Appalachian Athletic Conference

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For the North Carolina high school association formerly known as the "Appalachian Athletic Conference", see Western North Carolina Athletic Conference.
Appalachian Athletic Conference
AAC
Appalachian Athletic Conference logo
Established2001
AssociationNAIA
Members16
Sports fielded
  • 20
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 10
RegionSoutheastern United States
HeadquartersAsheville, North Carolina
CommissionerCol. John Sullivan
Websiteaacsports.com
Locations
Appalachian Athletic Conference locations

The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competition.[1] Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.[1] The conference is the successor to the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC), which began in the 1940s;[1] and later the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference (TVAC) that operated during the 1980s and 1990s.[1] The Appalachian Athletic Conference was formed in 2001 with the additions of members from Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.[1] In 2019 the conference added Kentucky Christian University as a full member and Savannah College of Art and Design as an associate member in Men's and Women's lacrosse.[2]

Bluefield College was a member of the AAC from 2001 until 2012 when it left to join the Mid-South Conference. On March 3, 2014, Bluefield College announced that it would return to the AAC effective fall 2014.[3]

Membership history[]

  • 2001 - On 2001, the AAC was founded from the remnants of the (TVAC). Charter members included Bryan College, Brevard College, King College (now King University), Milligan College (now Milligan University), Tennessee Wesleyan College (now Tennessee Wesleyan University), Virginia Intermont College and the University of Virginia–Wise; as well as the additions of Alice Lloyd College, Bluefield College, Montreat College and Union College.
  • 2005 - Alice Lloyd left the AAC to re-join the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), now the River States Conference, effectively the 2004-05 academic year.
  • 2006 - Brevard left the AAC to become an NCAA Division II independent school (to later join the South Athletic Conference in the 2008-09 season), effectively the 2005-06 academic year.
  • 2009 - Covenant left the AAC to join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the NCAA Division III, effectively the 2008-09 academic year.
  • 2009 - King (Tenn.) left the AAC to become an NAIA independent school (to later become an NCAA Division II indepdenent school in the 2010-11 season, to later join Conference Carolinas in the 2011-12 season), effectively the 2008-09 academic year.
  • 2009 - Reinhardt College (now Reinhardt University) joined the AAC, effectively the 2009-10 academic year.
  • 2010 - Virginia–Wise left the AAC to join the Mid-South Conference, effectively the 2009-10 academic year.
  • 2011 - Columbia College and Point University (formerly Atlanta Christian College) join the AAC, effectively the 2011-12 academic year.
  • 2012 - Bluefield left the AAC to join the Mid-South Conference, effectively the 2011-12 academic year.
  • 2012 - St. Andrews University (formerly St. Andrews Presbyterian College) and Savannah College of Art and Design at Atlanta join the AAC, effectively the 2012-13 academic year.
  • 2013 - Truett McConnell University joins the AAC, effectively the 2013-14 academic year.
  • 2014 - Virginia Intermont left the AAC due to the school's closure, effectively the 2013-14 academic year.
  • 2014 - Bluefield re-joins the AAC, effectively the 2014-15 academic year.
  • 2015 - Three institutions join the AAC as associate members, effectively the 2015-16 academic year. These institutions are: Asbury University the University of the Cumberlands on men's and women's lacrosse; and West Virginia University Institute of Technology (West Virginia Tech) on men's and women's swimming.
  • 2016 - Allen University joins the AAC, effectively the 2016-17 academic year.
  • 2017 - Brenau University joins the AAC, effectively the 2017-18 academic year.
  • 2018 - Columbia International University joins the AAC, effectively the 2018-19 academic year.
  • 2019 - Kentucky Christian University joins the AAC, effectively the 2019-20 academic year.
  • 2019 - Savannah College of Art and Design at Savannah joins the AAC as an associate member on men's and women's lacrosse, effectively the 2019-20 academic year.
  • 2020 - Allen left the AAC to re-join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), effectively the 2019-20 academic year.
  • 2021 - The Tennessee campus of Johson University joins the AAC, effectively the 2021-22 academic year.

Member schools[]

Current members[]

The league currently has 16 full members. It is the largest conference in the NAIA.[2]

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Basketball?
Bluefield College Bluefield, Virginia 1922 Private (Baptist General Association of Virginia) 793 Rams 2001;
2014[a] 		both
Brenau University[b] Gainesville, Georgia 1878 Private (Nonsectarian) 3,500 Golden Tigers 2017 women's
Bryan College Dayton, Tennessee 1930 Private (Christian) 1,044 Lions 2001 both
Columbia College[c] Columbia, South Carolina 1854 Private (United Methodist) 1,200 Koalas 2011 women's
Columbia International University Columbia, South Carolina 1923 Private (Christian) 1,250 Rams 2018 both
Johnson University Kimberlin Heights and
Knoxville, Tennessee 		1893 Private (Christian churches and churches of Christ) 800 Royals 2021 both
Kentucky Christian University Grayson, Kentucky 1919 Private (Christian churches and churches of Christ) 550 Knights 2019 both
Milligan University Elizabethton, Tennessee 1866 Private (Christian churches and churches of Christ) 1,006 Buffaloes 2001 both
Montreat College Montreat, North Carolina 1916 Private (Presbyterian – PCUSA) 1,145 Cavaliers 2001 both
Point University West Point, Georgia 1937 Private (Christian churches and churches of Christ) 1,000 Skyhawks 2011 both
Reinhardt University Waleska, Georgia 1883 Private (United Methodist) 1,057 Eagles 2009 both
St. Andrews University Laurinburg, North Carolina 1958 Private (Presbyterian – PCUSA) 800 Knights 2012 both
Savannah College of Art and Design at Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia 2005 Private (nonprofit art school) 2,000 Bees 2012 none
Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, Tennessee 1857 Private (United Methodist) 1,103 Bulldogs 2001 both
Truett McConnell University Cleveland, Georgia 1946 Private (Georgia Baptist) 1,600 Bears 2013 both
Union College Barbourville, Kentucky 1879 Private (United Methodist) 1,368 Bulldogs 2001 both
Notes
  1. ^ Bluefield left the AAC after the 2011–12 school year to join the Mid-South Conference; before re-joining back the AAC in the 2014–15 school year.
  2. ^ Brenau is a women's institution, therefore it does not field men's sports.
  3. ^ Columbia (S.C.) was a women's institution, now a co-ed institution, since then it does field some men's sports.

Affiliate members[]

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined AAC
sport 		Primary
conference
Asbury University Wilmore, Kentucky 1890 Private (Christian) 1,300 Eagles 2015–16 lacrosse (M);
lacrosse (W) 		River States
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, Georgia 1978 Private (nonprofit art school) 10,584 Bees 2019–20 lacrosse (M);
lacrosse (W) 		The Sun
University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, Kentucky 1887 Private (Christian) 1,743 Patriots 2015–16 lacrosse (M);
lacrosse (W) 		Mid-South
West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, West Virginia 1895 Public 2,252 Golden Bears 2016–17 swimming (M);
swimming (W) 		River States

Former members[]

Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined Left Current
Conference
Alice Lloyd College Pippa Passes, Kentucky 1925 Private (Christian) Eagles 2001 2005 River States
Allen University Columbia, South Carolina 1870 Private (A.M.E. Church) Yellow Jackets 2016 2020 SIAC
(NCAA D-II)
Brevard College Brevard, North Carolina 1853 Private (United Methodist) Tornados 2001 2006 USA South
(NCAA D-III)
Covenant College Lookout Mountain, Georgia 1955 Private (Presbyterian – PCA) Scots 2001 2009 USA South
(NCAA D-III)
King College Bristol, Tennessee 1867 Private (Presbyterian) Tornados 2001 2009 Carolinas
(NCAA D-II)
Virginia Intermont College Bristol, Virginia 1884 Private (Baptist) Cobras 2001 2014 Closed in 2014
University of Virginia's College at Wise Wise, Virginia 1954 Public Highland Cavaliers[a] 2001 2010 South Atlantic
(NCAA Division II)
Notes
  1. ^ UVA Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic nickname in 2017.

Membership timeline[]

 Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport) 

Conference sports[]

The Appalachian Athletic Conference currently fields 20 sports (10 men's and 10 women's):

Conference sports
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball Green tickY
Basketball Green tickY Green tickY
Cross Country Green tickY Green tickY
Golf Green tickY Green tickY
Lacrosse Green tickY Green tickY
Soccer Green tickY Green tickY
Softball Green tickY
Tennis Green tickY Green tickY
Track & Field Outdoor Green tickY Green tickY
Track & Field Indoor Green tickY Green tickY
Volleyball Green tickY
Wrestling Green tickY

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "NAIA Conference Profile: Appalachian Athletic Conference" (PDF). NAIA. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "AAC OFFICIALLY WELCOMES KCU TO LEAGUE, BECOMES LARGEST CONFERENCE IN NAIA". Appalachian Athletic Conference. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Bluefield College returns to Appalachian Athletic Conference". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 5, 2014.

External links[]

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