Following the University’s recent reclassification as a National Liberal Arts Institution, Trinity University has accepted an invitation to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as a full member. The move provides excellent opportunities for student-athletes to reap the benefits of joining a national-level conference that spans the southern U.S. The transition to the SAA will be complete by Fall 2025.
“The decision to join the SAA comes on the heels of the University’s recent Carnegie reclassification as a National Liberal Arts Institution. I view college athletics as one of the significant hallmarks of a residential liberal arts education, as student-athletes and their classmates alike gather inside and outside of the classroom to take on new challenges and support each other,” says Vanessa B. Beasley, Trinity University president. “Trinity University is grateful to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and its members for our shared history of decades of thrilling competition.”
All women’s and men’s athletic teams are currently members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) except football, which is already an affiliate member of the SAA. The football team will continue its partnership with the SAA in the Fall of 2023 and Fall of 2024.
Trinity University Women's Soccer plays a match against Southwestern University in Fall 2018.
In addition, Trinity’s move to the SAA is being made jointly with Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. Competing teams in the SAA will now travel to South and Central Texas for games, and this combination makes scheduling and travel to Texas more efficient for all traveling teams.
“We are excited about the opportunities this move to the SAA will create for our athletes and the City of San Antonio as we become part of a conference with a more diverse footprint,” says Bob King, Trinity’s director of Athletics. “Yet we cannot adequately express our appreciation for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which we have been a part of for more than 30 years. We have tremendous respect for the conference as great competitors and have learned a lot from them.”
The SAA’s core members include Berry College, Birmingham-Southern College, Centre College, Hendrix College, Millsaps College, Oglethorpe University, Rhodes College, and the University of the South.
Read more about Trinity Athletics at www.trinitytigers.com.
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