Colonial States Athletic Conference

Colonial States Athletic Conference
FormerlyPennsylvania Athletic Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1992
Ceased2023
CommissionerMarie Stroman (final)
Sports fielded
  • 16
    • men's: 7
    • women's: 9
DivisionDivision III
No. of teams10 (final)
HeadquartersVillanova, Pennsylvania, U.S.
RegionMid-Atlantic
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) was an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic United States that existed from 1992 to 2023. There were nine full member institutions when the conference. The conference's membership, as with most Middle Atlantic conferences, was shaken as a result of the formation of the Landmark Conference and its ensuing domino effect. The conference, founded in 1992 as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, changed its name in 2008.[1]

The CSAC experienced another shakeup in 2018 when five members departed the conference to join with two other institutions to form a new Division III conference[2][3] that eventually became the Atlantic East Conference.[4] In July 2018, the CSAC added two new members.[5] The conference added its 10th member on July 1, 2019,[6] and its 11th on the same day in 2020,[7] but was reduced to 10 members when on June 18, 2021, Centenary University published its move to Atlantic East, starting July 1 that year, but its lacrosse teams would start competing in their new conference's 2022 season.[8]

On December 19, 2022, the United East Conference and the Colonial States Athletic Conference announced their intent to merge beginning with the 2023–24 academic year. The conference officially ceased to exist when its ten remaining members were absorbed by the United East Conference on July 1, 2023.

  1. ^ "Pennsylvania Athletic Conference announces new name; Rebranding effort". Colonial States Athletic Conference. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  2. ^ "CSAC Announces Membership Changes for 2018-19" (Press release). Colonial States Athletic Conference. June 30, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "A new conference shuffle coming". D3sports.com. June 6, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  4. ^ "Atlantic East has name, formal announcement". D3sports.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  5. ^ "CSAC Adds Two New Members for 2018-19" (Press release). Colonial States Athletic Conference. August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "CSAC Adds New Member for 2019-20" (Press release). Colonial States Athletic Conference. March 21, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "CSAC Announces Addition of University of Valley Forge as 11th Core Member". Colonial States Athletic Conference. June 5, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  8. ^ "Centenary Athletics Moving to the Atlantic East Conference". Centenary Cyclones. June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.