Maryville College, founding member of the Collegiate Conference of the South, announces transition to the Southern Athletic Association

Maryville College officials, fresh off the founding of the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) in 2022, have announced another athletic transition to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) beginning in the fall of 2025.

This fall marks the third year of the CCS, an athletic conference that Maryville College President Dr. Bryan Coker helped to establish. This process took nearly two years to complete, and included informing the NCAA, coming up with bylaws, and establishing tournament rules, awards and policies.

This was a risk for the college, as the MC teams had to go two years without an automatic bid – which grants teams access to tournaments – to the NCAA, said John Painter, assistant athletics director for communications.

“Now going forward with the SAA, we will be automatic [bids for the NCAA],” Painter said.

The announcement of private liberal arts school Birmingham Southern’s closure meant that the SAA had a spot to fill. Reaching out to MC as the replacement in this conference secured an easy transition for all parties.

In a public announcement to the campus community in July, Coker explained the changes taking place and expressed his excitement for this update.

The transition will begin in Fall 2025, with football and women’s golf. These teams remained a part of the USA South rather than join the CCS in 2022 due to the number of competitors in each conference. Football and golf will be followed by the other MC sports in Fall 2026, making Maryville College an official SAA conference member.

“We believe the SAA will be a fitting league for us, amongst institutions with a strong focus on rigorous academics and high-quality athletic programs,” said Coker in the announcement.

While the process to create the CCS was lengthy, the transition into the SAA will not be so.

“We are joining a league, not starting one,” said Painter. “It’s going to be a step up for us. The SAA is made up of great academic schools, so that will lift our posture and status as a college.”

In Tennessee, the Division III schools are few and far between, including only Maryville College, Rhodes College, and Sewanee: University of the South. While MC has played these teams for years, and a long competitive history exists, both of these schools are part of the SAA, making them non-conference games in previous years.

“Building upon rivalries with Sewanee and Rhodes as in-conference competitors, [and] bragging rights within the state is an exciting prospect,” said Interim Athletic Director Andrew Wu. 

The top MC football competitors are also in the SAA, including Centre College and Millsaps College alongside the other in-state schools mentioned.

“This is an opportunity for us to join a really prestigious conference, and it’s exciting to be a part of that,” Painter said. “We have enjoyed the CCS and we’ve done well.” He added that he expects the MC athletic success of the last few years to continue.

While unexpected challenges are sure to arise, one of the major athletic department goals is to focus on funding. Joining the SAA means that MC will compete in Texas and even host championship tournaments in the future.

“From a funding perspective, we hope that the excitement around the SAA move will generate support from alums and potential sponsors, easing the burden of increased spending,” said Wu.

This exciting transition for the athletic department at Maryville College will bring new opportunities for travel and competition for athletes. The next few seasons will be important for athletic directors, coaches and athletes alike.