BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference announced Thursday that Davis & Elkins College has accepted an offer of full membership, while the University of North Carolina at Pembroke will join for football, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, women’s swimming and wrestling.
Davis & Elkins will compete in the Mountain East beginning in 2019-20. The Senators currently sponsor 19 of the conference’s 20 championship sports. When combined with UNC Pembroke’s future sports associations with the MEC, the league will be positioned to expand its conference championship sports to 23 — seven more than when the league began in 2013. The MEC is slated to add championships in wrestling and men’s and women’s indoor track.
Related to the Presbyterian Church, Davis & Elkins College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the mountain highlands of Elkins, W.Va.
“We are very pleased to have received an invitation to join the Mountain East Conference,” said Davis & Elkins College President Chris A. Wood. “This is welcome news for not only the college and our 320 student-athletes, but parents and Senator fans as well. Athletic contests taking place closer to home allows all to share in the accomplishments of our student-athletes.”
The Davis & Elkins College athletics department sponsors 21 intercollegiate sports, competing in 23 championship seasons, and currently has 320 student-athletes from 30 states and 21 countries.
“Today is a day we will remember for years to come,” said Davis & Elkins athletics director Jamie Joss. “Joining the Mountain East, one of the nation’s premier NCAA Division II collegiate athletic conferences, provides a tremendous opportunity to align with conference members focused on enhancing the academic and athletic experiences of our student-athletes.”
UNCP is a public, co-educational and historically American Indian liberal arts University that has more than 6,500 students, including more than 800 graduate students.
Established in 2013, the MEC has produced two NCAA Division II team champions, seven national finalists and 13 semifinalists.