CVAC to Change Name to Conference Carolinas
Thomasville, NC — The Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference will change its name to Conference Carolinas and has unveiled its new logo, it was announced today by Dr. Alan Patterson, Conference Commissioner, and Dr. James Dawson, President of Coker College & Conference Executive Committee Chair. The change will take effect on June 1, 2007.
Membership in the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas will remain at 11 schools. Members include: Anderson University (Anderson, SC); Barton College (Wilson, NC); Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, NC); Coker College (Hartsville, SC); Erskine College (Due West, SC); Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk, NC); Limestone College (Gaffney, SC); Mount Olive College (Mount Olive, NC); Pfeiffer University (Misenheimer, NC); Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC); and St. Andrews Presbyterian College (Laurinburg, NC). Converse College (Spartanburg, SC) is an affiliate member.
“Three primary reasons prompted the change,” stated Commissioner Alan Patterson. “Current members all reside in the Carolinas, the states of North and South Carolina have a highly favorable perception nationwide, and the historical and current success of collegiate athletics in the Carolinas is well known.”
The name change also comes from a historical perspective when, before the CVAC, the conference was the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) but commonly known less formerly as the Carolinas Conference. The selection of Conference Carolinas connects the respected Carolinas Conference to a new identity. Past, present, and future members will share a rich heritage and bright future.
The new Conference Carolinas logo is a simple but sleek design. The logo includes the colors in the flags of North and South Carolina. The “sun” reflects the uniqueness of the states from a coastal sunrise to a mountain sunset. The phrase “CONFERENCE CAROLINAS” appears in red and blue in the bottom portion of the logo. There will also be secondary logos for each of the conferences 15 sponsored championship sports. The logos ‘speed lines’ will be utilized to enhance each of these individual logos.
History of the Conference
Conference Carolinas inherits a rich tradition in roots that date back to its early initial inception on December 6th, 1930. The conference was formed then as an athletic association “for the greater advantage of the small colleges in North Carolina”. The official name given back then was the North State Intercollegiate Conference but known informally as the Old North State Conference.
The birthplace was the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, NC and the seven charter members were Appalachian, Atlantic Christian (now Barton College), Catawba, Guilford, Elon, High Point, and Lenoir-Rhyne.