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The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Division I FCS level in 2022. Originally established as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) in 1978, it was renamed as the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001, and then rebranded as the ASUN Conference in 2016. The conference headquarters are located in Atlanta.
The Charleston Cougars are the varsity intercollegiate athletic teams representing the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The Cougars compete in NCAA Division I and are currently members of the Colonial Athletic Association. The university sponsors 20 varsity sports teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis; women's-only dance team, equestrian, beach volleyball, softball, track and field and volleyball; men's-only baseball; and co-ed sailing and cheerleading. The university's most successful sports are co-ed sailing, which has won 14 national championships since 1986, women's volleyball, which has qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times since 2002 and men's baseball, which has qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times since 2004.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), located in Richmond, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the ASUN Conference since the 2021–22 academic year; while its football team competes in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) until the ASUN launches its own football league, most likely in the 2022 fall season. The Colonels previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2020–21.
The Stetson Hatters are composed of 18 teams representing Stetson University in intercollegiate athletics. The Hatters compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the ASUN Conference for most sports, except for the football team, which competes in the Pioneer Football League. Their mascot is John B.
The Stetson Hatters baseball team represents Stetson University, which is located in DeLand, Florida. The Hatters are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in the ASUN Conference. They began competing in Division I in 1972 and joined the ASUN Conference in 1986.
The Lipscomb Bisons are the athletic teams that represent Lipscomb University, located in Nashville, Tennessee, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the ASUN Conference since the 2003–04 academic year. The Bisons previously competed in the TranSouth Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1996–97 to 2000–01. Their mascot is LU the Bison
The Delaware State Hornets are the sixteen sports teams representing Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, tennis, and track and field; women's-only bowling, softball, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball. The Hornets complete in NCAA Division I; they have been members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since 1970. While most teams play in the MEAC, the women's soccer team competes as an independent, the women's equestrian team plays in the ECAC/National Collegiate Equestrian Association, the baseball and women's golf teams compete in the Northeast Conference, and the women's lacrosse team competes in the ASUN Conference.
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Jacksonville State University (JSU) located in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. The Gamecocks athletic program is a member of the ASUN Conference, which it rejoined on July 1, 2021 after an 18-year absence spent in the Ohio Valley Conference, and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. In football, JSU is currently a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), competing in a formal partnership between the ASUN and WAC that will operate until they formally join a FBS football league, Conference USA, in all sports for the 2023-24 academic year.
The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Ospreys were members of the Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. UNF fields teams in seven men's sports and ten women's sports.
The ASUN Conference men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the ASUN Conference, formerly known as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) and Atlantic Sun Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1979, except for 1992–93.
The Stetson Hatters men's basketball team represents Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, United States. The team currently competes in the ASUN Conference. They play their home games at the Edmunds Center. The Hatters are one of 45 Division I programs to have never appeared in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
The Queens Royals are the athletic teams that represent Queens University of Charlotte, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, in NCAA intercollegiate sporting competitions. On July 1, 2022, the Royals began a four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I as new members of the ASUN Conference. Before then, Queens had competed in the South Atlantic Conference for 14 of their varsity sports; the men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference and the men's and women's indoor track and field and men's volleyball teams competed as independents. Queens had been a member of the SAC since 2013, when it moved from Conference Carolinas.
The Bellarmine Knights are the athletic teams that represent Bellarmine University, located in Louisville, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the ASUN Conference for most sports since the 2020–21 academic year. The Knights previously competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1978–79 to 2019–20.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women's basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
At the end of each regular season, the Atlantic Sun Conference, branded since the 2016–17 school year as the ASUN Conference, names major award winners in baseball. Currently, it names a Coach, Pitcher, Player, Freshman, and Defensive Player of the Year. The Coach of the Year award, which dates to 1979, is the oldest. The others—Player (1982), Freshman (2001), Pitcher (2004), and Defensive Player (2014)—were added later. Through the 2001 season, the then-existing awards were known as the major awards of the Trans America Athletic Conference, the ASUN's former name.
The 2016 ASUN women's soccer tournament was a postseason women's soccer tournament that ended the 2016 season of the ASUN Conference. It was held from October 29 to November 6, 2016 and consisted of five matches at campus sites, with the higher seed hosting. The six team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The FGCU Eagles were the defending tournament champions, after defeating the Lipscomb Bisons 5–0 in the championship match for the program's fourth league title.
The ASUN Men's Soccer Tournament is the conference championship tournament in soccer for the ASUN Conference. The tournament has been held every year since 1978 except in 2020, when the ASUN moved its soccer season from fall 2020 to spring 2021 due to COVID-19 issues. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship.
The Stetson Hatters women's basketball team represents Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, United States. The school's team currently competes in the ASUN Conference.
The 2021–22 ASUN Conference men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 9, 2021, and began conference play on January 4, 2022. The regular season ended on February 26, 2022, followed by the 2022 ASUN Men's Basketball Tournament held March 1–8, 2022.
The 2021 ASUN men's soccer tournament was the 43rd edition of the postseason men's soccer tournament for the ASUN Conference, held from November 5 through November 13, 2022. All rounds of the tournament were hosted at the first and second seeds home stadiums. The six-team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Jacksonville Dolphins were the defending tournament champions, and were unable to defend their title, after not qualifying for the tournament. The Lipscomb Bisons won the tournament after defeating Central Arkansas 4–1 in the final. It was their third title in five years, and third title in program history for Lipscomb and coach Charles Morrow. As tournament champions, Lipscomb earned the ASUN's automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
References
- ↑ "ASUN Conference" (PDF). ASUN Conference.
- ↑ "Volleyball Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). Stetson University Athletics.