Conference Carolinas

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 13, 2010 1:47 PM

• Print
• Email

HIGH POINT -- King (Tenn.) College and North Greenville (S.C.) University have been unanimously accepted for membership in the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas.

The addition expanded the league to 13 teams.

"Conference Carolinas enthusiastically welcomes King College and North Greenville University into our league and looks forward to extending our competitive spirit to the Tornado and Crusaders," said Dr. Betsy Fleming, who serves as president of the Conference Carolinas executive committee and Converse (S.C.) College.

"Both schools share Conference Carolinas' commitment to developing scholar-athletes who excel both in the classroom and on the playing field, and we are pleased to strengthen our league through their membership."

King and North Greenville will become full members of conference for the 2011-12 season. The committee allowed each school sufficient time for scheduling changes and orientation to conference membership responsibilities and requirements.

King competed as an affiliate Conference Carolinas member in men's volleyball this past spring.

Since its inception in 1930, the conference has served numerous colleges in North and South Carolina. King College represents the second institution outside those states and is the first-ever member from Tennessee. Longwood (Va.) University competed in the league for several seasons before earning Division I status.

"It is not often that a conference which shares equal values for academic and athletic excellence has the opportunity to add members having identical values. Fortunately we were presented that opportunity," said Alan Patterson, commissioner of Conference Carolinas. "In today's climate of conference alignment often based on income production, it is refreshing that we were able to expand based on like student-athlete educational experiences."

A provisional Division II member this past year, King currently sponsors 22 intercollegiate sports. North Greenville joined the D-II ranks in September 2003 and with the addition of women's golf this fall, will field 14 intercollegiate teams.

North Greenville's football team will remain a D-II independent. Its baseball team won the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I national championship this past spring.