HCAC Welcomes Earlham College as Tenth Conference Member

Earlham Athletics Website

GREENWOOD, IN - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference welcomes Earlham College as the conference's tenth member as of July 1.  Earlham, located in Richmond, Ind., joins the conference after spending the past twenty years affiliated with the North Coast Athletic Conference. 

"We are very pleased to have Earlham College join the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference as our tenth member, as they have a rich tradition of strong academic and intercollegiate athletic programs," said Christopher Ragsdale, commissioner of the HCAC. "Many of our conference members have already been competing in non-league contests with Earlham College.  They (Earlham College) are centrally located to our other conference schools which make them a natural fit." 

Earlham College is one of the nation's strongest academic liberal arts colleges and is an independent, four year, coeducational, residential institution of higher learning founded in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends.  The Quakers provide 16 varsity athletic programs for their enrollment of just under 1,200 students. 

The addition of Earlham marks the first change in membership for the HCAC since Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology joined the league in 2006.  Earlham will be centrally located in the conference that also includes Anderson University, Bluffton University, Defiance College, Franklin College, Hanover College, Manchester College, the College of Mount St. Joseph, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Transylvania University. 

Earlham President Douglas C. Bennett stated, "In joining the Heartland, we are rejoining a number of colleges and universities that have been institutions with which Earlham has competed for many decades.  We are delighted to now be in a conference with them." 

The HCAC currently sponsors 18 championships in men's and women's athletics.  Beginning this fall, Earlham will be competing in 15 of 18 sports in the HCAC, excluding men's and women's golf and softball.  

“I am excited that the process is now complete," said Frank Carr, athletic director. "As of today, our association with the HCAC officially begins. Everyone involved in the process in the HCAC has been very welcoming and it is going to be an easy transition.” 

The 2010 fall sports season is set to begin September 1.