2021 South Atlantic Conference Annual Meeting Recap
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference returned to in-person attendance for its annual meeting and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony June 2-4 in Greenville, S.C. On the agenda for the meetings were a variety of topics including meetings with the Presidents Council, Athletics Council, Faculty Athletics Representatives Council, and conference advisory committees.
The General Assembly meeting included presidents, faculty athletics representatives, athletic directors, senior woman administrators, and various administrators from all 13 member institutions. The event included updates from individual committees, a state of the conference address from Commissioner Patrick Britz, and guest speakers Dr. Jerry McGee, Ryan McGee, and Sam McGee. Dr. McGee, the former President of Wingate University and a long-time NCAA football official, and his sons spoke about their book, Sidelines and Bloodlines: A Father, His Sons, and Our Life in College Football.
Here are some of the highlights to come out of the 2021 SAC Annual Meeting:
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Beginning in 2022-23 the SAC will sponsor men's and women's swimming as championship sports. With the addition of these sports, the SAC will sponsor 24 championships, including the sponsorship of field hockey and wrestling in conjunction with Conference Carolinas.
DIVISIONAL PLAY
With the addition of Emory & Henry College starting in 2022-23, the SAC will move to divisional play in the sports of volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and baseball. The switch to divisional play will help with travel and missed class time and will allow teams to play more non-conference opponents. The proposed divisions, which have yet to be officially named, will be divided geographically. One division will consist of the following teams: Carson-Newman, Emory & Henry, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial, Mars Hill, Tusculum, and UVA Wise. The other division will be made of these teams: Anderson, Catawba, Coker, Lenoir-Rhyne, Newberry, Queens, and Wingate.
MEMBERSHIP
For the 2022 and 2023 football seasons, Barton College and Erskine College will join the SAC as affiliate members for football only. Full details on the addition of Barton and Erskine will be provided later.
INTRACONFERENCE TRANSFER POLICY
The SAC Presidents Council, with a recommendation from the Faculty Athletics Representatives Council, confirmed the SAC's intraconference transfer bylaw that student-athletes must serve a year in residence if transferring directly from one SAC institution to another before they are eligible to complete. Additionally, a student-athlete who has graduated with an undergraduate degree, but still has eligibility remaining, may transfer within the league one time and be immediately eligible.
REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
The SAC Athletics Council approved the appointments of 12 new people to represent the SAC on NCAA Regional Advisory Committees for the 2021-22 year. Full list of RAC Appointments.
OFFICIALS' FEES
The SAC Athletics Council began discussions on the fees for officials for all sports for the 2022-23 through 2024-25 academic years. Final fees for all sports will be determined at the October meeting of the group.
NEW GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The 2021 SAC Annual Meeting marked the first official meetings for the new governance structure in SAC. Consisting of seven advisory committees, each committee is tasked with a different area of specialization and will report to either the Athletics Council or Faculty Athletics Representatives Council. The advisory committees are as follows: Constitution & Bylaws, Enforcement & Infractions, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Branding & Marketing, Competition & Scheduling, Championships & Awards, and Student-Athlete Health, Safety & Welfare. These committees will meet as needed throughout the year and will take action on items presented by the individual sport coaches' committees, senior woman administrators committee, compliance coordinators committee, athletics trainers committee, athletics diversity and inclusion designees committee, media relations directors committee, and student-athlete advisory committee before making a recommendation to the Athletics Council or faculty athletics representatives council.
HALL OF FAME
The annual meeting concluded with the induction of five new members of the SAC Hall of Fame. Inducted into the Hall of Fame for the class of 2021 were Stacy Mark Fisk, Mars Hill (women's cross country), Dr. Jarrell NeSmith, Tusculum (football), Paige Haverty Stalcup, Catawba (women's golf), Kerrie Porter Unger, Wingate (softball), Wendell Davis, Newberry (football) Distinguished Alumnus.
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