Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

History

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education organized the conference in 1951 to promote competition in men's sports amongst the system's 14 universities.

In 1977, following growing interest, the conference was expanded to offer competition in women's sports. From its inception, each conference member selected its own competitive division within the NCAA (I, II, or III).

In 1980, however, the presidents voted to reclassify the entire conference to Division II within the NCAA. | mark-coord = |mark-size = 10 |label=Bloomsburg |label-pos = left | mark = Location dot green.svg | label-color = black | mark-coord1 = |mark-size1 = 10 |label1=California|label-pos1 = top | mark1 = Location dot red.svg | label-color1 = black | mark-coord2 = |mark-size2 = 10 |label2=Clarion|label-pos2 = left | mark2 = Location dot red.svg | label-color2 = black | mark-coord3 = |mark-size3 = 10 |label3=East Stroudsburg|label-pos3 = bottom | mark3 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color3 = black | mark-coord4 = |mark-size4 = 10 |label4=Edinboro |label-pos4 = bottom | mark4 = Location dot red.svg | label-color4 = black | mark-coord5 = |mark-size5 = 10 |label5=Gannon |label-pos5 = left | mark5 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color5 = black | mark-coord6 = |mark-size6 = 10 |label6=IUP |label-pos6 = right | mark6 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color6 = black | mark-coord7 = |mark-size7 = 10 |label7=Kutztown |label-pos7 = left | mark7 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color7 = black | mark-coord8 = |mark-size8 = 10 |label8=Lock Haven |label-pos8 = left | mark8 = Location dot green.svg | label-color8 = black | mark-coord9 = |mark-size9 = 10 |label9=Mansfield |label-pos9 = left | mark9 = Location dot green.svg | label-color9 = black | mark-coord11 = |mark-size11 = 10 |label11=Millersville|label-pos11 = left | mark11 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color11 = black | mark-coord12 = |mark-size12 = 10 |label12=Pitt-Johnstown|label-pos12 = bottom| mark12 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color12 = black | mark-coord13 = |mark-size13 = 10 |label13=Seton Hill|label-pos13 = top | mark13 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color13 = black | mark-coord14 = |mark-size14 = 10 |label14=Shepherd |label-pos14 = top | mark14 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color14 = black | mark-coord15 = |mark-size15 = 10 |label15=Shippensburg |label-pos15 = top | mark15 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color15 = black | mark-coord16 = |mark-size16 = 10 |label16=Slippery Rock |label-pos16 = bottom| mark16 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color16 = black | mark-coord17 = |mark-size17 = 10 |label17=West Chester |label-pos17 = top | mark17 = Location dot blue.svg | label-color17 = black | mark-coord18 = |mark-size18 = 10 |label18=Lackawanna |label-pos18 = top | mark18 = Location dot purple.svg | label-color18 = black

Membership remained unchanged until the conference announced on June 18, 2007, that it had invited three private universities—Gannon University and Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania and C.W. Post of Brookville, New York—to join the conference. Gannon and Mercyhurst left the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to join the PSAC, effective July 1, 2008. C.W. Post became an associate member for football and field hockey.

In 2010, Seton Hill University was accepted to join the conference as an associate member for field hockey. With the transition of West Chester from Division I to Division II, the number of teams competing in field hockey increased from 10 to 12 for the 2011 season.

On August 19, 2012, the PSAC announced that Seton Hill and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, formerly members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), would become full members beginning with the 2013–14 school year. This announcement was fallout from a split in the WVIAC that ultimately led to the formation of the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Although Seton Hill was one of the schools that initially broke away from the WVIAC, it chose not to join the MEC. The arrival of these two schools brought the PSAC to 18 full members, making it the largest NCAA all-sports conference in terms of membership at that time. While two other conferences briefly expanded to more members, the D-II Lone Star Conference to 19 in 2019–20 and the D-III USA South Athletic Conference to the same number in 2021–22, both have since reduced their memberships to less than 18, once again giving the PSAC the largest membership of any NCAA all-sports conference.

In March 2018, charter member Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, facing crises in enrollment, graduation rates, and finances, announced that it would leave NCAA Division II and the PSAC at the end of the 2017–18 school year. The school had dropped football in December 2017.

Later that year, the conference announced that it would expand into West Virginia, bringing in Shepherd University from the MEC as a full member effective with the 2019–20 school year. Shepherd is the first full PSAC member outside of Pennsylvania.

As of April 4, 2024, Mercyhurst announced that it will leave the PSAC to transition to NCAA Division I and join the Northeast Conference, beginning the 2024–25 academic year. The PSAC responded on June 26, 2025 by extending an invitation to Lackawanna College to join as a full member, becoming the third-ever institution (and first football-sponsoring institution) to transition from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) directly into Division II.

Role in Division I conference realignment

The PSAC played a little-known but nonetheless significant role in the history of NCAA Division I conference realignment. In 1986, the conference was seeking a way out of a football scheduling conundrum. The PSAC had 14 members at the time, and had been split into divisions for decades. One of the methods it historically used to determine a football champion involved a championship game between the winners of its two divisions. However, due to NCAA limits on regular-season games, every PSAC team had to leave a schedule spot open, with only the two division winners getting to play all of their allowed regular-season games. Then-conference commissioner Tod Eberle asked Dick Yoder, then athletic director at West Chester and member of the Division II council, to draft NCAA legislation that would allow the PSAC to play a conference title game that would be exempt from regular-season limits. The initial draft required that a qualifying league have 14 members and play a round-robin schedule within each division; only the PSAC then qualified. Before Yoder formally introduced the proposal, he was approached by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which was interested in co-sponsoring the legislation because it was also split into football divisions and wanted the option of a championship game. Since the CIAA then had 12 members, Yoder changed the legislation to require 12 members instead of 14. Although at the time all NCAA legislation had to be approved by the entire membership, regardless of divisional alignment, the proposal passed with little notice. It was generally seen as a non-issue by Division I-A (now FBS) schools since no conference in that group then had more than 10 members. While the PSAC planned to stage its first exempt title game in 1988, it decided against doing so at that time because the D-II playoffs expanded from 8 to 16 teams that season, and it feared that the result of a title game could cost the league a playoff berth. The new NCAA rule would not see its first use until the Southeastern Conference took advantage of it by expanding to 12 members in 1991 and launching a title game the following year.

Chronological timeline

• 1951 – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) was founded as the State Teachers Conference of Pennsylvania (STCP). Charter members included Bloomsburg State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg), California State Teachers College (now PennWest California), Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), Clarion State Teachers College (now PennWest Clarion), East Stroudsburg State Teachers College (now East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania), Edinboro State Teachers College (now PennWest Edinboro), Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Kutztown State Teachers College (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania), Lock Haven State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Lock Haven), Mansfield State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Mansfield), Millersville State Teachers College (now Millersville University of Pennsylvania), Shippensburg State Teachers College (now Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania), Slippery Rock State Teachers College (now Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania), and West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University of Pennsylvania), beginning the 1951–52 academic year.
• 1956 – The STCP was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference (PSTCC) in the 1956–57 academic year.
• 1964 – The PSTCC was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in the 1964–65 academic year.
• 1980 – The PSAC had joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II ranks, transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), beginning the 1980–81 academic year.
• 2008:
  • Gannon University and Mercyhurst University joined the PSAC in the 2008–09 academic year.
    • Long Island University–Post (LIU Post) joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey and football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
• 2011 – Seton Hill University joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in the 2011 fall season (2011–12 academic year).
• 2013:
  • LIU Post left the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey and football after the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year).
  • The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown joined the PSAC (along with Seton Hill for all sports) in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2018 – Cheyney left the PSAC to become an independent school without an affiliation with any athletic conference or any college sports organization after the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2019 – Shepherd University joined the PSAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
• 2024:
  • Mercyhurst left the PSAC to transition and join to the NCAA Division I ranks and the Northeast Conference (NEC) after the 2023–24 academic year.
  • Frostburg State University joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in the 2024 fall season (2024–25 academic year).

;Notes

Member schools

Current members

The PSAC currently has 17 full members, all but two being public schools. Also, only three of the 15 public members are outside of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

;Notes

Future members

The PSAC will have one future full member, which will be a private school, yet a date will to be announced:

;Notes

Affiliate members

The PSAC has three affiliate members, one public school and two private schools:

;Notes

Former members

The PSAC had two former full members, a public school and a private school:

;Notes

Former affiliate members

The PSAC had one former affiliate member, which was also a private school:

;Note:

Membership timeline

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bar:1 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Bloomsburg (1951–present)

bar:2 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:California (1951–present)

bar:3 color:Full from:1951 till:2018 text:Cheyney (1951–2018)

bar:4 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Clarion (1951–present)

bar:5 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:East Stroudsburg (1951–present)

bar:6 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Edinboro (1951–present)

bar:7 color:Full from:1951 till:1966 text:Indiana (1951–present) bar:7 color:FullxF from:1966 till:1974 bar:7 color:Full from:1974 till:end

bar:8 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Kutztown (1951–present)

bar:9 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Lock Haven (1951–present)

bar:10 color:Full from:1951 till:2007 text:Mansfield (1951–present) bar:10 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end

bar:11 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Millersville (1951–present)

bar:12 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Shippensburg (1951–present)

bar:13 color:Full from:1951 till:end text:Slippery Rock (1951–present)

bar:14 color:Full from:1951 till:1977 text:West Chester (1951–present) bar:14 color:FullxF from:1977 till:1982 bar:14 color:Full from:1982 till:end

bar:15 color:Full from:2008 till:end text:Gannon (2008–present)

bar:16 color:Full from:2008 till:2024 text:Mercyhurst (2008–2024)

bar:17 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2013 text:LIU–Post (2008–2013)

bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2013 text:Seton Hill (2011–present) bar:18 color:Full from:2013 till:end

bar:19 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Pitt-Johnstown (2013–present)

bar:20 color:Full from:2019 till:end text:Shepherd (2019–present)

bar:21 shift:(-70) color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:Frostburg State (2024–present)

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Sports

In wrestling; Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven compete as members of the Division I Mid-American Conference. The PSAC held an annual championship open to all Division I and Division II teams, however with the transition of all of the former members of the Eastern Wrestling League into the MAC starting in 2019 the Division I level PSAC programs will focus on Division I level competition. The PSAC offers championships in the following sports.

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sponsored sports by school

Other sponsored sports by school

In addition to the above:

• Edinboro sponsors coeducational varsity teams in esports and wheelchair basketball.
• Gannon recognizes its cheerleaders (both male and female) and all-female dance team as varsity athletes.
• Mansfield fields a varsity team in sprint football, a weight-restricted form of football played under standard NCAA rules but governed outside the NCAA.
• Shepherd and West Chester recognize their female cheerleaders, but not their male ones, as varsity athletes.

Championships

Main article: PSAC Football Championship Game, PSAC men's basketball tournament

Conference venues

Notable alumni

The following is a list of alumni of the respective universities, including before the formation of the Conference in 1951.

Football

• Jason Capizzi, Indiana, former Pittsburgh Panthers offensive tackle
• Gene Carpenter, Millersville, former head coach of Millersville
• Curt Cignetti, Indiana, former University of Alabama recruiting coordinator, former James Madison University head coach, current Indiana University head coach
• Frank Cignetti, Jr., Indiana, former University of Pittsburgh offensive coordinator
• Frank Cignetti, Sr., Indiana, former IUP and West Virginia University head coach, 1991 Division II Coach of the Year
• Dominique Curry, California, St. Louis Rams wide receiver
• Rob Davis, Shippensburg, former NFL long snapper, current director of player development for the Green Bay Packers
• Doug Dennison, Kutztown, former NFL running back
• Jahri Evans, Bloomsburg, offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints
• Lawson Fiscus, Indiana, early professional football player
• James Franklin, East Stroudsburg, head coach for the Pennsylvania State University
• David Green, Edinboro, former CFL running back, 1979 CFL's Most Outstanding Player
• Kris Griffin, Indiana, former NFL linebacker
• Brent Grimes, Shippensburg, former NFL cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons
• Bruce Harper, Kutztown, former running back and kick returner for the New York Jets
• Trevor Harris, Edinboro, quarterback for the Ottawa Redblacks
• Jim Haslett, Indiana, former linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets and head coach for the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams
• Jack Henry, Indiana, former NFL assistant coach
• Greg Hopkins, Slippery Rock, former Arena Football League player
• Kevin Ingram, West Chester, wide receiver and defensive back for the Los Angeles Avengers
• Mike Jemison, Indiana, former NFL and NFL Europe running back
• Terrence Johnson, California, Indianapolis Colts cornerback
• Derrick Jones, California, Oakland Raiders wide receiver
• Leander Jordan, Indiana, former NFL offensive tackle
• Matt Kinsinger, Slippery Rock, fullback/linebacker for the Chicago Rush
• John Kuhn, Shippensburg, fullback for the Green Bay Packers
• Chuck Klausing, Indiana, College Football Hall of Fame, 1998 Class
• Bob Ligashesky Indiana, Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach
• LeRon McCoy, Indiana, former NFL wide receiver
• Dewey McDonald, California, safety for the Indianapolis Colts
• Rontez Miles, California, current safety for the New York Jets
• John Mobley, Kutztown, former linebacker for the Denver Broncos
• Kevin O'Dea, Lock Haven, former New York Jets special teams coordinator
• Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana, firmer Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
• Ken Parrish, East Stroudsburg, former NFL punter
• Josh Portis, California, Seattle Seahawks quarterback
• Dan Radakovich, Indiana, Georgia Tech athletic director
• Andre Reed, Kutztown, Hall of Fame NFL wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins
• Robb Riddick, Millersville, former running back for the Buffalo Bills
• Sean Scott, Millersville, wide receiver/linebacker for the Philadelphia Soul
• Joe Senser, West Chester, former tight end for the Minnesota Vikings
• Ralph Tamm, West Chester, former NFL offensive guard
• Jimmy Terwilliger, East Stroudsburg, quarterback, 2005 Harlon Hill Trophy winner
• Bob Tucker, Bloomsburg, former NFL tight end
• Chris Villarrial, Indiana, former NFL offensive guard
• Andre Waters, Cheyney, former NFL defensive back
• Reggie Wells, Clarion, current NFL free agent, drafted as an offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals
• James Williams, Cheyney, former offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears
• Lee Woodall, West Chester, former NFL linebacker
• Dondrea Tillman, Indiana, Denver Broncos linebacker

Baseball

• Clyde Barnhart, Shippensburg, former World Series-winning outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Tom Brookens, Mansfield, former MLB third baseman
• Mark Corey, Edinboro, former MLB pitcher
• Ryan Vogelsong, Kutztown, MLB pitcher
• Pete Vukovich, Clarion, MLB Pitcher, Cy Young Winner-Brewers
• Matt Adams, Slippery Rock, First Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB.
• Pat Kelly, West Chester, former MLB infielder, New York Yankees
• Joey Wendle, West Chester, MLB Infielder, Tampa Bay Rays
• Dan Altavilla, Mercyhurst, MLB Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
• Lou Trivino, Slippery Rock, MLB Pitcher, Oakland Athletics
• Matt Festa, East Stroudsburg, MLB Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
• Chas McCormick, Millersville, reigning World Series-Champion outfielder for the Houston Astros.
• Tim Mayza, Millersville, MLB Pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays

Basketball

• Geno Auriemma, West Chester, women's head coach at Connecticut; member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
• Del Beshore, California, former NBA point guard
• John Calipari, Clarion, Arkansas men's head coach, 1996 and 2008 Naismith College Coach of the Year, member of the Naismith Hall of Fame
• Stephen Dennis, Kutztown, Division II Player of the Year and professional player
• Mel Hankinson, Indiana, former college basketball coach including Liberty
• Jodi Kest, Slippery Rock, Akron women's basketball head coach
• C. Vivian Stringer, Slippery Rock, women's head coach at Rutgers; member of the Naismith and Women's Halls of Fame

Soccer

• Nicholas Addlery, California, forward currently for the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Jamaica national team
• Raymond Bernabei, Indiana, National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association and National Soccer Hall of Fame
• Jay Hoffman, East Stroudsburg, head coach of the 1999 U.S. women's Pan American Games gold medal team, and assistant coach of the 1999 U.S. FIFA Women's World Cup gold medal team
• Bob Rigby, East Stroudsburg, former goalkeeper in the North American Soccer League and the U.S. national team

Olympians

• Bekzod Adburakhmonov, Clarion, 2020 Summer Olympics bronze medalist
• Kurt Angle, Clarion, 1996 Summer Olympics wrestling gold medalist
• Steve Spence, Shippensburg, former Olympic long-distance runner
• Cary Kolat, Lock Haven, 2000 Summer Olympics Freestyle Wrestling - 9th
• Stanley Dziedzic, Slippery Rock, 1976 Summer Olympics wrestling bronze medalist

References

References

1. "Clarion Men's Basketball - Year by Year Records (PDF)". Clarion University.
2. "PSAC Overview". PSAC.
3. (June 19, 2007). "PSAC invites, Gannon, Mercyhurst to be full members". [[The Vindicator]].
4. (June 27, 2007). "PSAC adds Gannon University and Mercyhurst College to Membership". PSAC.
5. (June 28, 2007). "PSAC admits C.W. Post as associate members in two sports". [[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]].
6. (October 26, 2010). "Seton Hill to Join PSAC as Field Hockey Associate Member".
7. Rine, Shawn. (August 20, 2012). "Cards, Toppers Set To Jump Into New League". [[The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register]].
8. (August 19, 2012). "University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University to Join PSAC". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
9. Bell, Daryl. (March 23, 2018). "Cheyney University dropping sports in an attempt to strengthen academics and school".
10. (June 7, 2018). "Shepherd University to Join PSAC in 2019–20". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
11. (April 4, 2024). "Welcome To The Lake Show: Mercyhurst University Accepts Northeast Conference Membership Invite". Northeast Conference.
12. (June 26, 2025). "PSAC extends invitation to Lackawanna College to become conference's 18th member institution". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
13. (June 26, 2025). "PSAC extends invitation to Lackawanna College to become conference's 18th member institution". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
14. (May 30, 2023). "PSAC announces addition of Frostburg State field hockey as Associate Member beginning in 2024 season". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
15. "Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference".
16. (November 10, 2025). "SRU announces return of men's wrestling". Slippery Rock Athletics.