program would not have a home in 2024 without the SCAC. In 2024, the SCAC would have Austin College, Centenary (La.), McMurry, Southwestern, Texas Lutheran and Trinity (Texas) all sponsoring football, which is enough for an automatic bid under the actions taken at the 2022 NCAA Convention.
Austin College, McMurry, Southwestern and Texas Lutheran all currently play football in the American Southwest Conference. Losing those four schools would leave the ASC with five football members, but the ASC could still keep an automatic bid for football in 2024 and 2025 as part of a grace period. Trinity currently plays football in the Southern Athletic Association, which would still have seven football programs if Trinity were to leave.
With the SCAC likely to add football, and the Landmark Conference already taking an automatic bid in 2023, the 2024 and 2025 playoffs could have 29 automatic bids to a field which is capped at 32 teams by Division III legislation. (It's possible the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference might fall below the six teams needed for an automatic bid, with Keystone leaving for the Landmark and SUNY-Maritime headed to the NEWMAC. However, in 2024 and 2025, the ECFC would still be able to get a playoff bid as well.
"The SCAC is a prestigious conference and McMurry University is honored to join," said McMurry president Dr. Sandra S. Harper. "I know the commissioner and most of the SCAC presidents quite well and I look forward to working with them in the future. McMurry is currently undergoing a new strategic planning process to guide the university until 2030. This conference move blends nicely with the strategic direction that we foresee for McMurry regarding the balance between athletics and academics."
"We are thrilled to accept the offer to become a member of the SCAC, another great Division III league," said athletic director Sam Ferguson. "Our swim teams have competed as affiliate members of the SCAC since 2015 and it has been an exceptional experience for those scholar-athletes. We have built great relationships in the league through that affiliation and non-conference play. Our coaches and administration have a ton of respect for our colleagues in the SCAC and couldn't be more excited to expand those rivalries. This Is a great day for McMurry University!"
Current members of the SCAC include Austin College, Centenary College, Colorado College, the University of Dallas, Schreiner University, Southwestern University, University of St. Thomas, Texas Lutheran University, and Trinity University.
"Today is an exciting day," said SCAC commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "I've had the good fortune of getting to know both Dr. Harper and Athletics Director Sam Ferguson through our swimming and diving affiliate relationship, which has been a great partnership for almost a decade."
McMurry has enjoyed success in the ASC with 51 conference titles including the most recent women's and men's cross country championships, which they won last Saturday. The War Hawks were members of the ASC from 1996-2012 and rejoined the league in 2014 after a short dalliance with joining Division II. McMurry plans to continue their rivalries within the ASC through nonconference competition.
"The rivalries and relationships we have developed within the ASC are important to us," Ferguson said. "We plan to continue playing as many ASC opponents as our non-conference schedule will allow. While we place a lot of value on our ASC experience and all the professionals who represent the league, we couldn't be more excited and honored for this new opportunity ahead of us in the SCAC. We believe it's a great fit for us!"