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49-541: In addition to sporting events the Vines Center hosts Liberty's Convocations (mandatory meetings which are held on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week at 10:30 AM; attendance at Convocation is mandatory for all students, except for Convocation selects, which are held on Mondays at a different venue.) and commencement exercises. The Vines Center was the largest basketball arena in the Big South Conference when Liberty

98-597: A cooperative agreement with the ASUN Conference , the SoCon began sponsoring men's lacrosse in the 2014–15 school year (2015 season) with three full members (Furman, Mercer, VMI) and four associates (Bellarmine, High Point, Jacksonville, Richmond). SoCon men's lacrosse has since added Air Force. Women's lacrosse was sponsored by the ASUN through the 2017 season, after which the SoCon launched its own women's lacrosse league. Beginning in

147-608: A lower-division opponent in the Florida program's history. In 2015, Furman defeated UCF 16–15 and The Citadel topped South Carolina 23–22 for their second win over the Gamecocks in the past three meetings. On September 4, 2021, East Tennessee State University stunned Vanderbilt 23–3 in their opening game. The SoCon also frequently sees multiple teams selected to participate in the NCAA Division I baseball championship . The SoCon

196-611: A member of the conference when they stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34–32 on September 1, 2007. The Davidson Wildcats reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga , Georgetown , and Wisconsin . More recently, the six-time Division I NCAA football champion Georgia Southern Eagles stunned Southeastern Conference power-house Florida Gators 26–20 in The Swamp on November 23, 2013—the first loss to

245-563: A new football-only member effective with the 2022 season. Campbell announced on August 3 that it would join both sides of the CAA in 2023 as well. This was followed by Bryant announcing that it would join CAA Football in 2024. On November 28, it was announced that Robert Morris would also leave the association and return football to its previous home, the Northeast Conference effective after

294-598: A share of the Gulf South Conference football championship for four consecutive seasons through 2016. Three months later, Liberty announced that it would begin a transition to FBS football in July 2017 and leave the Big South football league in 2018. Liberty and the Big South agreed later in 2017 that the school would continue to house all of its non-football sports (except for field hockey and women's swimming, neither of which

343-560: Is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , and Virginia . Established in 1921,

392-485: Is a partial list of the last 10 regular-season and tournament champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference men's basketball champions . This is a partial list of the last 10 tournament champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference women's basketball tournament This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference baseball tournament . The Commissioner's and Germann Cups are awarded each year to

441-505: Is sponsored by the Big South) in that conference for the immediate future. Once Liberty became a full FBS member at the start of the 2019–20 school year, it would have technically become a Big South associate member (barring the school joining an FBS conference). However, Liberty's plans would change several months later, as it instead announced in May 2018 that it would move its non-football sports to

490-452: The ASUN Conference , announced a new alliance in lacrosse that took effect with the 2015 spring season (2014–15 school year). Under its terms, sponsorship of men's lacrosse shifted from the ASUN to the SoCon, while women's lacrosse sponsorship remained with the ASUN. Bellarmine, which had announced it would join the ASUN for men's lacrosse for the 2015 spring season, instead joined the SoCon. The alliance remains in effect in men's lacrosse, but

539-507: The Atlantic 10 Conference , announced on May 23, 2022, led to the demise of the SoCon men's lacrosse league after the 2022 season. In addition to Hampton joining the CAA, SoCon associate members High Point and Richmond (the latter a full A-10 member) moved to the A-10, and Jacksonville returned to ASUN men's lacrosse. In the table below, the "Joined" column denotes the start of the school year in which

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588-1340: The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and began operating the Big South–OVC Football Association in partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023. The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States, with full member institutions located in North Carolina , South Carolina , and Virginia . Associate members are located in Georgia and South Carolina. Charter members included Armstrong State (later Armstrong Atlantic State University and now merged into Georgia Southern University as its Armstrong Campus ) (1983–1987), Augusta (later Augusta State University and now merged into Augusta University ) (1983–1990), Campbell University (1983–1994; 2011–2023), Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University ) (1983–present), Coastal Carolina University (1983–2016), Radford University (1983–present) and Winthrop University (1983–present). The expansion of membership occurred during

637-645: The Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta from February 24 to March 2, 1922, the first meeting was won by North Carolina who defeated non-member Mercer in the Finals 40–25. The SoCon Basketball Tournament continues as the nation's oldest conference tournament. The next-oldest tournament overall is the SEC men's basketball tournament , founded in 1933, but that event was suspended after its 1952 edition and did not resume until 1979. With

686-660: The Pioneer Football League to the Big South in 2018. In December 2016, the University of North Alabama, ASUN, and the Big South Conference announced that, effective in 2018, the school will leave the Division II Gulf South Conference and will join ASUN in non-football sports and the Big South in football. UNA has won three Division II NCAA national championships in football and has won at least

735-660: The Southern Conference (SoCon), which disbanded its women's lacrosse league after the 2021 season. On January 25, 2022, the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association ) announced that Hampton University would join that conference, as well as CAA Football , its technically separate football league, on July 1, 2022. On February 22, that conference announced that North Carolina A&T State University would be leaving

784-513: The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference charter members were Alabama , Auburn , Clemson , Georgia , Georgia Tech , Kentucky , Maryland , Mississippi State , North Carolina , North Carolina State , Tennessee , Virginia , Virginia Tech , and Washington & Lee . In 1922, six more universities— Florida , LSU , Mississippi , South Carolina , Tulane , and Vanderbilt joined

833-597: The 1980s and 1990s. Some of those members are the University of North Carolina at Asheville (1984–present), Davidson College (1990–1992), Liberty University (1991–2018), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1992–1998), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1992–1997), Towson University (1992–1995), Elon University (1999–2003), High Point University (1999–present) and Birmingham–Southern College (2000–2006). The Big South Conference began sponsoring football in 2002, with Charleston Southern, Elon (at

882-479: The 2008–09 athletic year. Gardner–Webb, which had been a football-only member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1, 2008. Campbell rejoined the Big South for all sports except football in the 2011–12 athletic year. Longwood University accepted an invitation to join the Big South on January 23, 2012, and membership formally began July 1 of that year; Longwood had been independent since 2004, during their transition to Division I. In 2014, following

931-557: The 2016–17 academic year, after a 30-year hiatus, the SoCon resumed rifle as its 21st sport. Members for conference competition are full members The Citadel, VMI, and Wofford as well as associate members UAB, Georgia Southern, and North Georgia. The SoCon is one of only two all-sports conferences to sponsor rifle, joining the Ohio Valley Conference. Rifle is technically a men's sport for NCAA purposes, but men's, women's, and co-ed teams all compete against each other. Women's lacrosse

980-434: The 2023 football season. Full members  Full members (non-football)  Assoc. members (football only)  Other Conference  Other Conference  Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools: In addition to the above, Campbell counts both its male and female cheerleaders as varsity athletes. Women's varsity sports not sponsored by

1029-550: The ASUN Conference. The men's lacrosse partnership took a slightly different form from the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) forward, as the ASUN reinstated its men's lacrosse league. The two full ASUN members with men's lacrosse programs separated, with Jacksonville remaining in SoCon men's lacrosse while Bellarmine joined the ASUN men's lacrosse league. SoCon associate Air Force also left for ASUN men's lacrosse. The SoCon maintained its automatic NCAA tournament berth with

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1078-517: The ASUN effective that July (except for the aforementioned field hockey and women's swimming, also not sponsored by the ASUN). In November 2017, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Hampton University announced that they would be leaving the ASUN and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference , respectively, to join the Big South, starting in the fall of 2018. On November 19, 2017, Presbyterian College announced it would be moving its football program to

1127-443: The Big South Conference are required to provide a live stream of all home games for all sports when playing teams both within and outside the conference. These streams are run by the university hosting the event. All streams are featured on the conference website and are available for free. The football games broadcast on the web are branded as part of a Big South Network. Southern Conference The Southern Conference ( SoCon )

1176-511: The Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools: In addition to the above, Campbell, Gardner–Webb, and Presbyterian consider their female cheerleaders to be varsity athletes, with Campbell also considering its male cheerleaders as such. The Big South has had a number of players to get drafted and play football professionally in the NFL . In addition to basketball games being broadcast on regional and national television, member schools of

1225-414: The Big South, joining the all-sports CAA on July 1. North Carolina A&T would play Big South football in 2022 and join CAA Football on July 1, 2023. Also on February 22, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2023 and operate as the Big South–OVC Football Association . The following month saw Bryant University announced as

1274-540: The MEAC as a full member, including football. At the same time, Robert Morris University was planned to join as a football-only member. North Carolina A&T joined on the originally planned schedule, but Robert Morris became a Big South football member in November 2020. COVID-19 led the conference to move its 2020 football season to spring 2021. Since two of the eight Big South football members (apart from RMU) chose to play in

1323-679: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and the two remaining men's lacrosse members, Jacksonville and Mercer, moved that sport to the ASUN. Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southern Conference which are played by SoCon schools: Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southern Conference which are played by SoCon schools: This is a list of recent champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference football champions . † Automatic bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship This

1372-580: The SEC and ACC are considered "power" conferences in Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A), the SoCon dropped to Division I-AA (FCS) in 1982, four years after the top division was split into two levels in 1978. The SoCon became the first league to hold a post-season basketball tournament to decide a conference champion. Although first played in 1921, it did not become "official" until 1922, and in its first few years included teams which were not conference members. Held at

1421-627: The SoCon added the sport for the 2016–17 school year. In the table below, the "Joined" and "Left" columns denotes the calendar year in which each school joined and left the SoCon. For fall sports, the year of departure differs from the final year of competition. For spring sports, the year of arrival differs from the first season of competition. Full members Full members (except football) Other Conference Other Conference The Southern Conference sponsors championship competition in 11 men's, 9 women's, and one co-educational NCAA-sanctioned sports. Five schools are associate members for wrestling. Under

1470-589: The South (Sewanee), Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt) all departed the SoCon to form the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In 1953, seven additional schools (Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest) withdrew from the SoCon to form the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The SEC and ACC have gone on to surpass their parent conference in prestige; while

1519-542: The Southern Conference ranks as the fifth-oldest major college athletic conference in the United States, and either the third or fourth oldest in continuous operation, depending on definitions. The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball. The three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers were

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1568-521: The Vines Center will continue to host high-attendance games and events. This article about a sports venue in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I . Originally a non- football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of

1617-505: The addition of Hampton . Before the addition of Hampton men's lacrosse, the most recent addition to the associate membership was Presbyterian wrestling, which joined during summer 2019. Two women's lacrosse members, Central Michigan and Detroit Mercy , left after the 2020 season (2019–20 school year) to join the new women's lacrosse league of Central's full-time home of the Mid-American Conference ; this move contributed to

1666-420: The arrival of East Tennessee State (ETSU), Mercer, and VMI. The current football membership stands at nine. UNC Greensboro does not sponsor football, while ETSU relaunched its previously dormant football program in 2015 and rejoined SoCon football in 2016 after one season as an independent . The 10 members of the Southern Conference are: On January 9, 2014, the SoCon and Atlantic Sun Conference, now known as

1715-554: The conference. The first year of competition for the conference was in 1922, effective January 1. The new rules banned freshman play. Later additions included Sewanee (1924), Virginia Military Institute (1924), and Duke (1929). The SoCon is particularly notable for having spawned two other major conferences. In 1932, the 13 schools located south and west of the Appalachians (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, University of

1764-571: The demise of the Division II West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2013, whose tournament had been continuously held since 1936, the next-oldest conference tournament in continuous existence is now the ACC men's basketball tournament , first held in 1954. The all-sports membership changed to 10 schools in 2014 following the departure of Appalachian State, Davidson, Elon, and Georgia Southern, plus

1813-513: The departure of VMI, the conference returned to a single-division structure. On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced they would leave the conference following the 2015–16 school year to transition to FBS-level football and the Sun Belt Conference . On June 30, 2016, the day before the school joined the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina won the 2016 College World Series in baseball. This was

1862-474: The eventual demise of the SoCon women's lacrosse league. Men's soccer member Belmont left the SoCon after the 2021–22 school year when it joined the Missouri Valley Conference , which sponsors that sport. At the same time, Hampton moved men's lacrosse to its new full-time home of the Colonial Athletic Association, now known as the Coastal Athletic Association . The addition of men's lacrosse by

1911-406: The first time in conference history that a team won an NCAA championship in any sport. In September 2016, the Big South and the ASUN Conference (ASUN) announced a football partnership that effectively combined the two conferences in that sport. Under its terms, any members of either conference that add or upgrade to scholarship football, provided they fall within the current geographic footprint of

1960-443: The institution became an associate member, which for spring sports differs from the first season of competition. Most former members are currently members of either the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference . Two of the former full members, Appalachian State and Davidson, maintain SoCon associate membership in wrestling . A third former full member, Georgia Southern, became an associate member in rifle when

2009-453: The leagues amicably ended their full alliance in women's lacrosse once the SoCon began sponsoring that sport in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 school year). However, the conferences maintained their working relationship in women's lacrosse, with the SoCon adding Coastal Carolina as an associate member effective with the 2021 spring season (2020–21 school year) in order to keep both conferences at five women's lacrosse members for 2021. Coastal

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2058-524: The non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. Presbyterian's last Big South football season was in 2019; the Blue Hose planned to play the 2020 season as an independent before joining the Pioneer League for 2021 and beyond. The Blue Hose remain a member of the Big South in all other sports. A more recent change to its core membership was the July 2021 arrival of North Carolina A&T State University from

2107-474: The originally scheduled fall 2020 season and a third chose not to play football at all in 2020–21, the Big South chose to bring the Colonials into the football league for spring 2021. More recently, the Big South added three new single-sport members in women's lacrosse effective with the 2022 season (2021–22 school year): Furman University , Mercer University , and Wofford College . All three are full members of

2156-512: The time) and Liberty ( Gardner–Webb University also joined as a football-only member) fielding teams; Coastal Carolina and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) joined the conference as football-only members in 2003. In that same athletic year, VMI also joined the conference for all sports, but left to re-join the Southern Conference in 2014. Presbyterian College joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II , and became eligible for regular-season championships and conference honors during

2205-551: The two leagues, automatically join Big South football. At the time of announcement, the only ASUN member that played scholarship football, Kennesaw State, was already a Big South football member. The partnership also provides a guaranteed football home to the leagues' non-scholarship football programs (at that time, Campbell from the Big South, and Jacksonville and Stetson from the ASUN) should they upgrade to scholarship status. In November 2016, Campbell announced that it would begin offering scholarships and move its football program from

2254-479: Was a member (1991–2018), and before the opening of Liberty Arena was the largest arena to serve as a regular basketball home in Liberty's current league, the ASUN Conference . In 2020, the Vines Center was replaced as the main home to Flames and Lady Flames basketball and Lady Flames volleyball by the adjacent Liberty Arena . Liberty Arena hosts games and events where the attendance is not expected to exceed 4,000, while

2303-652: Was added as the 22nd sport for 2017–18, but was dropped after the 2020–21 school year. The SoCon dropped men's lacrosse after the 2022 season. Affiliate member Hampton joined the Colonial Athletic Association, which sponsors that sport, and the Atlantic 10 Conference, full-time home to men's lacrosse affiliate Richmond, launched a men's lacrosse league in the 2023 season, also taking in another SoCon affiliate in High Point. With SoCon men's lacrosse being gutted by these changes, VMI moved that sport to its former men's lacrosse home of

2352-536: Was intended to play in SoCon women's lacrosse in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) as well, but the SoCon decided to drop the sport after the 2021 spring season (2020–21 school year). While no formal announcement was made, the SoCon–ASUN women's lacrosse partnership definitively ended at that time, as the three full SoCon members who sponsored women's lacrosse moved that sport to the Big South Conference . Coastal and Delaware State both returned women's lacrosse to

2401-579: Was the first conference to use the three-point field goal in basketball in a November 29, 1980, game at Western Carolina against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where Ronnie Carr shot the historic shot from 22 feet (6.7 m) away and the Catamounts won 77–70. Talks of a new conference for Southern athletics had started as early as fall of 1920. The conference was formed on February 25, 1921, in Atlanta as fourteen member institutions split from

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