One of the founding members of the Colonial Athletic Association, is leaving to join the Atlantic-10 Conference next year, the Associated Press has broken today. The move will be effective on July 1, 2013.-in time for next season – meaning that the George Mason swimming teams will join fellow original members Old Dominion in jumping ship after this season. Old Dominion will join Conference USA next season (which has been previously announced.)
Between ODU and GMU, the conference is losing two of its men’s powerhouse programs; the two have finished as runners-up for the last 11 years (with UNC Wilmington winning all of those titles). In the George Mason program, they’re also losing the team that produced the conference’s most recognized swimmer: former All-American breaststroker Ashley Danner.
The conference is expected to make the announcement officially on Monday at a scheduled press conference, and pursuing teleconference.
Here’s what CAA Swimming will look like in the fall of 2013, as of this moment, with CoC joining next falla:
Women’s Teams (8)
TOWSON UNIVERSITY SWIMMING
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
WILLIAM AND MARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-WILMINGTON
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
DELAWARE
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON *(new member)
Men’s Teams (6)
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON
WILLIAM AND MARY
DELAWARE
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
TOWSON UNIVERSITY SWIMMING
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON *(new member)
Meanwhile, the Atlantic 10 continues to grow as one of the biggest swimming and diving conferences in the country, and one of the more successful mid-major groups. Here is what it will look like in the fall of 2013, as of this moment; keep in mind that Butler and Xavier, the teams that were last and second-to-last at this year’s conference championship meet,
Women’s Teams (9)
University of Richmond
Massachusetts
Fordham University
La Salle University
George Washington University
George Mason University
Rhode Island
Duquesne
St. Bonaventure University
Saint Louis
Men’s Teams
St. Bonaventure University
Massachusetts
Xavier University
George Washington University
George Mason University
Fordham University
Saint Louis
La Salle University
The Atlantic-10 does not sponsor football, which fits well for the Patriots who do not field a varsity football team. The conference does have several football-playing members, though, who are in other conferences.