North Carolina A&T State University leaving the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) and joining the Big South Conference became official after a vote by the NCA&T Board of Trustees on Friday, Feb. 7.
The Aggies will continue to compete in the MEAC through the end of the 2020-2021 season and will make the switch for 16 of its 17 varsity sports July 1, 2021. The bowling team will continue to compete in the MEAC.
After the vote, NCA&T Chancellor Harold Martin in a press release stated, “We have been looking carefully at our opportunities in athletics for five years and more intensively over the past year. We’re pleased to have brought that process to fruition and excited to be ushering in a new alliance with the Big South. This move makes great sense for our student athletes, for our fans and for our bottom line. We will always have a place in our hearts for the MEAC, and we look forward to what the new conference will make possible for the Aggies.”
The study was done by the Athletic Conference Assessment Committee (ACAC) and it completed its study and approved the recommendation earlier in the week.
NCA&T trustee and ACAC chair Timothy King said, “As our committee did its due diligence over the past year, the opportunities to positively impact the lives of our student athletes and the financial health of athletics became increasingly clear and detailed. In the end, we had compelling answers to all our questions making our choice straightforward.”
Hampton University a former member of the MEAC joined the Big South in 2018.
The current full members of the Big South are:
Campbell University
Charleston Southern University
Garner-Webb University
Hampton University
High Point University
Longwood University
Presbyterian College
Radford University
University of North Carolina-Asheville
University of South Carolina- Upstate
Winthrop University
And for football only:
Kennesaw State University
Monmouth University
University of North Alabama
