The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) was a NCAADivision III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic United States that existed from 1992 to 2023. There were nine full member institutions when the conference. The conference's membership, as with most Middle Atlantic conferences, was shaken as a result of the formation of the Landmark Conference and its ensuing domino effect. The conference, founded in 1992 as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, changed its name in 2008.[1]
The CSAC experienced another shakeup in 2018 when five members departed the conference to join with two other institutions to form a new Division III conference[2][3] that eventually became the Atlantic East Conference.[4] In July 2018, the CSAC added two new members.[5] The conference added its 10th member on July 1, 2019,[6] and its 11th on the same day in 2020,[7] but was reduced to 10 members when on June 18, 2021, Centenary University published its move to Atlantic East, starting July 1 that year, but its lacrosse teams would start competing in their new conference's 2022 season.[8]
On December 19, 2022, the United East Conference and the Colonial States Athletic Conference announced their intent to merge beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The conference officially ceased to exist when its ten remaining members were absorbed by the United East Conference on July 1, 2023.
1997 – Wesley College joined the PAC in the 1997–98 academic year.
2001 – Shenandoah University and Villa Julie College (now Stevenson University) joined the PAC as associate members for men's lacrosse in the 2002 spring season (2001–02 academic year).
2006 – Stevenson left the PAC as an associate member for men's lacrosse after the 2006 spring season (2005–06 academic year).
2007 – Arcadia and Wesley (Del.) left the PAC to join the Middle Atlantic Conferences after the 2006–07 academic year.
2018 – Cabrini, Gwynedd Mercy, Immaculata, Marywood, and Neumann left the CSAC to join the newly-formed Atlantic East Conference (AEC) after the 2017–18 academic year.
2018 – Alfred State College joined the CSAC as an associate member for men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
2018 – The University of Valley Forge joined the CSAC as an associate member for baseball in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
2019
Franciscan left the CSAC as an associate member for men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field after the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
The College of Saint Elizabeth (now Saint Elizabeth University) joined the CSAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
Lancaster Bible College joined the CSAC as an associate member for field hockey in the 2019 fall season (2019–20 academic year).
2020
Valley Forge would later upgrade to join the CSAC for all sports in the 2020–21 academic year.
Gallaudet University joined the CSAC as an associate member for men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
2021
Centenary (N.J.) left the CSAC to join Atlantic East Conference after the 2020–21 academic year; although its field hockey and women's lacrosse teams would remain in the CSAC as associate members until the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year).
Pratt Institute joined the CSAC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year).
2022
The CSAC and the United East Conference announced their intent to merge, beginning in the fall 2023 season.[9]
Lancaster Bible added men's volleyball to its CSAC membership in the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year).
2023
Notre Dame of Maryland would add men's sports for the 2023–24 academic year.[10]
The CSAC and United East officially announced that the merged conference would retain the United East name, officially ending the CSAC on July 1, 2023.[11]
Member schools
Final members
The CSAC had ten final full members, all were private schools:
^This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
^ abcdThis institution is a former women's college, which eventually turned into a co-educational college (Rosemont since 2009–10, Wilson since 2013–14, Saint Elizabeth since 2016–17, and Notre Dame of Maryland starting in 2023–24).
^Formerly known as the College of Saint Elizabeth until 2020.
Final affiliate members
The CSAC had nine affiliate members when it dissolved:[14]
