BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – Bryn Athyn College President Brian Blair has announced that the College has accepted an invitation to join the Colonial State Athletic Conference (CSAC) starting in the 2018-19 academic year.

“Bryn Athyn is excited to be joining the Colonial States Athletic Conference,” stated Bryn Athyn President Brian Blair. “We are so proud of our athletic department, its staff and all of our student-athletes. We feel participating in the CSAC will be a natural fit for our educational mission. This new conference will enable our teams and student-athletes to continue to thrive.”

“The CSAC is thrilled to welcome Bryn Athyn College as a full member of the conference,” said CSAC Commissioner Adrienne Mullikin. “Not only has Bryn Athyn demonstrated a strong institutional commitment to athletics, but its sport sponsorship offerings and student-centered philosophy are consistent with the CSAC. I am confident that this partnership will be a rewarding one for both Bryn Athyn and the CSAC.”

On July 1, 2018, the CSAC will consist of nine private institutions: Bryn Athyn, Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Centenary University, Clarks Summit University, Keystone College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Rosemont College, and Wilson College. Cedar Crest and Notre Dame of Maryland are single-gender institutions, meaning that the conference will have nine schools on the women’s side and seven on the men’s side.

“We are honored by the invitation to join a conference comprised of institutions that mirror many of the same educational principles we teach at Bryn Athyn,” said Bryn Athyn College VP for Business Development and Athletics Matthew Kennedy. “We are anxious for all of the opportunities the CSAC will provide our students, coaches, and staff.

“We are grateful to Commissioner Adrienne Mullikin and the entire CSAC conference for their consideration and support.”

The Lions will participate in 13 of the 17 CSAC sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. Men’s ice hockey is not offered by the CSAC and will remain as an independent sport.

After starting athletics at Bryn Athyn College in 2010, the athletics department has grown from three club sports into 14 varsity programs at the NCAA Division III level. Field hockey will officially become Bryn Athyn’s 14th sport when it takes the field for the first time on Sept. 1. Bryn Athyn College was granted full NCAA Division III status on June 26, 2017. Last December, a turf field and lights were installed on General Ronald K. Nelson Field—the home of Bryn Athyn field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s lacrosse.

ABOUT BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE
Founded in 1877, Bryn Athyn College is a small, private, liberal arts college dedicated to a New Church approach to education. The curriculum pairs rigorous academics with spiritual inquiry and emphasizes critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, public presentation, and experiential education. Located on a beautiful 130-acre campus just 15 miles north of Philadelphia, Bryn Athyn College offers NCAA Division III athletics and is home to a diverse, coeducational student body. For more information, visit www.brynathyn.edu, email admissions@brynathyn.edu, or call 267-502-6044.

ABOUT THE COLONIAL STATES ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The CSAC was founded in 1992 as the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference and was rebranded as the Colonial States Athletic Conference in 2008. The CSAC sponsors 17 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III, including men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field and men’s golf. For more information about the CSAC, please visit http://www.csacsports.com/.

(Article from brynathynathletics.com)