Asbury Joins SCAC as Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Affiliate Member

July 31, 2024

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) has formally announced the addition of Asbury University as an affiliate member in the sports of men’s and women’s swimming and diving effective the 2025-26 academic year.

The SCAC Board of Directors, by a unanimous vote, extended the invitation to Asbury following that group’s annual summer meeting.

“The addition of an established and respected men’s and women’s swimming and diving program such as Asbury University only enhances what have become two of our league’s more premier sports,” said SCAC commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. 

The SCAC, which has sponsored men’s and women’s swimming and diving since 1999, has produced seven individual national champions and 439 All-Americans between the sports over that span.

Conversely, the Asbury University men’s and women’s swimming programs has produced over 50 All-American selections and four national champions during its time as a member of NAIA. The Eagles, who just completed their final year of provisional membership with the NCAA, will become an active Division III member this fall. Asbury competes as a core member of the Collegiate Conference of the South, which currently does not sponsor the sports of men’s and women’s swimming and diving.

“I am thrilled to bring our swim team into the SCAC,” said Asbury University head men’s and women’s swimming coach Graham Duncan. “There is a rich tradition of competition that exists in the conference and it will be a great experience for our athletes here at Asbury. I’m grateful to Commissioner Hanberry and all the coaches in the SCAC for their welcome and acceptance of our program and I can’t wait to get started!”

When Asbury joins the conference in 2025-26, it will become the eighth swimming and diving member of the league, joining: Austin College, Centenary College, Colorado College, Hendrix College (which joins as a core member that same season), McMurry University, University of the Ozarks and University of St. Thomas.