Six institutions were approved for affiliate membership into the Mid-South Conference on Friday, MSC Commissioner Eric Ward announced today.
St. Andrews University has joined the league in the sports of wrestling and men's and women's swimming.
The Mid-South Conference Council of Presidents unanimously approved Brewton-Parker (Ga.), Martin Methodist (Tenn.), Southeastern (Fla.), St. Andrews (N.C.) and Tennessee Wesleyan for the upcoming 2015-16 season and Cincinnati Christian (Ohio) in 2016-17 as affiliate members.
The announcement comes just two months after the addition of Truett-McConnell (Ga.) in wrestling and Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) in men and women's swimming and men and women's bowling as affiliate members.
"The Mid-South Conference is very excited to expand the conference's footprint with like-minded institutions," Ward said. "The addition of St. Andrews stre! ngthens our conference in swimming and wrestling while providing the student-athletes and coaches with a platform to compete for conference championships.
"We look forward to working with their coaches and administrators in these respective sports, and expect their teams to be very competitive."
Brewton-Parker, St. Andrews, led by head coach Joe Baranik, and Southeastern join the Mid-South in wrestling. The additions -- which bring the MSC's wrestling conference to 10 institutions -- give the Mid-South nearly every team competing in the NAIA East Regional. The regional will also serve as the MSC Championship in late February.
Brewton-Parker, located in Mount Vernon, Georgia, St. Andrews, located in Laurinburg, North Carolina, and Southeastern, located in Lakeland, Florida, joins Campbellsville (Ky.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Lif! e (Ga.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), St. Catharine (Ky.) and Truett-McConnell as conference schools that sponsor wrestling.
St. Andrews also joins the MSC in men and women's swimming for the 2016-17 academic year. St. Andrews, led by head coach Brooks Teal, becomes the eighth school in the Mid-South to sponsor swimming, joining Bethel, Campbellsville, Cumberlands, Life, Lindenwood-Belleville, Lindsey Wilson, and St. Catharine.
