Conference Carolinas | |
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Established | 1930 |
Association | NCAA |
Division | Division II |
Members | 12 (11 in 2017) |
Sports fielded | 20 (men's: 10; women's: 10) |
Region | North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia |
Former names | North State Conference (1930–1961) Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1961–1995) Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (1995–2007) |
Headquarters | High Point, North Carolina |
Commissioner | Alan Patterson |
Website | conferencecarolinas |
Locations | |
Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC), is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily in Division II, and as one of the four Division I conferences for men's volleyball. Conference Carolinas reached its modern incarnation in 1994. Member institutions are located in the southeastern United States in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Conference Carolinas officially changed its name on June 1, 2007. The conference currently has 12 members.
Conference Carolinas dates to its inception on December 6, 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, North Carolina, 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.