Limestone Saints

Last updated
Limestone Saints
Limestone Saints logo.svg
University Limestone University
Conference South Atlantic (primary)
Conference Carolinas (acrobatics & tumbling, men's wrestling)
Independent (men's volleyball)
NCAA Division II
Athletic directorHailey P. Martin
Location Gaffney, South Carolina
Varsity teams25 (11 men's, 14 women's)
Football stadiumSaints Field
Basketball arenaTimken Center
Baseball stadiumFounders FCU Stadium
Softball stadiumBabe Ruth Field
Soccer stadiumSaints Field
Aquatics centerTimken Aquatic Center
Lacrosse stadiumSaints Field
Tennis venueEmmie Evans Rector Tennis Center
NicknameSaints
ColorsBlue, white, and limestone gold [1]
     
Website golimestonesaints.com
Team NCAA championships
6
Individual and relay NCAA champions
6

The Limestone Saints are the athletic teams that represent Limestone University, located in Gaffney, South Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Saints compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for most sports, having joined that league in July 2020 after 22 years in Conference Carolinas (CC). Limestone maintains CC membership in two sports, specifically men's wrestling and women's acrobatics & tumbling. Men's wrestling is one of two sports in which the SAC and CC operate as a single league, the other being women's field hockey. The SAC operates the field hockey championship, while CC operates the wrestling championship. The men's volleyball team competes as an independent. The swim team competed in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference before being dropped in 2018; the field hockey and wrestling teams were members of the ECAC–Division II before 2018, when the SAC and CC established their alliance in those two sports. The football team had been independent, but entered into a scheduling agreement with the SAC in 2015. This agreement was replaced in 2017 by formal affiliate membership, which continued until the Saints joined the SAC full-time in 2020.

Contents

History

Until 1997, Limestone competed for championships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Limestone gained membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division II in 1991 and began competing for NCAA championships when it joined the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference in 1998. Today, 21 of Limestone's athletic teams compete in the South Atlantic Conference, with women's acrobatics & tumbling and men's wrestling competing in Conference Carolinas, and men's volleyball and women's wrestling competing as independents. In 2014, the field hockey team joined the inaugural ECAC Division II conference in that sport and was joined by wrestling (previously competing as an independent) for the 2015–16 season, with both sports moving to the SAC–CC alliance when it was established in 2018.

The most recently added sports are acrobatics & tumbling and women's wrestling, both added in the 2019–20 school year. Both sports became part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in 2020–21, at which time CC became the second NCAA conference to officially sponsor acrobatics & tumbling (after the D-II Mountain East Conference).

Limestone helped pave the way for collegiate lacrosse, swimming, and field hockey in the South. The Saints fielded South Carolina's first collegiate lacrosse team in 1990. Before being dropped after the 2017–18 season, the swimming teams were the only NCAA Division II swimming programs in South Carolina and among the few in the two Carolinas.

Over the years, the Saints baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, softball, men's soccer, men's wrestling, and men's and women's tennis teams have all been ranked on the national level. Twelve student-athletes have gone on to play professionally in their sport, with seven of those signing professional baseball contracts. The Saints baseball program was started by two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry, a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Additionally, Saints athletes have earned All-American honors on over 100 occasions and over a dozen have been named Academic All-Americans.

Conference affiliations

NCAA

Varsity teams

List of teams

  1. 1 2 The NCAA classifies indoor and outdoor track & field as two separate sports. It holds indoor championships in its winter season and outdoor championships in its spring season.

National championships

Team

AssociationDivisionSportYearOpponentScore
NAIA Men's Golf [2] 1984 Saginaw Valley State 1176–1183
NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse [3] 2000 C.W. Post 10–9
2002 NYIT 11–9
2014 LIU Post 12–6
2015 Le Moyne 11–9
2017 Merrimack 11–9

Individual

AssociationDivisionSportYearIndividual(s)Event
NAIA Men's Golf [4] 1984 Chip Johnson Men's Championship
NCAA Division II Wrestling 2008 Dan Scanlan 184 pounds
2017 DeAndre' Johnson 157 pounds
Men's Swimming and Diving 2008 Craig Jordens
Chris Harrigan
Anders Melin
Goran Majlat
200-yard freestyle relay
2009 Craig Jordens
Matt Parsonage
Anders Melin
Goran Majlat
200-yard freestyle relay
2009 Goran Majlat 50-yard freestyle
Men's Track and Field 2017 Marshawn Scott 60m hurdles

Conference championships

Regular-season conference championships

(since 1998)

Conference tournament titles

Individual sports

Men's lacrosse

Limestone is an established powerhouse in men's lacrosse and has won five national championship titles (2000, 2002, 2014, 2015, and 2017). The Saints have also compiled nineteen Conference Championship titles in (1994, 1999–2007, and 2009–2017). With its 2000 national title, Limestone College became the smallest coeducational institution to ever win an NCAA national championship. They are set to play on Sunday, May 26, 2019.

Women's lacrosse

The Limestone College women's lacrosse program has made appearances in nine NCAA Division II National Tournaments (2004, 2006 and 2008–2014), reaching the NCAA DII National Championship in both 2011 and 2013. They have been regular-season conference champions for thirteen consecutive seasons (2004–2016) and accumulated nine conference tournament championships (2006, 2008–2014, 2016). They are the southernmost collegiate women's lacrosse program to make an appearance in a national tournament. The current Head Coach of the program is Scott Tucker (2002–present). Tucker beginning in 2015 became the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II women's lacrosse. [7]

Women's basketball

Limestone's women's basketball program has made 5 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (2012-2016), reaching the elite eight in 2014, and the final four in 2015.

Football

On October 26, 2012, Limestone announced they would add football and begin play in 2014. [8] Bobby James, previously the defensive coordinator at Wingate University was named the inaugural head coach on December 14, 2012. After a "redshirt" season with players but only scrimmages, Limestone began NCAA Division II play in the fall of 2014 and recorded a record of 2–9, followed by a 2–8 season in 2015. James left the program in early 2016, and on May 11, 2016, Limestone College announced the hiring of former National Football League wide receiver Mike Furrey as the second head coach for the Saints. [9] Furrey was previously wide receivers coach at Marshall University and a former head coach at Kentucky Christian University. Under Furrey, the Saints went 5–6 in his first season, followed by a 4–6 campaign in 2017. He departed the team in January 2018 to become the wide receivers coach for the Chicago Bears. [10]

The Saints had competed in football as an independent, but during the 2015–2018 seasons arranged a scheduling agreement with the South Atlantic Conference to provide most of their contests. In April 2017 the Limestone Saints were announced [11] as the first associate member of the South Atlantic Conference (in any sport), and began competition in the SAC beginning in fall 2017. They remained an SAC football affiliate until becoming a full conference member in 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Atlantic Conference</span> American college athletic conference

The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as a football-only conference and became an all-sports conference beginning with the 1989–90 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newberry College</span> Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina, US

Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it has 1,521 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Fraser Red Leafs</span> Athletic teams of Simon Fraser University

The SFU Red Leafs or Simon Fraser Red Leafs teams represent Simon Fraser University (SFU), which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The Red Leafs are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliated with the U.S.-based National Collegiate Athletic Association. The teams previously used the nicknames "Clan" and "Clansmen," which were used as a tribute to the Scottish heritage of the university's namesake, Simon Fraser. The names were retired in 2020 due to the negative connotation surrounding those terms. In September 2022, the updated nickname "Red Leafs" was announced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone University</span> Private Christian university in Gaffney, South Carolina, U.S.

Limestone University, formerly Limestone College, is a private Christian university in Gaffney, South Carolina. It was established in 1845 by Thomas Curtis, a distinguished scholar born and educated in England. Limestone was the first women's college in South Carolina and one of the first in the nation; it is the third-oldest college in South Carolina. Ten buildings on the campus, as well as the Limestone Springs and limestone quarry itself, are on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian Athletic Conference</span>

The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College lacrosse</span> Lacrosse played by student athletes in North America

College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is sponsored by the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) and Maritime University Field Lacrosse League (MUFLL), while in the United States, varsity men's and women's lacrosse is governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). There are also university lacrosse programs in the United Kingdom sponsored by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and programs in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conference Carolinas</span> American college athletic conference

Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Division II level. It is also considered as one of the seven Division I conferences for men's volleyball. Originally formed in 1930, the league reached its modern incarnation in 1994. Member institutions are located in the southeastern United States in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Conference Carolinas membership currently consists of 14 small colleges or universities, 12 private and two public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Valley State Lakers</span>

The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The GVSU Lakers compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwood Lions</span> Athletic teams of Lindenwood University

The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercyhurst Lakers</span> Athletic teams representing Mercyhurst University

The Mercyhurst Lakers, representing Mercyhurst University which is located in Erie, Pennsylvania, are composed of 24 teams in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, tennis, and water polo. Men's sports include baseball, football, and wrestling. Women's sports include bowling, field hockey, softball, stunt, and volleyball. The Lakers compete in the NCAA Division II and are members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I; bowling, a sport in which the NCAA holds a single all-divisions national championship, which competes in the East Coast Conference; men's lacrosse and stunt, both of which compete in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference; and water polo, a sport in which the NCAA holds single all-divisions national championships for men and women. The men's ice hockey team is a member of Atlantic Hockey, while the women's ice hockey team is a member of College Hockey America. The men's and women's water polo teams play in the Western Water Polo Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama–Huntsville Chargers</span> Athletic teams based at University of Alabama in Huntsville

The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Alabama in Huntsville, located in Huntsville, Alabama, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Chargers have primarily competed in the Gulf South Conference since the 1993–94 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Canyon Antelopes</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The Grand Canyon Antelopes are the 21 athletic teams representing Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Western Athletic Conference. Men's volleyball competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) effective beginning in the 2017–18 academic year. The beach volleyball program competes in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) through the 2024 season, after which it will become an inaugural member of the MPSF beach volleyball league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport Panthers</span> Athletic teams that represent Davenport University

The Davenport Panthers are the athletic teams that represent Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Michigan, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most of its sports as a provisional member since the 2017–18 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–06 to 2016–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain East Conference</span> U.S. college athletic conference

The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, mostly in West Virginia with other members in Maryland and Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKendree Bearcats</span>

The McKendree Bearcats are the intercollegiate athletic programs that represent McKendree University, located in Lebanon, Illinois, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) as a provisional member since the 2012–13 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters</span>

The Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters are the athletic teams that represent Lincoln Memorial University, located in Harrogate, Tennessee, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Railsplitters compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) for most varsity sports, although the bowling team competes in the Conference Carolinas and the men's volleyball program plays as an independent. Field hockey and men's wrestling, two of three sports to be added in 2021–22, will compete in South Atlantic Conference Carolinas, an alliance between the SAC and Conference Carolinas (CC) that operates in those two sports, with the SAC operating the field hockey championship and CC operating the men's wrestling championship. LMU will thus become a de facto CC men's wrestling affiliate at that time. The third sport to be added in 2021–22 is women's wrestling, newly added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program for 2020–21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lander Bearcats</span> Athletic teams of Lander University, South Carolina, U.S.

The Lander Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent Lander University, located in Greenwood, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Peach Belt Conference since the 1990–91 academic year.

References

  1. 2.4 Color Palette . Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  2. "NAIA Men's Golf Championship Results" (PDF). NAIA. NAIA.org. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  3. "Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  4. "NAIA Men's Golf Championship Results" (PDF). NAIA. NAIA.org. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  5. "The Gaffney Ledger".
  6. "The Gaffney Ledger".
  7. "Scott Tucker - Women's Lacrosse Coach".
  8. "The Gaffney Ledger".
  9. "Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Mike Furrey named college coach".
  10. "Limestone football coach Mike Furrey steps down". Spartanburg Herald-Journal . January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  11. "Area briefs: Limestone football joins SAC as associate member".