Limestone College to Join South Atlantic Conference in 2020-21
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference Presidents Council announced today that Limestone College will join the SAC as a full member effective July 1, 2020, following a unanimous vote by the council to approve its application for membership. Limestone will begin competition in all conference sports in the 2020-21 academic year.
The addition of Limestone will increase the number of SAC members to 13 institutions. Limestone has been an associate member in football-only since 2016.
Limestone, located in Gaffney, S.C., is a four-year private liberal arts college offering 57 undergraduate academic majors and 23 minors and concentrations. Established in 1845, Limestone offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Nursing, Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Master of Business Administration degrees. Limestone was one of the pioneers in distance learning, offering degree programs over the internet. It also offers degree programs at six Evening Classroom sites across South Carolina.
Limestone will move to university status in the fall of 2020, which coincides with its 175th anniversary.
Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges, Limestone has multiple degree programs that are consistently ranked as some of the best in the nation. Nearly 80 percent of the Day Campus faculty members possess a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in their academic disciplines.
"We are delighted to have Limestone join the South Atlantic Conference as a full member," said Dr. Evans Whitaker, Chair of the SAC President's Council. "All of us within the SAC are thrilled to have another fine institution join our ranks. Limestone brings a rich history of academic and athletic excellence to our conference, and we look forward to the future with them as a member."
Limestone will compete in all 20 of the SAC's championship sports, including its two combined championships with Conference Carolinas, field hockey and wrestling.
"We are very excited to welcome Limestone as a full member into the SAC," said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. "We have enjoyed our partnership with the Saints from a football-only perspective the past several years and the addition of Limestone to full membership enhances the long-term strength and stability of our conference, while also raising the academic and athletic profile of our entire conference."
Limestone has a total undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,431 students, with a student-faculty ratio of 13:1. With more than 3,000 students, Limestone is one of the three largest private accredited colleges in South Carolina.
The Limestone athletic department has a long history of athletic success. The Saints have won 87 conference regular season titles, 49 conference tournament championships and they have made 103 NCAA Division II tournament appearances. They have won 11 national championships; five team titles and six individual champions. The men's lacrosse team has captured five NCAA Division II National Championships (2000, 2002, 2014, 2015, and 2017), while men's swimming, men's indoor track & field, and men's wrestling have combined for six individual national champions since 2008.
"This move will cultivate natural rivalries for our teams, and it also aligns Limestone with schools that have similar philosophies," Limestone President Dr. Darrell Parker explained. "With the SAC, we will be competing against institutions that have the same priorities in the academic success of the students. The competitive levels of the schools we will be playing will closely match ours, and we are located more closely to the other SAC members. All of that equates to a better experience for our student-athletes. With the SAC having a pedigree that includes several national championships, our coaches are excited about the competition level that the new league will provide."
"The SAC is well-known as a very competitive league and there will be good competition for all of our teams," Limestone Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Cerino said. "We believe that joining the SAC is the best opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches to compete for NCAA Division II Championships. The combination of the SAC geographic footprint and the institutional focus of the member schools offers each institution the opportunity to enhance the student-athlete experience."
"We're thrilled for our fans who will likely be much more acquainted with our SAC opponents," Cerino explained. "In this area, Saints supporters certainly know names like Newberry, Anderson, Catawba, Mars Hill and others. That will definitely lead to even greater attendance at our games. Joining the SAC in nearly all sports will also enable to Limestone to create some true rivalries that should get our student-athletes and our fans excited."
Logistics of Limestone's integration into the SAC, including the possibility of divisional play, will be vetted by the conference's leadership groups in May.
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