The South Atlantic Conference Recaps 2015-16, Makes Plans for 2016-17 Season at Annual Meeting (Video)

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference concluded its annual meetings this past Friday, June 10. This year's meetings engaged Conference leadership at many levels, including the Presidents, Faculty Athletic Representatives, Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Media Relations Directors from the Conference's 12 member institutions and took place at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville, N.C.

One of the main topics of discussion was how the member institutions should address the recently adjusted “white collar” exemptions from the Fair Labor Standard Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements. Two representatives from Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete Law Firm provided a two-hour presentation and question and answer session on the topic that provided invaluable information and guidance for the SAC leaders.

“This is a huge issue for all institutions of higher education and intercollegiate athletic departments,” said Commissioner Patrick Britz. “We wanted to provide our membership with as much knowledge about the changes and how they can best address them and I think it was well-received by those in attendance.”

“The 2016 South Atlantic Conference Annual Meeting was one of the best ever,” said SAC Athletic Director’s Council Chair Steve Poston from Wingate. “Prior to the FLSA presentation there was a great deal of confusion about how the FLSA rules would impact the athletic department budgets. This excellent presentation cleared up many of our questions and will be especially beneficial to the Athletic Directors as we attempt to apply these rules in our institutions' athletic departments.”

The League and its members also discussed expansion as current South Atlantic Conference member Brevard College will transition to Division III after the 2016-17academic year. 

“After healthy conversation mainly at the Presidential and Athletic Director level, we have decided to not expand beyond the 11 schools that will make up the South Atlantic Conference starting in 2017-18,” said Britz. “We will continue to evaluate potential member institutions, but the Presidents Council has made it clear that any expansion needs to be based on quality and not simply quantity.”

"The Conference has been involved in strategic planning regarding expansion from a 12-member league to 14 members, which, among other advantages, would allow for divisional play,” said SAC President’s Council Chair Dr. J. Randall O’Brien of Carson-Newman.  “With SAC member, Brevard, moving from NCAA Division II to D-III, following the 2016-17 school year, ongoing conversations with three prospective institutions needed to prove successful collectively.  Since extenuating circumstances among the schools resulted in varying current membership interest, the Presidents and Commissioner Britz decided to enter into a temporary holding pattern, with the eventual membership goal remaining firm."

The South Atlantic Conference also hosted its Annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, June 9 and inducted four members into its Hall of Fame.  Former men’s basketball players Roman Davis of Lenoir-Rhyne and Andre Godrey of Catawba, Marci Mitchell Whiteside a former Carson-Newman softball player and former Newberry football player Eric Wells were tabbed the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame class of 2016.  Wells was inducted as the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus honoree.

“The highlight of the June meeting is always the Hall of Fame induction banquet which recognizes the history and tradition of our conference,” said Poston. 

Other notable action items from the meeting include:

Indoor Track and Field as a Championship Sport
Starting in the 2017-18 academic year, the SAC will sponsor Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field as a Conference-sponsored championship sport. The SAC office will begin researching possible locations for this event in 2018 and 2019. This will increase the number of championships the League sponsors to 20.

Championship Sites for 2016-17
Newberry will host the 2016 Cross Country Championship on October 22 in Columbia, S.C. and Tusculum will host the 2017 Women’s Golf Championship at Link Hills Country Club on April 9-11. The 2017 SAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championship will be conducted at the Rock Hill, S.C. Tennis Center on April 20-22.

Outdoor Track and Field Site for 2018 and 2019
Lenoir-Rhyne was selected to host the Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 2018 and 2019. Lenoir-Rhyne has hosted this event since its inception in 2014 and is scheduled to host again in 2017.

Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championship Sites for 2018-2021
Wingate will host the Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse semifinals and finals in 2018 and 2019 and Lenoir-Rhyne will do the same in 2020 and 2021. Queens has hosted this event since 2014 and is scheduled to host again in 2017.

Year-Round Football Practice Contact Guidelines
The Presidents Council is very supportive of the guidelines that were approved by the NCAA and is recommending all SAC football programs adhere to them starting in 2016-17.

Intra-Conference Transfer Appeals Process
The Athletics Directors Council and Faculty Athletics Representatives Committee continued discussions about the appeals process for the year of residence requirement before becoming eligible to compete for student-athletes who transfer from one SAC school to another.