PULASKI, Tenn. – After a three-year stint competing in the Mid-South Conference, the University of Tennessee Southern will return to the Southern States Athletic Conference this fall. UTS was a full member of the SSAC for six seasons spanning from 2013-14 to 2019-20.
“We are thrilled to rejoin the Southern States Athletic Conference, “UTS Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Brandie Paul stated. “As the landscape of our University changes to meet the needs of our student-athletes, we saw the opportunity to return to the SSAC more closely aligned with our vision for UT Southern. We strive for excellence on and off the playing surface, and this move will bring continuity to our desire to not only compete at a high level athletically, but also to compete and serve within the southeast region. Our athletic programs welcome the challenge of competing with our SSAC counterparts.”
UTS will be one of three institutions joining the SSAC in 2023-24. Point University (West Point) and Thomas University (Thomasville), both located in Georgia, will also be new members. This expansion will grow the SSAC to 13 full member institutions. Current SSAC members include:
- Blue Mountain Christian University, Blue Mountain, Miss.
- William Carey University, Hattiesburg, Miss.
- Loyola Univeristy, New Orleans, La.
- University of Mobile, Mobile, Ala.
- Faulkner University, Montgomery, Ala.
- Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- Dalton State College, Dalton, Ga.
- Life University, Marietta, Ga.
- Middle Georgia State University, Cochran, Ga.
- Brewton-Parker College, Mt. Vernon, Ga.
“We are excited to welcome Tennessee Southern back to the SSAC in 2023-24, “SSAC Commissioner Mike Hall commented. “As a former member, we know they are a great fit within our conference and offer a significant number of sports with tremendous successes. I’m really excited to work closely with Brandie Paul in the coming days and welcome the Firehawks to our conference.”
UTS looks to expand on many successes during their previous six years in the SSAC. Here is a list of Firehawk accolades from those years:
- Men’s Soccer
- 2013 SSAC Tournament Champions
- 2013 NAIA National Champions
- 2015 SSAC Regular Season Champions
- Men’s Basketball
- 2015 SSAC Tournament Champions
- 2015 NAIA Quarterfinalist
- Women’s Soccer
- 2016 SSAC Regular Season Champions
- 2017 SSAC Tournament Champions
- 2018 SSAC Tournament Champions
- Women’s Basketball
- 2018 SSAC Regular Season Champions
- Cheer
- 2018 SSAC Champions
- 2019 SSAC Mascot Challenge Champion
- Volleyball
- 2019 SSAC Regular Season Champions
- 2019 SSAC Tournament Champions
