LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The official addition of Johnson & Wales University (Denver) as well as the reinstatement of both men's and women's lacrosse as conference-sponsored sports highlight the upcoming 2018-19 academic year in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Johnson & Wales (Denver) became an official member of the league on July 1, giving the SCAC nine core members - its highest membership total since 2011-12. In an announcement made in February, the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas will become the league's 10th member in 2019-20.
With the addition of men's and women's golf as varsity sports this upcoming year, Johnson & Wales (Denver) will sponsor 13 of the league's 19 officially recognized sports, including men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's track and field. The Wildcats first-ever SCAC contests will be a soccer doubleheader on Friday, September 7 at the University of Dallas.
The SCAC Presidents Council also approved the reinstatement of men's and women's lacrosse as championship sports - making them the 18th and 19th officially recognized championship sports in the conference. Colorado College, the University of Dallas, Johnson & Wales and Southwestern University will each field women's teams in 2018-19 and those same four plus Centenary College will field men's teams. The top four teams on each side will qualify for the conference championship. The women's championship will be contested April 27 and 28 on the campus of Colorado College while the men will play April 26 and 28 on the campus of the University of Dallas.
In other news, the Presidents Council approved a new conference award - the SCAC Elite 19 award - which will mirror the NCAA Elite 90 award in recognizing the male and female student-athlete who has the highest cumulative GPA in each of the league's 19 officially sponsored sports. To be eligible for the SCAC Elite 19 award, the student-athlete must have completed at least 60 credit hours at an SCAC institution, must have been selected or earned a spot on the all-conference team in his/her sport that season and must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.25.
The league also announced its intention to host an inaugural SCAC eSports championship in 2019. Although plans remain tentative, the event would be hosted on the campus of Schreiner University in April and would be open to all member institutions who have a club-level eSports program.
In other official business, Christopher Holoman of Centenary College takes over as chair of the SCAC Presidents Council in 2018-19 and will serve on the Executive Committee along with Stuart Dorsey of Texas Lutheran University (past-chair) and Steven O'Day of Austin College (future chair). Bob Bunnell of Centenary will chair the SCAC Athletic Directors Council in 2018-19.
Here is a complete listing of SCAC Championship dates and sites for the 2018-19 academic year:
2018 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships
Saturday, October 27 / hosted by Schreiner University / Kerrville, Texas
2018 SCAC Volleyball Championship
Friday-Sunday, November 2-4 / hosted by University of Dallas / Irving, Texas
2018 SCAC Men’s Soccer Championship
Friday-Sunday, November 2-4 / hosted by Southwestern University / Georgetown, Texas
2018 SCAC Women’s Soccer Championship
Friday-Sunday, November 2-4 / hosted by Austin College / Sherman, Texas
2019 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Swimming Championships
Wednesday-Saturday, February 13-16 / hosted by participating institutions / site – Palo Alto College Aquatic Center / San Antonio, Texas
2019 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships
Friday-Sunday, February 22-24 / hosted by Texas Lutheran University / Seguin, Texas
2019 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Tennis Championships
Friday-Sunday, April 19-21 / hosted by Austin College / Sherman, Texas
2019 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Golf Championships
Monday-Tuesday, April 22-23 / hosted by participating institutions / site – Vaaler Creek Golf Club / Blanco, Texas
2019 SCAC Men’s & Women’s Track Championships
Friday-Saturday, April 26-27 / hosted by Trinity University
2019 SCAC Softball Championship
Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 / hosted by Centenary College / Shreveport, La.
2019 SCAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship
Friday and Sunday, April 26 and April 28 / hosted by University of Dallas / Irving, Texas
2019 SCAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship
Friday-Saturday April 27-28 / hosted by Colorado College / Colorado Springs, Colo.
2019 SCAC Baseball Championship
Friday-Sunday, May 3-5 / hosted by participating institutions / *site – The Depot at Cleburne Station / Cleburne, Texas
*tentative
