The Deep South Conference (DSC) was an NCAA Division II men's lacrosse-only college athletic conference that operated in the Southeastern United States. It was founded in 1993 in advance of the 1994 NCAA lacrosse season, and expanded over time to as many as 10 schools. The conference dissolved after the 2013 lacrosse season.
History The conference began in 1994 as the Deep South League with five inaugural members Catawba, Greensboro, Limestone, Pfeiffer, and Virginia Tech. In 1995 Greensboro and Virginia Tech left the conference and it added St. Andrews. In 1997 the DSC added Wingate and Lees-McRae in 1999 Mars Hill became the seventh member of the conference. In 2004 Queens joined the Deep South followed by Belmont Abbey and Presbyterian a few seasons later in 2006. In 2006 the conference saw its largest membership, with ten member schools. Following the 2006 season, Conference Carolinas began sponsoring men's lacrosse, causing several members to leave the Deep South. In 2009 Florida Southern joined the Deep South Conference and in 2011 Lenoir-Rhyne began sponsoring lacrosse and joined the DSC. The conference continued expansion in 2012, adding Florida Tech and the University of Tampa, bringing the conference to nine members.
However, the continued growth of the sport soon led to the conference's demise. On July 3, 2012, the South Atlantic Conference, the all-sports home of four DSC members, announced that it would begin sponsoring four new sports, including men's lacrosse, in the 2013–14 school year (2014 lacrosse season). The sponsorship of men's lacrosse was made possible when Coker College, which already sponsored men's lacrosse, and former DSC member Queens were confirmed as new SAC members for 2013–14. This brought the number of SAC men's lacrosse schools to six. Five months later on December 6, the Sunshine State Conference, home to the other five DSC members, announced that it would also sponsor men's lacrosse in the 2014 season. This followed the announcement by another SSC member, Lynn University, that it would start sponsoring the sport in that season. These moves meant that the 2013 season would be the last for the DSC.
Final members All of the final members of the conference are private schools that now play men's lacrosse in their all-sports leagues.
Institution Location Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Primary conferenceCatawba CollegeSalisbury, North CarolinaUnited Church of Christ1,358IndiansSouth Atlantic ConferenceFlorida Southern CollegeLakeland, FloridaMethodist2,426MoccasinsSunshine State ConferenceFlorida Institute of TechnologyMelbourne, FloridaNonsectarian8,985PanthersSunshine State ConferenceLenoir–Rhyne UniversityHickory, North CarolinaLutheran (ELCA)1,674BearsSouth Atlantic ConferenceMars Hill CollegeMars Hill, North CarolinaBaptist1,237 LionsSouth Atlantic ConferenceRollins CollegeWinter Park, FloridaCongregationalists3,294TarsSunshine State ConferenceSaint Leo UniversitySaint Leo, FloridaCatholic14,339LionsSunshine State ConferenceUniversity of TampaTampa, FloridaNonsectarian10,515SpartansSunshine State ConferenceWingate UniversityWingate, North CarolinaBaptist2,163BulldogsSouth Atlantic Conference
Former members Greensboro College (1994-1995) NCAA Division III Independent Virginia Tech (1994-1995) MCLA Division I SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference Limestone University (1994-2006) Conference Carolinas Pfeiffer University (1994-2006) — Initially moved to Conference Carolinas; later moved to the NCAA Division III USA South Athletic Conference St. Andrews Presbyterian College (1995-2006) Conference Carolinas Regis University (1997-2000) Lees–McRae College (1997-2006) Conference Carolinas Queens University of Charlotte (2004-2006) Conference Carolinas Belmont Abbey College (2006) Conference Carolinas Presbyterian College (2006-2007) NCAA Division I Independent; later dropped the sport
National Championship National Championships Limestone - 2000, 2002
Appearances Limestone - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
See also College lacrosse
References
External links Deep South Lax