LOCK HAVEN, PA – Sport alignments and scheduling concepts coinciding with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference expansion were approved by athletics administrators during their meeting Wednesday. The alignments will be implemented for the first time during the 2013-14 academic year when new members University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Seton Hill University begin league play.
With the addition of the two schools, the PSAC is projected to form the NCAA’s largest conference in terms of membership regardless of competitive division.
“We have always tried to approach alignments based on geography. I think the athletics administrators kept that in mind throughout the decision-making process, and the outcomes certainly reflect this approach,” said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray.
Currently the PSAC has seven team sports which participate in divisional formats and four which compete in non-divisional formats. In 2013 field hockey will feature 11 teams and will join men’s and women’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s lacrosse which play a single round-robin schedule in a non-divisional format.
Softball is the only other sport that will showcase a change from its divisional structure. The league’s group of 15 schools currently play in a three-division format. With the addition of Seton Hill, next year PSAC softball will comprise of 16 schools aligned into two eight-team divisions. Seton Hill will be placed in the Western Division along with California (Pa.), Clarion, Edinboro, Gannon, Indiana (Pa.,), Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock. Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester will make up the Eastern Division.
PSAC football will still consist of 16 teams in an East-West format, with Seton Hill entering the Western Division and Lock Haven switching from the West to the East. Lock Haven essentially replaces current associate member Long Island University-Post, which will leave the PSAC to join the Northeast 10 Conference in football.
Lock Haven will also move from the West to the East in men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. In 2013-14 basketball will remain be the lone sport featuring full sponsorship among its full-time members.
Below is a list of sport alignments beginning in 2013-14.
| Men’s / Women’s Basketball | |||
| Current | 2013 | ||
| East | West | East | West |
| Bloomsburg Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Mansfield Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Lock Haven Mercyhurst Slippery Rock |
Bloomsburg Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Mansfield Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Pitt Johnstown Seton Hill Slippery Rock |
| Football | |||
| Current | 2013 | ||
| East | West | East | West |
| Bloomsburg LIU-Post Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Lock Haven Mercyhurst Slippery Rock |
Bloomsburg Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Seton Hill Slippery Rock |
| Baseball | |||
| Current | 2014 | ||
| East | West | East | West |
| Bloomsburg Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Mansfield Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Lock Haven Mercyhurst Slippery Rock |
Bloomsburg Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Mansfield Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Pitt Johnstown Seton Hill Slippery Rock |
| Softball | ||||
| Current | 2014 | |||
| East | Central | West | East | West |
| East Stroudsburg Kutztown Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
Bloomsburg Clarion IUP Lock Haven Mansfield |
California Edinboro Gannon Mercyhurst Slippery Rock |
Bloomsburg East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Mansfield Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California (Pa.) Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Seton Hill Slippery Rock |
| Volleyball | |||
| Current | 2013 | ||
| East | West | East | West |
| Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Millersville Shippensburg West Chester |
California (Pa.) Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Slippery Rock |
Cheyney East Stroudsburg Kutztown Lock Haven Millersville Pitt. Johnstown Shippensburg West Chester |
California (Pa.) Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Mercyhurst Seton Hill Slippery Rock |
