|
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The TranSouth
Athletic Conference's Executive Committee, E.L. Hutton,
Commissioner of the TranSouth, and Dr. Ted Brown of Martin
Methodist College, the TranSouth's representative on the council
of Presidents, are pleased to announce the acceptance of Crichton
College of Memphis, Tennessee for full membership into the
conference. The presidents of the TranSouth voted to accept
Crichton College for membership effective next school year.
"The Presidents Council voted
unanimously to admit Crichton College beginning with the 2005-2006
school year. This followed nearly a year of investigation,
including a campus visit to Crichton." said Dr. Ted Brown. "We
are excited about what is happening at Crichton College, with the
growth of their enrollment and introduction of new programs,
especially in athletics. We believe Crichton College will be an
excellent member of the TranSouth Athletic Conference and we look
forward to competing with them."
The TranSouth conference was founded in 1996 in
the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with
most of the former member schools from the Tennessee Collegiate
Athletic Conference. The seven current TranSouth members combine
to field teams in 13 sports. TranSouth teams regularly compete for
national championships. Currently Cumberland University is the
defending NAIA World Series Champion in baseball.
There are seven current member schools in the
TranSouth and they are; Blue Mountain College (Blue Mountain,
Miss.), Cumberland University (Lebanon, Tenn.), Freed-Hardeman
University (Henderson, Tenn.), Lyon College (Batesville, Ark.),
Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, Tenn.), Trevecca Nazarene
University (Nashville, Tenn.), and Union University (Jackson,
Tenn.).
Crichton was accepted for full membership into
NAIA in October of 2004 and will compete in the NAIA and TranSouth
beginning in the 2005-2006 season. The college presently fields
teams in men's basketball, women's soccer, and baseball. Crichton
plans to add one or more women's sports before the 2005-2006
season.
"This is the first step in our
vision for the Athletic Program," Crichton College athletic
director Jeff Walker said. "Now we must acquire and develop
facilities to meet our growing needs. Our goal is to have eight to
ten varsity sports and become a program that students, alumni,
faculty and staff, as well as the sports community here in
Mid-South region can be proud of."
"We at Crichton College are
excited to be a part of the NAIA. This marks a new chapter in
athletics for us, and we fully anticipate fielding competitive
athletic teams in the years to come. Being in the NAIA and
TranSouth will enhance our ability to attract high caliber student
athletes, who want to compete at a high level and get a superior
education, all in a Christian college environment," said Dr.
Larry B. Lloyd, president of Crichton College.
Crichton was founded in 1941 as a Bible
institute, then college, and grew to become a fully accredited
liberal arts college in 1986 by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. To reflect its
comprehensive nature, the name was changed in 1987 from Mid-South
Bible College to Crichton College, and, in March, 2002, moved to
its present location at 255 North Highland in Memphis, Tennessee.
|
