Editing Mid-South Conference (section)

==History==
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In April 2018, [[Thomas More University]] (then Thomas More College), which had been an NAIA member before moving to [[NCAA Division III]] in 1990, announced that it had been formally invited to rejoin the NAIA in the 2019–20 academic year as a member of the Mid-South Conference. The school, while acknowledging that it was considering this move, denied published reports that it had accepted the invitation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2018/04/17/thomas-more-college-approved-move-naia-beginning-2019/526113002/ |title=Thomas More College approved to move to NAIA beginning in 2019 |first1=Kyle |last1=Brown |first2=James |last2=Weber |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer|Cincinnati Enquirer]] |date=April 17, 2018 |access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref> Thomas More eventually confirmed in July that it would join the Mid-South in 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/kentucky/2018/07/24/new-conference-affiliation-thomas-more-college/830097002/ |title=Thomas More College to join the NAIA in 2019 |first=James |last=Weber |newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer |date=July 24, 2018 |access-date=July 27, 2018}}</ref>

In 2020, [[Bethel University (Tennessee)|Bethel University]] became a Mid-South full member, brought track and field back to the MSC, and transferred all sports other than football and archery to the conference (prior to that, Bethel was an associate member of the MSC for football and archery only); additionally, [[Freed–Hardeman University|Freed–Hardeman]] and [[University of Tennessee Southern|UT Southern]], then known as Martin Methodist College, also joined Mid-South.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bethel, Freed-Hardeman and Martin Methodist Renew Rivalries with Mid-South Conference Move |url=http://www.mid-southconference.org/article/7992 |access-date=March 18, 2020 |publisher=Mid-South Conference |date=July 25, 2019}}</ref>

In December 2020, [[Life University]] also announced its departure from the MSC for the [[Southern States Athletic Conference]] for the 2022–23 academic year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Life U Athletics Headed to Southern States Athletic Conference in 2022-23 |url=https://liferunningeagles.com/news/2020/12/16/lifeu-life-u-athletics-headed-to-southern-states-athletic-conference-in-2022-23.aspx |access-date=July 6, 2021 |publisher=Life Running Eagles |date=December 16, 2020}}</ref>

Most recently, Thomas More announced in August 2021 that it would return to the NCAA, but this time in [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] as a member of the [[Great Midwest Athletic Conference]] (G-MAC). It joined the G-MAC as a provisional member in July 2022, but continued as an NAIA member and in the Mid-South through 2022–23, after which it started G-MAC competition.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://greatmidwestsports.com/news/2021/8/18/general-thomas-more-university-unanimously-approved-for-provisional-membership-to-join-great-midwest.aspx |title=Thomas More University Unanimously Approved for Provisional Membership to Join Great Midwest |publisher=Great Midwest Athletic Conference |date=August 18, 2021 |accessdate=September 1, 2021}}</ref> Later, the Sun Conference announced on December 22, 2021, that it would reinstate football starting with the 2022 season.<ref name=SunFootball>{{cite news |title=Football Returns to the Sun Conference in 2022 |url=https://thesunconference.com/news/2021/12/22/football-returns-to-the-sun-conference-in-2022.aspx |access-date=December 24, 2021 |publisher=Sun Conference |date=December 22, 2021}}</ref> Then in July 2022, the [[Appalachian Athletic Conference]] announced it would add football as a sponsored sport.<ref name=AACFootball>{{cite news |title=Football, Men's Volleyball Newest Championships Sponsored by the AAC |url=https://www.aacsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/releases/20220720hytjqe |access-date=July 20, 2022 |publisher=Appalachian Athletic Conference |date=July 20, 2022}}</ref>

===Chronological timeline===
* 1987 – The Mid-South Conference (MSC) was founded as a football-only conference. Charter members included [[Campbellsville University|Campbellsville College]] (now Campbellsville University), [[University of the Cumberlands|Cumberland College of Kentucky]] (now the University of the Cumberlands), [[Georgetown College]] and [[Union Commonwealth University|Union College]] (now Union Commonwealth University), beginning the 1987 fall season (1987–88 academic year).
* 1988 – The [[University of Evansville]] joined the conference in the 1988 fall season (1988–89 academic year).
* 1989 – [[Kentucky Wesleyan College]] and [[Tennessee Wesleyan University]] joined the conference in the 1989 fall season (1989–90 academic year).
* 1990 – Kentucky Wesleyan dropped out of the conference after the 1989 fall season (1989–90 academic year).
* 1990 – [[Cumberland University|Cumberland College of Tennessee]] (now Cumberland University) and [[Lambuth University]] joined the Mid-South in the 1990 fall season (1990–91 academic year).
* 1991 – Cumberland [Tenn.] and Tennessee Wesleyan departed from the conference after the 1990 fall season (1990–91 academic year).
* 1991 – [[Tusculum University]] joined the Mid-South in the 1991 fall season (1991–92 academic year).
* 1992 – Evansville left the Mid-South after the 1991 fall season (1991–92 academic year).
* 1995 – The Mid-South became a multi-sport conference. [[North Greenville University|North Greenville College]] (now North Greenville University) joined the conference beginning the 1995–96 academic year, while [[Bethel University (Tennessee)|Bethel College of Tennessee]] joined as an affiliate member for football (with Cumberland [Tenn.] rejoining as well).
* 1996 – Tusculum departed from the conference as a football affiliate after the 1995 fall season (1995–96 academic year).
* 1996 – Cumberland [Tenn.] and Lambuth moved their other sports to the Mid-South as full members for the 1996–97 academic year.
* 1997 – Bethel [Tenn.] left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football after the 1996 fall season (1996–97 academic year).
* 2000 – [[Lindsey Wilson College]] and [[University of Pikeville|Pikeville College]] (now the University of Pikeville; a.k.a. UPike) joined the Mid-South in the 2000–01 academic year.
* 2001 – North Greenville left the Mid-South to join the [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] ranks of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) as an [[NCAA Division II independent schools|NCAA D-II Independent]] after the 2000–01 academic year.
* 2002 – Two institutions left the Mid-South as full members to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2001–02 academic year; while they remained in the conference as affiliate members for football:
** Cumberland [Tenn.] to the [[TranSouth Athletic Conference]] (TranSouth or TSAC)
** and Union Commonwealth to the [[Appalachian Athletic Conference]] (AAC)
* 2002 – The [[University of Virginia's College at Wise]] (UVa Wise) joined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2002 fall season (2002–03 academic year).
* 2003 – Bethel [Tenn.] rejoined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2003 fall season (2003–04 academic year).
* 2004 – Kentucky Wesleyan rejoined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2004 fall season (2004–05 academic year).
* 2005 – [[Shorter University|Shorter College of Georgia]] (now Shorter University) joined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2005 fall season (2005–06 academic year).
* 2006 – Lambuth left the Mid-South to join the [[TranSouth Athletic Conference]] (TSAC or TranSouth) after the 2005–06 academic year; while their football team remained in the Mid-South as an affiliate member.
* 2006 – Kentucky Wesleyan left the Mid-South again as an affiliate member for football after the 2005 fall season (2005–06 academic year).
* 2006 – [[West Virginia University Institute of Technology]] (West Virginia Tech or WVU Tech) joined the Mid-South in the 2006–07 academic year.
* 2007 – Bethel [Tenn.] and Shorter added track & field into their Mid-South affiliate memberships in the 2008 spring season (2007–08 academic year).
* 2008 – [[St. Catharine College]] joined the Mid-South in the 2008–09 academic year.
* 2008 – [[Faulkner University]] joined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
* 2009 – The [[University of Rio Grande]] joined the Mid-South in the 2009–10 academic year.
* 2009 – Two institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), both effective in the 2009–10 academic year:
** [[Kentucky Christian University]] for football
** and Cumberland [Tenn.] for men's wrestling
* 2010 – Lambuth left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football after the 2009 fall season (2009–10 academic year).
* 2010 – [[Shawnee State University]] joined the Mid-South (with UVa Wise joining for all sports) in the 2010–11 academic year.
* 2010 – Shorter added men's wrestling into their Mid-South affiliate membership in the 2010–11 academic year.
* 2012 – West Virginia Tech left the Mid-South to become an [[NAIA independent schools|NAIA Independent]] (which would later join the [[River States Conference|Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (KIAC; now known as the River States Conference), beginning the 2015–16 school year) after the 2011–12 academic year.
* 2012 – Shorter [Ga.] left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football, track & field and men's wrestling after the 2011–12 academic year.
* 2012 – [[Bluefield University|Bluefield College]] (now Bluefield University) joined the Mid-South (with Cumberland [Tenn.] rejoining for all sports) in the 2012–13 academic year.
* 2012 – Bethel [Tenn.] and Union Commonwealth added men's and women's bowling into their Mid-South affiliate memberships in the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
* 2013 – UVa Wise left the Mid-South and the NAIA entirely to fully align with the NCAA Division II ranks, while joining the [[Mountain East Conference]] (MEC) after spending provisionally one season in the [[Great Midwest Athletic Conference]] (G-MAC) after the 2012–13 academic year.
* 2013 – Bethel [Tenn.] left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for track & field after the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
* 2013 – [[Reinhardt University]] joined the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football in the 2013 fall season (2013–14 academic year).
* 2014 – Two institutions left the Mid-South to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2013–14 academic year:
** Rio Grande to join the KIAC
** Bluefield to rejoin the AAC; while their football team remained in the Mid-South as an affiliate member.
* 2014 – [[Life University]] joined the Mid-South in the 2014–15 academic year.
* 2015 – Belhaven left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football to join the [[NCAA Division III]] ranks and the [[American Southwest Conference]] after the 2014 spring season (2014–15 academic year).
* 2015 – Eight institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2015–16 academic year:
** [[Brewton–Parker College]], [[St. Andrews University (North Carolina)|St. Andrews University]], [[Southeastern University|Southeastern University of Florida]] and [[Truett McConnell University|Truett McConnell College]] (now Truett McConnell University) for men's wrestling
** [[Cincinnati Christian University]] for football
** [[Lindenwood University – Belleville|Lindenwood University–Belleville]] for men's & women's bowling and men's & women's swimming
** and [[University of Tennessee Southern|Martin Methodist College]] (now the University of Tennessee Southern, a.k.a. UT Southern) and [[Tennessee Wesleyan University|Tennessee Wesleyan College]] (now Tennessee Wesleyan University) for men's and women's bowling
* 2016 – St. Catherine's left the Mid-South as the school had ceased operations after the 2015–16 academic year.
* 2016 – Three institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2015–16 academic year:
** [[Loyola University New Orleans]] for men's and women's swimming
** Reinhardt for men's wrestling
** and [[Warner University]] for football
* 2017 – Four institutions left the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), all effective after the 2016–17 academic year:
** Reinhardt, St. Andrews [N.C.] and Truett McConnell for men's wrestling after the 2016–17 academic year:
** and Lindenwood–Belleville for men's and women's bowling
* 2017 – Nine institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2017–18 academic year:
** [[Ave Maria University]], [[Edward Waters University|Edward Waters College]] (now Edward Waters University), [[Point University]] and St. Andrews [N.C.] for football
** Bethel [Tenn.] for archery
** Brewton–Parker and Lindenwood–Belleville for women's wrestling
** Kentucky Christian for archery, baseball and softball
** and [[Midland University]] for men's and women's swimming
* 2018 – Twelve institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2018–19 academic year:
** Ave Maria, [[Keiser University]] and [[Marian University (Indiana)|Marian University of Indiana]] for women's lacrosse
** Bluefield, Brewton–Parker, Cincinnati Christian, St. Andrews [N.C.], Warner and [[Webber International University]] for men's volleyball
** [[Indiana Wesleyan University]] for women's swimming
** [[Midway University]] for men's volleyball and men's wrestling
** and Union Commonwealth for archery
* 2019 – Five institutions left the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), all effective after the 2018–19 academic year:
** Brewton–Parker for men's volleyball
** Edward Waters for football
** Kentucky Christian for baseball and softball
** Lindenwood–Belleville for women's wrestling and men's and women's swimming
** and Midland for men's and women's swimming
* 2019 – [[Thomas More University]] joined the Mid-South in the 2019–20 academic year.
* 2019 – Six institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2019–20 academic year:
** [[Blue Mountain Christian University|Blue Mountain College]] (now Blue Mountain Christian University), Marian [Ind.] and Midway for men's and women's bowling
** Reinhardt and Truett McConnell for men's volleyball
** and Keiser for men's wrestling
* 2020 – Cincinnati Christian left the Mid-South as an affiliate member for football and men's volleyball after the 2019 fall semester (without completing the rest of the 2019–20 academic year due to the school having to cease operations).
* 2020 – [[Freed–Hardeman University]] joined the Mid-South (with Bethel [Tenn.] and Martin Methodist (now UT Southern) upgrading as full members for all sports) in the 2020–21 academic year.
* 2020 – Nine institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2020–21 academic year:
** [[Florida Memorial University]] for football
** [[Indiana Institute of Technology]], [[Lourdes University]] and St. Andrews [N.C.] for women's wrestling
** Midway for men's and women's swimming
** the [[University of Rio Grande]] for men's and women's swimming, and men's wrestling
** [[St. Thomas University (Florida)|St. Thomas University of Florida]] for men's wrestling
** Truett McConnell for men's volleyball
** and Webber International for women's lacrosse
* 2021 – Two institutions left the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), both effective after the 2020–21 academic year:
** Marian [Ind.] men's and women's bowling
** and Rio Grande for men's and women's swimming
* 2021 – Three institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), all effective in the 2021–22 academic year:
** Indiana Wesleyan for men's swimming
** [[Lincoln College (Illinois)|Lincoln College of Illinois]] for men's and women's swimming
** and Rio Grande for men's volleyball
* 2022 – Life left the Mid-South to join the [[Southern States Athletic Conference]] (SSAC) after the 2021–22 academic year; while their women's wrestling team remained in the Mid-South as an affiliate member.
* 2022 – Seventeen institutions left the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), all effective after the 2021–22 academic year:
** Ave Maria for football and women's lacrosse
** Bluefield, Reinhardt, St. Andrews [N.C.] and Warner for football and men's volleyball
** Brewton–Parker for men's wrestling
** Florida Memorial and Southeastern [Fla.] to join The Sun for football
** Keiser for women's lacrosse and men's wrestling
** Kentucky Christian, Point and Union Commonwealth to join the AAC for football
** Lincoln [Ill.] for men's and women's swimming
** Marian [Ind.] for women's lacrosse
** St. Thomas [Fla.] for men's wrestling
** Truett McConnell for men's volleyball
** and Webber International for men's volleyball and women's lacrosse
* 2022 – [[Wilberforce University]] joined the Mid-South in the 2022–23 academic year.
* 2022 – [[Montreat College]], [[Rochester Christian University|Rochester University]] (now Rochester Christian University) and [[Siena Heights University]] joined the Mid-South as affiliate members for women's wrestling in the 2022–23 academic year.
* 2023 – Thomas More left the Mid-South and the NAIA entirely to fully align with the NCAA Division II ranks and the G-MAC after the 2022–23 academic year. During that same school year, they returned to the NCAA to join the G-MAC as a provisional member, while remaining committed to compete in their final season within the Mid-South and the NAIA.
* 2023 – Four institutions left the Mid-South to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2022–23 academic year:
** Shawnee State to the RSC; while their men's and women's swimming teams remained in the Mid-South as an affiliate member.
** Pikeville (UPike) to the AAC; while their archery and men's and women's bowling teams remained in the Mid-South as an affiliate member.
** UT Southern to rejoin the SSAC
** and Wilberforce as an [[NAIA independent schools|NAIA Independent]] within the Continental Athletic Conference
* 2023 – Two institutions joined the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or added other single sports into their affiliate memberships), both effective in the 2023–24 academic year:
** [[Brescia University]] for men's volleyball
** and Midway for archery
* 2024 – Four institutions left the Mid-South as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), all effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
** and Brescia, Midway and Rio Grande for men's volleyball
** St. Andrews [N.C.] for women's wrestling
* 2024 – Rio Grande added women's wrestling into its Mid-South affiliate membership in the 2024–25 academic year.