Marietta, Georgia, December 17, 2020 – Life University (LIFE) is proud to announce that the Life University Athletic Department will transition to become a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) in the 2022-23 academic year.
The announcement, in conjunction with a recently announced partnership between the SSAC and the Sun Conference, will give Life U Athletics robust championship experiences but will significantly reduce travel requirements and will keep championships closer to the southeast region. The first championships the partnership creates is men’s and women’s swimming, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track, and competitive cheer. Women’s Wrestling still intends to compete in the Mid-South Conference.
“We are excited to be joining the Southern States Athletic Conference, as it will benefit Life University Athletics with a great home for years to come,” Director of Athletics Jayme Pendergast stated. “This move allows us to keep a majority of our travel within our southern footprint and affords us more opportunities to establish strong rivalries and traditions within our region. The SSAC offers an equally competitive experience across the board with countless NAIA National Champions.”
She continued, “Additionally, our student-athletes will benefit from increased travel conveniences and closer conference championships. Scheduling for many of our sports will now require less hours on the road, less nights in hotels and more reasonable arrival times back to campus – all a huge benefit to their rest, recovery and their responsibilities as a student.”
Pendergast went on to add, “We will be dedicated to being a valuable member of the Mid-South Conference until the start of the 2022 academic year. We are grateful for our opportunity for membership and for the competitive relationships with our Mid-South colleagues.”
Life University President Dr. Rob Scott also expressed his excitement. “Life University is excited about joining the Southern States Athletic Conference,” he said. “We believe that the SSAC is a home that better supports our student-athlete experience from a travel and championship perspective, and we are looking forward to establishing stronger relationships and more competitive opportunities with institutions in our footprint.”
“I’d like to thank Commissioner Hall of the SSAC for his leadership in getting us to this point,” Dr. Scott added. “Additionally, I’d like to thank Commissioner Ward and the entire Mid-South Conference for providing us with a great home for the last several years. We appreciate and value all of the relationships we have developed with fellow Mid-South institutions.”
Founded in 1974, Life University is a health sciences institution most known for its Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) program, the largest single-campus chiropractic program in the world. Undergraduates can pursue 14 undergraduate degrees as well as a pre-chiropractic, degree-seeking pathway. Three graduate degrees are available, encompassing areas of sport health science, clinical nutrition and positive psychology. Some degree programs are offered to distance learners through the College of Online Education.
Life University strives to empower its students to succeed both professionally and personally. LIFE advances a leading-edge approach to higher education while also remaining true to the University’s philosophical commitment to produce informed leaders who exemplify humanistic values in their professions. To achieve this goal, LIFE recognizes and demonstrates its dedication through three official Life University Values: Lasting Purpose, Vitalism and Integrity.
LIFE’s 110-acre campus in Marietta, Georgia, just northwest of Atlanta, is home to more than 2,700 undergraduate, graduate and professional students who come from all 50 United States and more than 45 countries.
Based in Montgomery, Alabama, current members of the SSAC include Blue Mountain, Brewton-Parker, Dalton State, Faulkner, Florida College, Loyola New Orleans, Middle Georgia, Stillman, Mobile and William Carey. The conference has totaled 35 NAIA Team National Champions.
Additional information about Life University Athletics can be found at LIFERunningEagles.com and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
For more about Life University, visit LIFE.edu.
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