Centennial Conference
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox sports league
The Centennial Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Chartered member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania; associate members are also located in New York and Virginia.[1]
Eleven private colleges compose the chartered member teams of the Centennial Conference. Five of its 11 members rank among the top 50 national liberal arts colleges and Johns Hopkins University is ranked sixth among national universities.
On average, Centennial members sponsor 19 varsity teams. Conference members have won seventeen NCAA team titles: Johns Hopkins women's cross country (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021), Gettysburg women's lacrosse (2011, 2017, 2018), Haverford men's cross country (2010), Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse (2007, 2009), Ursinus field hockey (2006), Washington men's lacrosse (1998), and Washington men's tennis (1994, 1997).
History
According to the Centennial Conference's website, "On June 4, 1981, Keith Spalding, then-president of Franklin & Marshall College, made the announcement that "eight private colleges found it timely and appropriate to form a round-robin football schedule among institutions with similar attitudes and practices in intercollegiate football competition." With that statement, the Centennial Conference was born. Those private colleges were Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, and Western Maryland College, later renamed and now known as McDaniel College.
The conference moved from a football-only conference to an all-sports conference after a 1991 feasibility study. The study also recommended to expand from eight schools to eleven. The other schools recommended were Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and Washington College. Those three schools accepted and became charter members in 1992 as the conference expanded its sports offerings.[2]
All of the charter members defected from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Johns Hopkins and McDaniel College both played in the Mason-Dixon Conference prior to entering the MAC in 1975.
Recent changes
On August 21, 2019, Cabrini University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf to replace Neumann University's spot, effective in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).[3]
On August 31, 2022, football affiliates Juniata College, Moravian University and Susquehanna University departed for a new football league in the Landmark Conference, beginning the 2023 fall season (2022–23 academic year).[4]
On August 6, 2024, Carnegie Mellon University will join the Centennial as an associate football member, effective beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year).[5]
Chronological timeline
- 1981 – On June 4, 1981, the Centennial Conference was founded as a football-only league, then known as the Centennial Football Conference. Charter members included Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, and Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), beginning the 1981 fall season (1981–82 academic year).
- 1992 – The Centennial Football Conference was rebranded as the Centennial Conference when the conference expanded to add other sports, beginning the 1992–93 academic year. Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Washington College also joined the newly-formed all-sports conference.
- 1998 – Washington and Lee University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 2001 – Johns Hopkins left the University Athletic Association (UAA) to fully align with the Centennial Conference for all the sports being sponsored in the 2001–02 academic year.
- 2004 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy (Merchant Marine) and Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens or Stevens Tech) joined the Centennial as affiliate members for men's wrestling in the 2004-05 academic year.
- 2007 – Juniata College and Moravian College (now Moravian University) joined the Centennial as affiliate members for football in the 2007 fall season (2007–08 academic year).
- 2009 – Susquehanna University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf in the 2010 spring season (2009–10 academic year).
- 2010 – Susquehanna added football into its Centennial affiliate membership in the 2010 fall season (2010–11 academic year).
- 2012 – New York University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2016 – NYU left the Centennial as an affiliate member for wrestling after the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2017:
- Susquehanna left the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
- Marymount University and Neumann University joined the Centennial as affiliate members for women's golf in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
- 2019:
- Two institutions left the Centennial as affiliate members, both effective after the 2018–19 academic year:
- Neumann for women's golf
- and Stevens for men's wrestling
- Cabrini University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf to replace Neumann's spot in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
- Two institutions left the Centennial as affiliate members, both effective after the 2018–19 academic year:
- 2022 – Washington and Lee University left as an affiliate member in wrestling for their primary conference home, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), after the 2021–22 academic year.
- 2023 – Juniata, Moravian and Susquehanna left the Centennial as football affiliates for a new football league within their primary conference home, the Landmark Conference, after the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year).
- 2024 – Cabrini left the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf after the 2024 spring season (2024–25 academic year); as the school ceased operations in June 2024.
- 2025 – Carnegie Mellon University will join the Centennial as an associate football member, beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The Centennial currently has 11 full members, all are private schools:
- Notes
Affiliate members
The Centennial currently has two affiliate members, a private school and a public school:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | Centennial sport |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marymount University | Arlington, Virginia | 1950 | Catholic (RSHM)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3,684 | Saints | 2017 | women's golf | Atlantic East (AEC) |
| Template:Sort (Merchant Marine) |
Kings Point, New York | 1943 | Federal | 1,011 | Mariners | 2004 | wrestling | Skyline |
- Notes
Future affiliate members
The Centennial will have one new affiliate member, a private school:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | Centennial sport |
Primary conference |
Current conference in affiliate sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sort |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1900 | Nonsectarian | 10,875 | Tartans | 2025 | football | University (UAA) | Presidents' (PAC) |
- Notes
Former affiliate members
The Centennial had eight former affiliate members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | JoinedTemplate:Efn | LeftTemplate:Efn | Centennial sport |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabrini University | Radnor, Pennsylvania | 1957 | Catholic (Missionary Sisters)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
1,759 | Cavaliers | 2019 | 2024 | women's golf | N/ATemplate:Efn |
| Juniata College | Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | 1876 | Church of the Brethren |
1,568 | Eagles | 2007 | 2023 | football | Landmark |
| Moravian University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 1742 | Moravian | 1,568 | Greyhounds | 2007 | 2023 | football | Landmark |
| Neumann University | Aston, Pennsylvania | 1965 | Catholic (Franciscan)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3,000 | Knights | 2017 | 2019 | women's golf | Atlantic East (AEC) |
| New York University | New York City | 1832 | Nonsectarian | 22,280 | Violets | 2011 | 2016 | wrestling | University (UAA) |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, New Jersey | 1870 | Nonsectarian | 5,260 | Ducks | 2004 | 2019 | wrestling | MAC Freedom |
| Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | 1858 | Lutheran ELCA | 2,195 | River Hawks | 2009w.gf. | 2017w.gf. | women's golf | Landmark |
| 2010fb. | 2023fb. | football | |||||||
| Washington and Lee University | Lexington, Virginia | 1749 | Nonsectarian | 1,830 | Generals | 1998 | 2022 | wrestling | Old Dominion (ODAC) |
- Notes
Membership timeline
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Colors =
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Dickinson (1981–present) bar:1 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:2 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Franklin & Marshall (1981–present) bar:2 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:3 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Gettysburg (1981–present) bar:3 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:4 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Johns Hopkins (1981–present) bar:4 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:5 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:McDaniel (1981–present) bar:5 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:6 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Muhlenberg (1981–present) bar:6 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:7 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Swarthmore (1981–present) bar:7 color:Full from:1992 till:2001 bar:7 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end
bar:8 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Ursinus (1981–present) bar:8 color:Full from:1992 till:end
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Bryn Mawr (1992–present)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Haverford (1992–present)
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Washington (Md.) (1992–present)
bar:12 color:AssocOS from:1998 till:2022 text:Washington and Lee (wrestling; 1998–2022)
bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:end text:Merchant Marine (wrestling; 2004–present)
bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:2019 text:Stevens (wrestling; 2004–2019)
bar:15 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2023 text:Juniata (2007–2023)
bar:16 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2023 text:Moravian (2007–2023)
bar:17 color:AssocF from:2010 till:2023 text:Susquehanna (2010–2023)
bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2016 text:New York (wrestling; 2012–2016)
bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:end text:Marymount (women's golf; 2017–present)
bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2019 text:Neumann (women's golf; 2017–2019)
bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2024 text:Cabrini (women's golf; 2019–2024)
bar:22 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:Carnegie Mellon (2025–future)
bar:N color:powderblue from:1981 till:1992 text:Centennial Football Conference bar:N color:blue from:1992 till:end text:Centennial Conference
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:1981
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fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Centennial Conference membership history"
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Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) <# </timeline>
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
Sports
| A divisional format was used for basketball (M / W) from 1992–93 to 2002–03. | |
East Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
|
West Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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The Centennial Conference sponsors championships in the following sports:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
| Basketball | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Cross Country | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Field Hockey | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
| Football | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
| Golf | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Lacrosse | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Soccer | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Softball | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
| Swimming | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Tennis | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Track and field (indoor) | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Track and field (outdoor) | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Volleyball | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
| Wrestling | Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Men's sponsored sports by school
- Notes
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Centennial Conference that are played by Centennial schools
| School | Fencing | Rowing | Sailing | Squash | Trap & Skeet | Water Polo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinson | Red X | Red X | Red X | MASC | Red X | Red X |
| Franklin & Marshall | Red X | MARC | Red X | MASC | Red X | Red X |
| Haverford | MACFA | Red X | Red X | CSA | Red X | Red X |
| Johns Hopkins | MACFA | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | MAWPC |
| Washington | Red X | MARC | MAISA | Red X | ACUI | Red X |
Women's sponsored sports by school
- Notes
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Centennial Conference that are played by Centennial schools
| School | Badminton | Fencing | Gymnastics | Rowing | Sailing | Squash | Trap & Skeet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryn Mawr | Independent | Red X | Red X | MARC | Red X | Red X | Red X |
| Dickinson | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | MASC | Red X |
| Franklin & Marshall | Red X | Red X | Red X | MARC | Red X | MASC | Red X |
| Haverford | Red X | EWFC/NIWFA | Red X | Red X | Red X | CSA | Red X |
| Johns Hopkins | Red X | MACFA | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X |
| Swarthmore | Independent | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X |
| Ursinus | Red X | Red X | NCGA | Red X | Red X | Red X | Red X |
| Washington | Red X | Red X | Red X | MARC | MAISA | Red X | ACUI |
Current champions
| Season | Sport | Women's Champion | Men's Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2022 | Cross Country | Johns Hopkins (X15) | Johns Hopkins (X14) |
| Field Hockey | Johns Hopkins (X7) | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | |
| Football | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | Susquehanna (X1) | |
| Soccer | Muhlenberg (X7) | Johns Hopkins (X15) | |
| Volleyball | Johns Hopkins (X9) | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | |
| Winter 2022-23 | Basketball | Swarthmore (X2) | Gettysburg (x4) |
| Swimming | Swarthmore (X4) | Swarthmore (X4) | |
| Indoor Track & Field | Johns Hopkins (X11) | Johns Hopkins (X8) | |
| Wrestling | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | Ursinus (X12) | |
| Spring 2022 | Baseball | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | Swarthmore (X1) |
| Golf | Marymount (X2) | Franklin and Marshall (X1) | |
| Lacrosse | Gettysburg (X3) | Dickinson (X1) | |
| Softball | Muhlenberg (X1) | rowspan="2" Template:N/A | |
| Tennis | Johns Hopkins (X15) | Johns Hopkins (X16) | |
| Outdoor Track and Field | Johns Hopkins (X12) | Ursinus (X1) | |
See also
References
External links
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