Conference Carolinas is:

• Challenging NCAA competition
• Scholarships for athletic abilities and academic talent
• Student-athletes that admire academic achievement
• Twelve member colleges that offer students individual attention
• College and university degrees that mean something
• A lot of fun but with opportunities to overcome adversity
• Tomorrow’s business, community and family leaders

 

Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletic conference made up of 11 teams from North Carolina and South Carolina.. These teams consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Coker College, Converse College, Erskine College, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, Mount Olive College, Pfeiffer University, Queens University of Charlotte, and St. Andrews Presbyterian College.

The league supports eighteen season-ending conference championship tournaments with nine women's and nine men's sports.  Sports that are sponsored with NCAA automatic qualifications include: Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Women's Tennis, Men's Tennis, Men's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, and Women's Volleyball.  NCAA regional and national selection opportunities in Men's Soccer, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Men's Outdoor Track & Field, Women's Outdoor Track & Field, Women's Golf and Men's Volleyball are also available based on end of year regional rankings and/or season results.

Conference Commissioner, Dr. Alan Patterson about the conference says, "Conference Carolinas is recognized regionally and nationally as a premier NCAA Division II conference which champions scholarship athletics working in concert with student athlete's committed to academic success."

History

Conference Carolinas has a rich tradition in roots that date back to its early initial inception on December 6th, 1930.  The conference was formed then as an athletic association "for the greater advantage of the small colleges in North Carolina".  The official name given back then was the North State Intercollegiate Conference but known informally as the Old North State Conference. 

The birthplace was the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, NC and the seven charter members were Appalachian, Atlantic Christian (now Barton College), Catawba, Guilford, Elon, High Point, and Lenoir-Rhyne. 

The conference followed a policy of expansion for a period of time.  Western Carolina became a member in 1933, East Carolina in 1947, Pfeiffer in 1960, Newberry in 1961, and Presbyterian in 1964, followed closely by Mars Hill.

With the acceptance of the first member from South Carolina in Newberry College, a name change became necessary.  Thus on May 20, 1961 the official name of the conference was changed to the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) but commonly known less formerly as the Carolinas Conference.    

East Carolina resigned in 1962 to join the Southern Conference and Appalachian and Western Carolina followed.  Football sponsorship in the Carolinas Conference was dropped in 1973 when Lenoir-Rhyne, Newberry, Presbyterian, and Mars Hill joined the South Atlantic Conference.

Pembroke State University became a first-time member in 1976 followed by Wingate College in 1979, and Lenoir-Rhyne rejoined in 1984.

While Guilford College withdrew in 1988, St. Andrews and Mount Olive were added that same year.

The 1989-90 academic year started a new era as Catawba, Elon, Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate all withdrew to compete in the first year that the South Atlantic Conference would provide championships in all sports, not just football.

The Carolinas Conference then added Belmont Abbey in 1989, Coker College in 1991, and Lees-McRae in 1993.

The1993-94 academic year brought a change to the conference national affiliation. The conference entered dual membership into both the NAIA DI and NCAA DII affiliation. 

The 1995-96 year brought dramatic change to the conference.  First, full membership into NCAA Division II was acquired and NAIA affiliation dropped.  Thus, this was the first official year of full competition and championship play for the conference in NCAA DII status.  Secondly, this was also the same year that Erskine, Longwood, & Queens were accepted as full members of the conference.  With Longwood becoming the first Virginia member, another name change occurred and the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (known more universally as the ‘CVAC') was born.    

Following the 1997 academic year High Point resigned to join the NCAA DI ranks while in 1998 Limestone soon joined and were quickly followed by Anderson in 1999.

In 2003, Longwood University left the conference to explore possibilities in NCAA Division I.  Then in 2005 the CVAC added Converse College as an affiliate member before becoming a full member the following year.

With the lone Virginia school in Longwood leaving, the league decided to go back to their roots and change their name to Conference Carolinas in 2007 and currently still remain one of the elite NCAA DII conferences in the nation.

Many institutions have been members of the league during its rich history including Anderson, Appalachian, Atlantic Christian (now Barton College), Belmont Abbey, Catawba, Coker, Converse, East Carolina, Erskine, Guilford, Elon, High Point, Lees-McRae, Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone, Longwood, Mars Hill, Mount Olive, Newberry, Pembroke State, Pfeiffer, Presbyterian, Queens, St. Andrews, Western Carolina and Wingate.   

Barton is the only remaining charter member followed in longevity by Pfeiffer's membership in 1960 and then Mount Olive's and St. Andrews College both joining in 1988.

Current Membership Affiliation:

Barton (formerly Atlantic Christian)                   Charter Member

Belmont Abbey                                                1989

Coker                                                              1991

Converse                                                          2005

Erskine                                                            1995

Lees-McRae                                                    1993

Limestone                                                         1998

Mount Olive                                                     1988

Pfeiffer                                                                1960

Queens                                                             1995

St. Andrews                                                     1988

Past Membership Affiliation:

Anderson                                                         1999-2010

Appalachian                                                     charter member- 1930-1971

Catawba                                                          charter member- 1930-1988

East Carolina                                                    1947-1962

Guilford                                                            charter member- 1930-1987

Elon                                                                 charter member- 1930-1989

High Point                                                        charter member- 1930-1997

Lenoir-Rhyne                                                   charter member- 1930-1988

Longwood                                                        1995-2003

Mars Hill                                                              n/a

Newberry                                                         1961

Pembroke State                                                -1989

Presbyterian                                                     n/a

Western Carolina                                              1933-1976

Wingate                                                             n/a -1989