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The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) is a collegiate
athletic conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams which play competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller Division (sport), divisions, with the best teams competing at successively ...
operating mostly in the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...
. The league participates at the
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
level, and began sponsoring
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
at the Division I FCS level in 2022. Originally established as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) in 1978, it was renamed as the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001, and briefly rebranded as the ASUN Conference from 2016 to 2023. The conference still uses "ASUN" as an official abbreviation. The conference headquarters are located in Jacksonville.


History


Formation

The conference was first formed on September 19, 1978, as the Trans America Athletic Conference, at the Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Airport Marina Hotel. Its charter members were Oklahoma City University, Pan American University (later renamed University of Texas-Pan American), Northeast Louisiana University (now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe), Houston Baptist University (now
Houston Christian University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Its Cultural Arts Center houses three museums: the ...
), Hardin-Simmons University, Centenary College of Louisiana,
Samford University Samford University is a Private university, private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded by Baptist Church, Baptists in 1841 as Howard College and located until 1887 in Marion, Alabama. It is governed by an in ...
, and
Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...
, all of whom were previously D-I independents. None of the eight charter members remain in the conference today. Almost immediately after its formation, the conference experienced a shake-up in its membership. Oklahoma City departed to become a charter member of the Midwestern City Conference (known today as the
Horizon League The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...
), while UTPA returned to D-I independent status—both had only played a single season in the infant league. The TAAC was quick to replace the outgoing members with
Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville, Louisiana, Leesville/Fort Jo ...
and the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock, UALR) is a Public university, public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the ...
, along with Georgia Southern University in 1980, but this instability would prove to be a trend through the coming years—over the next 20 years, the conference would accept 16 new members, with many of these leaving after only playing a handful of seasons. 1982 saw the departure of another charter member, Northeast Louisiana, to the
Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...
. Additionally, it saw the arrival of
Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nichol ...
, who originally planned to join the TAAC as a full member. However, due to an oversight by the NCAA, adding in a new program who had not competed in Division I for at least five years would result in the offending conference forfeiting their automatic bid to the
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...
. To get around this, the TAAC announced that Nicholls State would compete as a provisional member, ineligible for the men's basketball tournament until it completed its D-I transition in 1985. However, it, along with Northwestern State, left the conference in 1984 to join the Gulf Star Conference instead.


Expansion, contraction, and rebranding

The remainder of the 1980s saw mostly growth for the conference, adding
Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...
in 1983,
Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...
in 1985, and the
University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,NAIA in 1989. This was followed by Hardin-Simmons dropping to
NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...
in 1990, UTSA and Arkansas–Little Rock leaving for the Southland and
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
conferences in 1991, respectively, and Georgia Southern leaving for the
Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...
in 1992. In the midst of this, the conference began to relentlessly pursue expansion throughout the 1990s to offset these losses, adding
Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...
in 1990,
Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it beca ...
and the College of Charleston in 1991, the
University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...
in 1992,
Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...
in 1993, Campbell University in 1994,
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU or Jax State) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, mas ...
in 1995, Troy State University in 1997, and Jacksonville University in 1998. Of these 9 schools, though, only 2 ended up staying with the conference for longer than 15 years. The turn of the millennium saw another charter member in Centenary depart in 1999 for the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League); the league was able to offset this with the addition of
Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...
in 2001. Around this same time, the conference sought to rebrand itself, changing its name from the Trans America Athletic Conference to the Atlantic Sun Conference. The newly rebranded A-Sun continued to expand into the 2000s, adding Gardner–Webb University in 2002, Lipscomb University in 2003,
East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...
, Kennesaw State University, and the University of North Florida in 2005, and Florida Gulf Coast University & the
University of South Carolina Upstate The University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) is a public university in Valley Falls, South Carolina, United States. It has a Spartanburg postal address. Founded in 1967 and formerly known as University of South Carolina Spartanburg, ...
in 2007. It also lost its fair share of members as well—largely some of the aforementioned members that had been added during the '90s, such as FIU, Florida Atlantic, and Troy to the Sun Belt, Georgia State to the
Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
, and UCF to
Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...
, but it also saw the departure of Samford to the
Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...
, leaving Mercer as the only remaining charter member.


Present

The start of the 2010s gave the A-Sun a bit of a reprieve from conference realignment, losing only Campbell and Belmont in 2011 and 2012 to the Big South and OVC, respectively, and only adding recent D-I upgrader Northern Kentucky University in 2012. 2014 saw the departure of its final charter member, Mercer, to the Southern Conference in 2014; however, the Bears continued to compete in the ASUN as an affiliate for beach volleyball and added men's lacrosse to its ASUN membership in 2022. The ASUN continued to expand and contract slowly through the mid-2010s, losing only Northern Kentucky and East Tennessee State (along with Mercer), and only adding the
New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...
in 2015. This slow pace didn't stay for long, however. The second half of the decade saw the conference rebranding a second time, to simply the ASUN Conference Two years later, the
University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also ...
arrived from the Division II
Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the ...
, and Liberty University left the Big South for the ASUN. More recently,
Bellarmine University Bellarmine University ( ; BU) is a private university, private Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky, UNited States. It opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louis ...
joined from the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference and NJIT left for the
America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...
in 2020–21. On July 1, 2024, the University of West Georgia joined from the Division II Gulf South Conference.


Failed CCSA merger

On January 22, 2020, it was announced that the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association and the ASUN would merge to create a new Division I multisport conference. The timeline below was released with the announcement of this merger and expansion plan: *June, 2023 – ASUN Conference expands to 20 members. *Before July 1, 2023 – ASUN transfers rights to the ASUN name and marks to the CCSA. *July 1, 2023 – ASUN 7 joins the CCSA. The CCSA adopts the ASUN name as a multisport conference. The 13 remaining members would adopt the name United Athletic Conference. The ASUN had planned on expanding to 20 members and then splitting the conference similar to how the Original Big East Conference was split in 2013 into the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
and the New Big East Conference. The new ASUN Conference governed by the CCSA would have made up of the ASUN 7 including all of the members that would have been in the ASUN Conference for at least 8 years to meet the requirements for a new multisport conference. The members would have included Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University,
New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...
, University of North Florida, and
Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...
. The United Athletic Conference (not to be confused with the United Athletic Conference, the football merger between the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...
and the ASUN in 2023) governed by the original ASUN Conference would have included
Bellarmine University Bellarmine University ( ; BU) is a private university, private Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky, UNited States. It opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louis ...
, Liberty University,
University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama, United States. It is the state's oldest university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also ...
, and ten other undisclosed schools that would have joined through expansion. On November 16, 2020, The ASUN Conference announced that, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and the quickly changing landscape in conference realignment, the creation of a new multisport conference would not be possible at the time of the release or with the aforementioned timeline. This comes after the news that NJIT would be leaving the ASUN for the
America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...
in 2021, weakening the ASUN 7 and lowering the chances that a new conference would be created with only six members.


Addition of football

Arguably its biggest move in recent years was the announcement that the conference would be adding the University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, and former member
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU or Jax State) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, mas ...
, as incoming members on January 29, 2021, with the intent of sponsoring football in the
Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...
(FCS) in 2022. However, with these three schools joining in 2021, the league partnered with another conference beginning to sponsor football also in 2022, the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...
(WAC), to allow the three teams to join the WAC as football affiliates for 2021, branding it interchangeably as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge" and "WAC–ASUN Challenge"; the two leagues will receive a combined bid to the FCS playoffs. As soon as it was announced, however, the football league was thrown into jeopardy, as Jacksonville State announced it would be leaving once again in 2023 for
Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...
(C-USA), an FBS conference. Liberty was also invited to C-USA for 2023, but had already competed as an FBS independent for some time and was not included in the ASUN's new football league. With the WAC also losing
Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...
, another football-sponsoring school, to C-USA, the two conferences announced they would be renewing their alliance for the 2022 season. On September 17, 2021, the ASUN announced Austin Peay State University, a football-sponsoring school, as a new member for the 2022–23 season. In May 2022, local media in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, also reported that
Queens University of Charlotte The Queens University of Charlotte is a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It has approximately 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Established in 1857, the university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 58 minors, ...
would start a transition from the Division II South Atlantic Conference as a new ASUN member, also effective on July 1 of that year. The ASUN officially announced this move on May 10. The ASUN also expanded its associate membership in the 2020s. The conference started the decade with five associate members—Coastal Carolina in both beach volleyball and women's lacrosse, Mercer in beach volleyball only, and Akron, Kent State, and Howard in women's lacrosse. All of the women's lacrosse associates left by the 2021–22 school year. Akron and Kent State left after the 2020 season when their full-time home of the
Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
began sponsoring the sport. Coastal Carolina also left after the 2020 season for the SoCon. Howard moved several sports not sponsored by its full-time home of the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and the Mid-A ...
to the
Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Foo ...
, with women's lacrosse moving after the 2021 season. Coastal Carolina moved beach volleyball to C-USA after the 2020–21 school year. However, the 2021–22 school year saw the arrival of eight new associates, as well as the return of former women's lacrosse associates Coastal Carolina and Delaware State for that sport. ASUN beach volleyball added Charleston, Stephen F. Austin, and UNC Wilmington. The largest change in associate membership involved the relaunch of ASUN men's lacrosse. Full member Bellarmine was joined by five new associates—Air Force, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Utah. The ASUN lost five beach volleyball members for 2022–23. The conference's four associates in that sport left for the
Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...
(SBC), which added that sport. Charleston, Stephen F. Austin, and UNC Wilmington all left the ASUN after a single season and Mercer also moved beach volleyball to the SBC. Also, departing full member Jacksonville State moved beach volleyball to its future home of C-USA a year before its all-sports move to that league. Also for 2022–23, Mercer moved men's lacrosse into the ASUN after the SoCon shut down its men's lacrosse league, and new D-I member Lindenwood became an associate in both men's and women's lacrosse. On October 14, 2022, Conference USA and Kennesaw State jointly announced that KSU would start a transition to FBS after the 2022 football season and join C-USA in 2024. ESPN reported on December 9, 2022, that the ASUN and WAC had agreed to form a new football-only conference that plans to start play in 2024. The initial membership would consist of Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama from the ASUN, and Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, and Utah Tech from the WAC. UTRGV would become the 10th member upon its planned addition of football in 2025. The new football conference also reportedly plans to move "from what is currently known as FCS football to what is currently known as FBS football at the earliest practicable date." On December 20, the two conferences confirmed the football merger, announcing that the new football league would start play in 2023 under the tentative name of ASUN–WAC Football Conference. This was followed in April 2023 by the new league rebranding itself as the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The UAC is playing a six-game schedule, and initially planned to start full round-robin conference play in 2024, although this is likely to change with two schools joining by 2025. Neither conference's announcement mentioned any plans to move to FBS.


Return of Atlantic Sun

On September 1, 2023, it was announced that the ASUN would undergo another rebranding to reinstate the use of the name Atlantic Sun. The conference still uses "ASUN" as its official abbreviation.


Addition of swimming and diving

The ASUN added men's and women's swimming & diving for the 2023–24 season, taking most of its initial membership from the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, which had been founded as a partnership of several all-sports conferences, including the ASUN, as a home for that sport (the CCSA's scope would later expand to include beach volleyball). Two associate members came from the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
, which dropped men's swimming as a sponsored sport after the 2022–23 season. The initial membership for that sport was: * Two full members, Bellarmine and Queens, compete in both the men's and women's leagues. * Two other full members, Florida Gulf Coast and North Florida, sponsor only the women's sport. * The two full men's members were joined by associate members Florida Atlantic, Gardner–Webb, Old Dominion, and SMU. SMU only competed in the 2023–24 season, after which it joined the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
, which sponsors the sport for both sexes. * Gardner–Webb is also an associate in women's swimming & diving; it was joined in that status by former full ASUN member Liberty and UNC Asheville.


Member schools


Current full members

;Notes


Associate members


Future associate members

;Notes


Former full members

School names and nicknames listed here reflect those used during the schools' time in the TAAC/ASUN. One school has changed both its name and nickname and three others have changed only their nicknames. Five former full members are now associates, and a sixth will become an associate in 2025. * Georgia Southern, which left the then-TAAC in 1992, will rejoin for women's swimming & diving in 2025. * Florida Atlantic, which left the ASUN in 2006, rejoined for women's swimming & diving in 2023. * Gardner–Webb, which left in 2008, rejoined for men's and women's swimming & diving in 2023. * Mercer, which left in 2014, has been a men's lacrosse associate since 2022. It was also an associate in women's lacrosse from 2014 to 2017 and beach volleyball from 2014 to 2022. * Liberty, which left in 2023, remains an associate in women's lacrosse, and became an associate in women's swimming & diving when the ASUN added that sport in 2023–24. It will move the latter sport to the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
in 2025–26. * Kennesaw State, which left in 2024, remains an associate in women's lacrosse. ;Notes:


Former associate members

;Notes:


Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1978 till:2028 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<# Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1979 text:
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
(1978–79) bar:1 shift:(120) color:OtherC1 from:1979 till:1985 text:
Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
bar:1 shift:(50) color:OtherC2 from:1985 till:end text: SAC bar:2 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1980 text: Pan American (1978–80) bar:2 shift:(110) color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1987 text:Ind. bar:2 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:1991 text: ASC bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1998 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2008 text:D-I Ind. bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2013 text: GWC bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2015 text: WAC, then merged into UTRGV bar:3 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1982 text: Northeast Louisiana (1978–82) bar:3 shift:(80) color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:2006 text: Southland bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:end text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1989 text: Houston Baptist (1978–89) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:1995 text:NAIA Ind. bar:4 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:1996 text:BSC bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:1998 text:NAIA Ind. bar:4 shift:(30) color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2007 text: RRAC bar:4 shift:(-50) color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2008 text:NCAA Ind. bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2013 text: GWC bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text: Southland bar:5 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1990 text: Hardin–Simmons (1978–90) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1996 text: TIAA bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:end text: ASC bar:6 color:FullxF from:1978 till:1999 text:
Centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
(1978–99) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2003 text:
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2003 till:2012 text:
Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text: SCAC bar:7 color:FullxF from:1978 till:2003 text: Samford (1978–2003) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2003 till:2008 text: OVC bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:end text: SoCon bar:8 color:FullxF from:1978 till:2014 text: Mercer (1978–2014) bar:8 shift:(-50) color:AssocOS from:2014 till:end text: SoCon (2014–17, w. lax.; 2014–present, b. volleyball; 2022–present, m. lax.) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1979 text: Ind. bar:9 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1984 text: Northwestern State (1979–84) bar:9 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:1987 text: GSC bar:9 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:end text: Southland bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1979 text:Ind. bar:10 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text: Arkansas–Little Rock (1979–91) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2022 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text: OVC bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1980 text:Indep. bar:11 color:FullxF from:1980 till:1992 text: Georgia Southern (1980–92) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2014 text: SoCon bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:12 color:AssocOS from:1982 till:1984 text: Nicholls State (1982–84; provisional) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1981 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1981 till:1983 text: Indep. bar:13 color:FullxF from:1983 till:2005 text: Georgia State (1983–2005) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text: CAA bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1985 text: D-I Independent bar:14 color:FullxF from:1985 till:end text: Stetson (1985–present) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1986 text: D-I Independent bar:15 color:FullxF from:1986 till:1991 text: UTSA (1986–91) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2012 text: Southland bar:15 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2013 text: WAC bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1988 text: D-II Independent bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1990 text: D-I Ind. bar:16 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1998 text: FIU (1990–98) bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2013 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1979 text: GSC bar:17 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1980 text: D-II bar:17 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1984 text: DI-AA Indep. bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1984 till:1987 text: Gulf Star bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1991 text: D-I Independent bar:17 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1997 text: Southeastern Louisiana (1991–97) bar:17 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:end text: Southland bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1991 text: NAIA Independent bar:18 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1998 text: College of Charleston (1991–98) bar:18 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2013 text: SoCon bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text: CAA bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1984 text: SSC bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1984 till:1990 text:Independent bar:19 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:1991 text: ASC bar:19 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1992 text: SBC bar:19 color:FullxF from:1992 till:2005 text: UCF (1992–2005) bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text: AAC bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text: Big 12 bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1983 text: NAIA Independent bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1993 text: D-II Independent bar:20 color:FullxF from:1993 till:2006 text: Florida Atlantic (1993–2006) bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2013 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text: American bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1983 text: D-I Independent bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:1994 text: Big South bar:21 color:FullxF from:1994 till:2011 text: Campbell (1994–2011) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2023 text: Big South bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text: CAA bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1993 text: GSC bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1995 text: D-II Ind. bar:22 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text: Jacksonville State (1995–2003) bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2003 till:2021 text: OVC bar:22 color:FullxF from:2021 till:2022 text:(2021–23) bar:22 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:22 shift:(30) color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1991 text: GSC bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1993 text: D-II Ind. bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1994 text: ECC bar:23 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1997 text: Mid-Con bar:23 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2005 text:
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
(1997–2005) bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1998 text:
Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...
bar:24 color:FullxF from:1998 till:end text:
Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
(1998–present) bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1985 text: VSAC bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1985 till:1996 text: TCAC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2001 text: D-I Independent bar:25 color:FullxF from:2001 till:2012 text: Belmont (2001–12) bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2022 text: OVC bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text: MVC bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1989 text:Independent bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:2000 text: SAC bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2002 text:Indep. bar:26 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2008 text: Gardner–Webb (2002–08) bar:26 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:end text: Big South bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1985 text: VSAC bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:1985 till:1996 text: TCAC bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2001 text: TSAC bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2003 text: D-I Ind. bar:27 color:FullxF from:2003 till:end text: Lipscomb (2003–present) bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2005 text: SoCon bar:28 color:FullxF from:2005 till:2014 text: East Tennessee State (2005–14) bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: SoCon bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1994 text: GIAC bar:29 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:2000 text: PBAC bar:29 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2005 text: PBC bar:29 color:FullxF from:2005 till:2022 text: Kennesaw State (2005–24) bar:29 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:29 color:FullxF from:2023 till:2024 bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:
C-USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern United States, Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1992 text: NAIA Independent bar:30 color:OtherC2 from:1992 till:1997 text: SSC bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:2000 text: PBAC bar:30 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2005 text: PBC bar:30 color:FullxF from:2005 till:end text:
North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...
(2005–present) bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:2002 text: NAIA Independent bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:2002 till:2007 text: D-II Independent bar:31 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end text: FGCU (2007–present) bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1992 text: NAIA Independent bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:1992 till:2000 text: PBAC bar:32 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2007 text: PBC bar:32 color:FullxF from:2007 till:2018 text: USC Upstate (2007–18) bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:end text: Big South bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1985 text: D-II Independent bar:33 color:OtherC2 from:1985 till:2012 text: GLVC bar:33 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2015 text: Northern Kentucky (2012–15) bar:33 shift:(100,-5) color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:end text:
Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1997 text: D-III Independent? bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2000 text: NYCAC bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2006 text: CACC bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:2008 text: Indep. bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2013 text: GWC bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2015 text: Indep. bar:38 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2020 text: NJIT (2015–20) bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text: AmEast bar:42 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1991 text:Independent bar:42 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:2018 text: Big South bar:42 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2023 text:
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
(2018–2023
ull Ull or ULL may refer to: Organisations * SK Ull, a Norwegian Nordic skiing club * Non-Party List (), a short-lived political party in Liechtenstein * Ullensaker/Kisa IL, a Norwegian sports club * University of La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain * Un ...
2023–present omen's lacrosse, women's swim & dive bar:42 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end bar:43 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2018 text: GSC bar:43 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2022 text: North Alabama (2018–present) bar:43 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:43 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end bar:46 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2020 text: GLVC bar:46 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text: Bellarmine (2020–present) bar:47 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1993 text: AIC (NAIA) bar:47 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:2006 text: GSC bar:47 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2021 text: Southland bar:47 color:FullxF from:2021 till:2022 text:
Central Arkansas Central Arkansas, also known as the Little Rock metro, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state ...
(2021–present) bar:47 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:47 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end bar:48 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2021 text: OVC bar:48 color:FullxF from:2021 till:2022 text: Eastern Kentucky (2021–present) bar:48 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:48 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end bar:49 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2022 text: OVC bar:49 color:Full from:2022 till:2022 text: Austin Peay (2022–present) bar:49 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 bar:49 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end bar:50 color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:1995 text: D-II Independent bar:50 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2007 text: CVAC bar:50 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2013 text: CC bar:50 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2022 text: SAC bar:50 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
(2022–present) bar:51 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1983 text:Independent bar:51 color:OtherC2 from:1983 till:2024 text: GSC bar:51 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text: West Georgia (2024–present) bar:N color:yellow from:1978 till:2001 text:Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) bar:N color:yelloworange from:2001 till:2016 text:Atlantic Sun Conference bar:N color:yellow from:2016 till:2023 text:ASUN bar:N color:yelloworange from:2023 till:end text:Atlantic Sun Conference ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1980 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"ASUN Conference membership history" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <# * Northeast Louisiana became the University of Louisiana at Monroe (Louisiana–Monroe) in 1999. * Pan American, later known as Texas–Pan American or UTPA, merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville in 2015 to create the new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The new school inherited UTPA's athletic program.


Sports sponsored

As of the 2023–24 school year, the ASUN sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. In 2008, the ASUN, in an agreement with the Southern Conference (SoCon), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and Big South Conference, formed the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) for schools sponsoring men's and women's swimming and diving within the associated conferences. For the past several years, the ASUN's Commissioner has served as the president of what was initially a swimming & diving-only conference. In 2014 the CCSA expanded to include several other schools from other conferences, and the following year the conference added beach volleyball (women-only at the NCAA level) as a sponsored sport, changing its name to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. Currently the conference has 17 member schools, with five men's swimming and diving teams, nine women's swimming & diving teams, and six beach volleyball teams. A more recent change to the roster of ASUN sports took place after the 2013–14 school year. Under a cooperative agreement between the ASUN and SoCon, the two leagues agreed to split lacrosse sponsorship. The SoCon took over the ASUN men's lacrosse league, while women's lacrosse sponsorship remained with the ASUN. The full alliance in women's lacrosse amicably ended after the 2017 season, with the SoCon sponsoring that sport from the 2018 season forward, but the two leagues continued in a cross-scheduling agreement until the SoCon dropped women's lacrosse after the 2021 season. Still more recently, on September 13, 2016, the ASUN and Big South announced a football partnership that allows any ASUN members with scholarship football programs to become Big South football members, provided they are located within the general geographic footprint of the two conferences. At the time of announcement, the only ASUN member with a scholarship football program, Kennesaw State, was already a Big South football member. Should any ASUN member add scholarship football, or any non-scholarship football program of an ASUN school (at the time of announcement, Jacksonville and Stetson) upgrade to scholarship football, that team will automatically join Big South football. North Alabama joined Big South football under the terms of this agreement; although the school's home state of Alabama had no schools in either conference at the time it was announced as a future ASUN member, three of its neighboring states were home to six of the ASUN's eight members at that time. When the ASUN announced the July 2021 entry of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State, it also stated that it would launch a scholarship FCS football league, but did not specify when football competition will begin. No current member is required to add football or change its current football standing. At a press conference on February 23, 2021, the ASUN announced that it had entered into a separate football partnership with the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...
(WAC), which had previously announced the relaunch of its football league at the FCS level in fall 2021 with the arrival of four new FCS member schools. The three incoming ASUN members joined the four incoming WAC members in a round-robin schedule branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge". Both conferences proposed an amendment to NCAA bylaws that would allow the alliance to receive an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. The alliance had seven members, one more than the six normally required for an automatic bid, but were not in the same league for an adequate period to meet the current NCAA "continuity" requirement. The two leagues' proposal was successful, resulting in an automatic qualifier from the seven-team Challenge, colloquially dubbed "AQ7". With the 2022 arrival of Austin Peay providing the ASUN its sixth scholarship FCS program, the ASUN will start its football league in the 2022 season. However, because the ASUN and WAC were each left with only five playoff-eligible football members for 2022 after Jacksonville State (ASUN) and Sam Houston (WAC) started FBS transitions in that season, both leagues renewed their football partnership for 2022. As noted earlier, the two conferences fully merged their football leagues in 2023 as the United Athletic Conference. Shortly after the addition of football was announced, the ASUN announced that it would reinstate men's lacrosse in the 2022 season, with the lacrosse partnership with the SoCon retained for the time being. The two full ASUN members with men's lacrosse programs, Bellarmine and Jacksonville, separated for that sport, with Bellarmine joining the new ASUN lacrosse league and Jacksonville remaining in SoCon men's lacrosse. Air Force moved from SoCon men's lacrosse; men's lacrosse independent Utah joined; and all three
Horizon League The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...
members with men's lacrosse programs also joined, with Detroit Mercy moving from the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...
and Cleveland State and Robert Morris moving from independent status. The SoCon maintained its automatic NCAA tournament berth by adding another lacrosse independent, Hampton. The ASUN men's lacrosse league was initially to be administered through the CCSA while operating under the ASUN name as part of the ASUN's intended plan to split into two conferences. This arrangement was scrapped along with the planned conference split once NJIT left for the America East; the men's lacrosse league is now directly administered by the ASUN. The ASUN added two new beach volleyball members, Charleston and UNCW, in July 2021. At the same time, Coastal Carolina left ASUN beach volleyball for the newly formed
Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...
beach volleyball league. With the demise of SoCon women's lacrosse after the 2021 season, Coastal Carolina and Delaware State returned to the ASUN in that sport after respectively spending one and four seasons in the SoCon. The SoCon dropped men's lacrosse after the 2022 season due to further conference realignment. Jacksonville returned men's lacrosse to the ASUN, and full SoCon member Mercer became an ASUN men's lacrosse affiliate. Lindenwood, which started a transition from D-II to D-I in 2022 as a new member of the
Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...
, became an affiliate in both men's and women's lacrosse (neither of which is sponsored by the OVC). Also in 2022–23, the ASUN lost all four of its beach volleyball affiliates (Charleston, Mercer, Stephen F. Austin, UNCW) to the new beach volleyball league of the
Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...
. As noted previously, the ASUN added men's and women's swimming & diving in 2023–24.


Men's sports

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the league which are played by ASUN schools:
In addition to the aforementioned sports: * Queens sponsors men's rugby and triathlon, neither of which has NCAA recognition of any type. It also considers its male cheerleaders to be varsity athletes.


Women's sports

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the league which are played by ASUN schools:
In addition to the aforementioned sports: * Bellarmine considers the members of its all-female dance team to be varsity athletes. * Queens considers its cheerleaders and dance team (the latter all-female, though listed on its athletic website as coeducational) to be varsity athletes.


Facilities


All Sports Championships

The Jesse C. Fletcher and Sherman Day Trophies are awarded each year to the top men's and women's program in the conference. The Bill Bibb Trophy, combining the men's and women's results for the best overall program, was first awarded in 2006–07. East Tennessee State won this overall trophy seven of the nine years it has been awarded; Florida Gulf Coast won in 2012–13, 2014–15 and 2015–16.


Men's All Sports: Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy


Women's All Sports: Sherman Day Trophy


Combined All Sports: Bill Bibb Trophy


Championships


Men's basketball

''This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see ASUN men's basketball tournament.''


Women's basketball

''This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see ASUN women's basketball tournament.''


Baseball

* ASUN Conference baseball tournament


Notes and references


External links

* {{NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox Sports in the Southern United States Sports organizations established in 1978 Articles which contain graphical timelines Organizations based in Jacksonville, Florida 1978 establishments in Texas