CONWAY, Ark. (August 18, 2011) – Hendrix College is one of eight NCAA Division III institutions in the newly named Southern Athletic Association (SAA). The new conference was formed in the spring and will begin competition in the 2012-2013 academic year.
The Southern Athletic Association is committed to fostering athletic competition and cooperation among academically selective, residential liberal arts colleges in the southeastern United States.
Fellow SAA members include Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, Centre College in Kentucky, Millsaps College in Mississippi, Oglethorpe University and Berry College in Georgia, and Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee.
With the exception of Berry College, SAA members competed in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), which also includes schools in Colorado and Texas. Hendrix teams will continue to compete in the SCAC during the 2011-2012 season.
The geographic focus of the new conference will reduce travel time for student-athletes and costs. The season length and number of games will be designed to better allow student-athletes to participate in other co-curricular activities and to minimize conflict with class and examination schedules.
“We have cherished our membership in the SCAC and the opportunity to compete with like-minded institutions who share a mutual love of scholarship and sportsmanship,” said Hendrix College President J. Timothy Cloyd. “The Southern Athletic Association will continue this important tradition of integrating intercollegiate athletic competition into the educational mission of our institutions.”
As it joins the new conference, Hendrix announced this spring it will also introduce women’s lacrosse and re-introduce men’s football, which was discontinued 1961, during the 2013-2014 academic year. All teams will complete at the NCAA Division III level, which does not permit athletic scholarships.
“Hendrix has an outstanding history of intercollegiate athletics,” said Danny Powell, executive director of athletics, recreation, and wellness at Hendrix. “Participating in these programs is an important part of our student-athletes’ college experience. We look forward to offering new opportunities for student-athletes with our peers in the Southern Athletic Association.”
For more information on the Southern Athletic Association, visit www.saa-sports.com.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. Hendrix is featured in the 2011 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s best 376 colleges and is one of 25 “Best Buy” private colleges included in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to College. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.