Capital Athletic Conference Adds Penn State-Harrisburg; The Lions Join CNU & SVU As New Full Members In 2013-14
The Presidents Council of the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) proudly announced the addition of Penn State Harrisburg as a full member of the conference, beginning July 1, 2013. Penn State Harrisburg is the third institution, along with Christopher Newport University and Southern Virginia University, to join the CAC for the 2013-14 academic year.
"We are pleased to welcome Penn State Harrisburg to the Capital Athletic Conference, and look forward to competing with their teams in the broad range of sports represented in the CAC," said Dr. George Waldner, President of York College of Pa. and Chair of the CAC Presidents Council.
The CAC will have seven full member institutions in the 2012-13 academic year - Frostburg State (Md.) University, Marymount (Va.) University, the University of Mary Washington (Va.), Salisbury (Md.) University, St. Mary’s College of Md., Wesley College (Del.) and York College of Pa. The additions of Christopher Newport, Penn State Harrisburg and Southern Virginia will increase membership to 10 institutions for 2013-14.
Christopher Newport and Penn State Harrisburg will be immediately eligible for conference championships and NCAA Division III Tournament opportunities. Southern Virginia, which is entering its first year as an NCAA Division III provisional member in 2012-13, will become eligible to compete in CAC playoffs during its third year of the four-year provisional membership process (2014-15) - one year after joining the conference.
"The Capital Athletic Conference has now added three solid academic and athletic institutions to its membership, beginning in 2013-14," said Commissioner Tom Byrnes.
"Christopher Newport’s athletic program has been dominant regionally and nationally for years and will challenge for CAC championships from Day One. Penn State Harrisburg and Southern Virginia are developing NCAA Division III programs and will surprise many with their competitiveness and success. The CAC is already a strong conference, and these three new members will make it even stronger," Byrnes said.
Penn State Harrisburg became a full member of NCAA Division III in 2010 and is currently a member of the NorthEast Athletic Conference (NEAC). The Lions, who sponsor 12 varsity sports but have plans to add more in the next few years, have finished second in the NEAC’s Commissioner’s Cup in each of the past two seasons.
The Capital Athletic Conference, which recently completed its 22nd championship season as an all-sports conference, is a coalition of four-year, co-educational institutions promoting intercollegiate athletic competition among schools located in close geographic proximity that have similar educational and athletic philosophies.
The CAC strives to develop a harmony of good feeling and a spirit of competitive sportsmanship, fellowship, and uniformity of practice among member institutions. Conference members are required to operate their intercollegiate athletic programs under the highest ethical standards and to maintain a program consistent with the overall educational philosophy of the member institutions.