Atlantic Sun Conference facts for kids
The ASUN Conference is a sports league for colleges and universities in the United States. It's part of the NCAA Division I, which is the highest level of college sports. The ASUN's main office is in Macon, Georgia. Most of its member schools are in the southeastern part of the U.S. Unlike many college sports leagues, the ASUN does not have football teams.
The ASUN Conference started in 1978. Back then, it was called the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC). In 2001, its name changed to the Atlantic Sun Conference. Then, in the 2016–17 school year, it became known simply as the ASUN Conference.
Member Schools
As of the 2019–20 school year, the ASUN Conference has nine full members. A "full member" means a school plays almost all of its sports in this conference.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined ASUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, Florida | 1991 | Public | Eagles | 2007 |
| Jacksonville University | Jacksonville, Florida | 1934 | Private | Dolphins | 1998 |
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, Georgia | 1963 | Public | Owls | 2005 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia | 1971 | Private | Flames | 2018 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1891 | Private | Bisons | 2003 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) | Newark, New Jersey | 1881 | Public | Highlanders | 2015 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence, Alabama | 1830 | Public | Lions | 2018 |
| University of North Florida | Jacksonville, Florida | 1969 | Public | Ospreys | 2005 |
| Stetson University | DeLand, Florida | 1883 | Private | Hatters | 1985 |
Future Member
One school is planning to join the ASUN Conference soon.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joining ASUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellarmine University | Louisville, Kentucky | 1950 | Private | Knights | 2020 |
The most recent changes to the ASUN's members happened in July 2018. The University of South Carolina Upstate left the ASUN to join another conference called the Big South Conference. At the same time, Liberty University and the University of North Alabama joined the ASUN. Liberty came from the Big South, and North Alabama moved up from NCAA Division II.
The next change will happen in July 2020. Bellarmine University will join the ASUN. Bellarmine is currently in the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Associate Members
The ASUN also has "associate members." These schools are full members of other conferences. But they play one or two specific sports in the ASUN.
Two of these schools will leave the ASUN in July 2020. The University of Akron and Kent State University will move their women's lacrosse teams to their main conference, the Mid-American Conference. That conference is adding women's lacrosse.
The "Joined" column shows the year a school started playing in the ASUN. Since beach volleyball and women's lacrosse are spring sports, the joining year is the calendar year before their first season of play.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined | ASUN sport(s) | Main conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Akron | Akron, Ohio | 1870 | Public | Zips | 2019 | Women's lacrosse | Mid-American Conference |
| Coastal Carolina University | Conway, South Carolina | 1954 | Public | Chanticleers | 2015 (BV) 2016 (WLAX) |
Beach volleyball, women's lacrosse |
Sun Belt Conference |
| Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | 1910 | Public | Golden Flashes | 2018 | Women's lacrosse | Mid-American Conference |
| Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 1867 | Private | Lady Bison | 2012 | Women's lacrosse | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Mercer University | Macon, Georgia | 1833 | Private | Bears | 2014 | Beach volleyball | Southern Conference |
See Also
In Spanish: ASUN Conference para niños
