College Sports Realignment Roundup for March 18, 2025

The realignment news was in full gear for the second day in a row and this time all three divisions plus the NAIA had some news. Once again, the NCAA Division 3 landscape was the focus as the American Southwest Conference finally found some teams to (re)-join the conference. Meanwhile, four schools across the NCAA and NAIA announced new sports teams will be added in the 2025-26 academic year.

McMurry and Schreiner Headed to ASC

McMurry University (Abilene, Texas) and Schreiner University (Kerrville, Texas) are leaving the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) to join the American Southwest Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. This will be McMurry’s third stint in the ASC. The War Hawks left in 2012-13 to move up to NCAA Division 2 but abandoned that attempt after two years and returned in 2014-15. They left again starting in 2024-25 to join the SCAC. Schreiner was a member from 1998 through 2013 before leaving for the SCAC.

It’s a huge boon for the ASC after being stuck at four members for months and this agreement lasts for 10 years, according to the press release by the ASC. East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, and Mary Hardin-Baylor can breathe a slight sigh of relief that the conference will have 6 full members, all 6 will have football, and (hopefully) be tied together for a decade. Schreiner will play its first varsity season in 2026 right as the school joins the ASC.

The SCAC is in a bit of trouble for football as there will only be five football members for 2026-27: Austin College, Centenary (LA), Hendrix, Lyon, and Texas Lutheran. For full membership changes, the SCAC will be at 10 in 2026-27, assuming no further moves. Southwestern (TX) and Trinity (TX) are both leaving in 2025-26 to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as full members. Meanwhile, Hendrix (AR) is joining the SCAC from the SAA and LeTourneau (TX) will join from the ASC in 2025-26. That will keep the SCAC at 10 for 2025-26 before McMurry and Schreiner depart in 2026-27, putting the SCAC back at 8 full members.

The ASC currently sponsors all sports offered by McMurry and Schreiner except for swimming & diving and wrestling. It is not known if McMurry will try to keep its swimming & diving teams with the SCAC as an affiliate or search for a new conference. Both universities announced an affiliate membership agreement with the SLIAC for men’s and women’s wrestling. Whether the SCAC will keep its divisional model intact for basketball and women’s volleyball for 2026-27 remains to be seen.

Four Schools Add Sports

Outside of the full membership changes, four schools announced new sports. Starting with NCAA Division 1, High Point University (High Point, North Carolina) announced the addition of men’s and women’s wrestling as club sports. If this sounds familiar, it is the second day in a row that a school announced the addition of club wrestling after Adrian College (NCAA Division 3) did so on Monday, March 17. Like Adrian, High Point will also compete in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA). High Point competes in the NCAA Division 1 Big South Conference and does not currently have varsity wrestling programs.

In NCAA Division 2, PennWest California (California, Pennsylvania) announced the addition of women’s flag football beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. If this also sounds familiar to Monday’s news, that’s because it is. Long Island University (NCAA Division 1) announced it will add flag football in 2025-26. PennWest is a member of the NCAA Division 2 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

In NCAA Division 3, Cairn University (Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania) has added club football for the 2024-25 academic year and will become a varsity team in the 2025-26 academic year. Cairn will compete in the United East Conference (UEC) in 2025-26.

In the NAIA, Webber International University (Babson Park, Florida) will add coed powerlifting beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. WIU’s press release said they are the 44th collegiate wrestling program, which means they are likely to compete as an independent in the sport.