Centennial Conference

Centennial Conference. The Centennial Conference is an athletic conference competing in NCAA Division III. Its full membership, established in 1993, consists of eleven private liberal arts colleges located primarily in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The conference sponsors 24 sports and is renowned for its strong emphasis on the scholar-athlete model, consistently ranking highly in national academic and athletic metrics.

History

The conference's origins trace back to 1981 when it was founded as the Centennial Football Conference to facilitate scheduling for football. The original members included Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Dickinson College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, and Ursinus College. In 1993, the conference expanded its sponsorship to all sports, adopting its current name and welcoming Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and Washington College. McDaniel College joined in 1997 after departing from the Capital Athletic Conference. The conference office is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Member institutions

The conference comprises eleven full member institutions. From Pennsylvania are Bryn Mawr College, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Haverford College, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, and Ursinus College. Member institutions from Maryland include Johns Hopkins University, McDaniel College, and Washington College. Johns Hopkins University maintains a unique affiliation, as its football team competes in the NCAA Division I FCS Patriot League, while its other sports remain within the conference.

Sports sponsored

The conference sponsors championship competition in twelve men's and twelve women's sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and rowing.

Conference championships

The conference awards championships in each sponsored sport, with teams often advancing to NCAA Division III national tournaments. Johns Hopkins University has been particularly dominant in men's lacrosse, winning numerous conference titles and multiple NCAA Division I national championships in that sport. In football, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, and Franklin & Marshall College have frequently contended for the title. The Haverford College men's cross country team has also been a perennial power, capturing many conference championships.

Notable achievements

Member institutions have achieved significant national success. Johns Hopkins University's men's lacrosse program has won multiple NCAA Division I national championships, a unique feat for a Division III conference member. In 2015, the Penn women's basketball team from Swarthmore College made a historic run to the NCAA Division III Final Four. The conference has also produced numerous individual national champions, such as wrestlers from Ursinus College and track athletes from Haverford College. Academically, the conference regularly leads NCAA Division III in the number of CoSIDA Academic All-America selections and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients.

Category:NCAA Division III conferences Category:Athletic conferences in the United States Category:Sports in Pennsylvania Category:Sports in Maryland