Great Southwest Athletic Conference

{{Infobox sports league

| name = Great Southwest Athletic Conference

| logo = Great Southwest Athletic Conference logo.png

| logo_size = 145

| founded = 1986

| association = NAIA

| teams = 8 (10 in 2025)

| sports = 17

| mens = 8

| womens = 9

| region = Western United States

| headquarters = Aliso Viejo, California

| commissioner = Mike Daniels (2012–)

| website = [http://www.gsacsports.org gsacsports.org]

| map = GSAC conference map.png

| map_size = 250

}}

The Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC), formerly known as the Golden State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Mike Daniels. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. Seven of the eight members of the GSAC are Christian colleges located in California and Arizona. Conference teams have won 22 national championships.

History

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File:Golden State Athletic Conference logo.png

The Golden State Athletic Conference was formed in the fall of 1986, with Azusa Pacific University, California Lutheran University, Fresno Pacific University, Point Loma Nazarene University, Vanguard University and Westmont College as the charter members. California Baptist University and Concordia University joined the GSAC in the fall of the following year (1987). Cal Lutheran left the GSAC after the spring of 1989. Biola University joined the GSAC in the fall of 1994. Hope International University and San Diego Christian College joined the GSAC in the fall of 1999. The Master's University, joined the GSAC in the fall of 2001. Lewis–Clark State College of Lewiston, Idaho joined the GSAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's tennis in 2016.

=Recent years=

In recent years, the conference has seen changes with members leaving the GSAC and the NAIA for the NCAA. In 2011 Cal Baptist left the GSAC to join the Pacific West Conference followed by the announcement that Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific and Point Loma Nazarene joined Cal Baptist in the PacWest in 2012.{{cite news|last=Staff|work=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110602_PacWest_conference_expands_to_14_schools_.html|title=PacWest conference expands to 14 schools|date=June 2, 2011|access-date=June 2, 2011}} Concordia then left to join the PacWest in 2015, and Biola applied to make the same move in 2017. To replace these schools, the GSAC has added Arizona Christian, Menlo and William Jessup (now known as Jessup). Life Pacific joined in 2017 and Ottawa (AZ) joined in 2018 to bring the GSAC to 10 members.

The departures to the NCAA continued into the 2020s, with Westmont departing for the PacWest in 2023 and Jessup, Menlo, and Vanguard all following in 2024. To combat this, the GSAC added Benedictine–Mesa, Embry–Riddle at Prescott and Park–Gilbert, to bring membership back to 8 members. Immediately following these additions, the GSAC announced that it would undergo a rebrand to the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, to reflect its membership now including schools located outside of California.{{cite press release|url=https://gsacsports.org/news/2024/7/2/gsac-a-new-era-has-begun.aspx|title=A New Era Has Begun|publisher=Great Southwest Athletic COnference|date=July 2, 2024|access-date=July 2, 2024}}

=Chronological timeline=

1986 – The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) was founded. Charter members included Azusa Pacific University, California Lutheran University (a.k.a. Cal Lutheran), Fresno Pacific College (now Fresno Pacific University), Point Loma Nazarene College (now Point Loma Nazarene University), Southern California College (now Vanguard University of Southern California) and Westmont College, beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
1987 – California Baptist College (now California Baptist University; a.k.a. Cal Baptist) and Christ College Irvine (now Concordia University Irvine) joined the GSAC in the 1987–88 academic year.
1989 – Cal Lutheran left the GSAC to become an independent (before joining the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) beginning the 1991–92 academic year) after the 1988–89 academic year.
1994 – Biola University joined the GSAC in the 1994–95 academic year.
1999 – Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University) and San Diego Christian College joined the GSAC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
2001 – The Master's College (now The Master's University) joined the GSAC in the 2001–02 academic year.
2011 – Cal Baptist left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) after the 2010–11 academic year.
2012 – Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific and Point Loma Nazarene left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2011–12 academic year.
2012 – Arizona Christian University joined the GSAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
2014 – William Jessup University (now Jessup University) joined the GSAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
2015 – Concordia–Irvine left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2014–15 academic year.
2015 – Menlo College joined the GSAC in the 2015–16 academic year.
2015 – Lewis–Clark State College joined the GSAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's tennis in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
2017 – Biola left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2016–17 academic year.
2017 – Lewis–Clark State left the GSAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's tennis after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
2017 – Life Pacific College (now Life Pacific University) joined the GSAC in the 2017–18 academic year.
2018 – Ottawa University–Arizona joined the GSAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
2018 – Marymount California University and the University of Saint Katherine joined the GSAC as affiliate members for men's and women's tennis in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
2020 – Westcliff University joined the GSAC as an affiliate member for men's tennis in the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
2021 – Westcliff added women's tennis into its GSAC affiliate membership in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year).
2022 – Two institutions left the GSAC as affiliate members (and/or removed other single sports from their affiliate memberships), all effective after the 2021–22 academic year:
Marymount (Cal.) for men's and women's tennis; as the school ceased operations
and Saint Katherine for women's tennis
2023 – Westmont left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2022–23 academic year.
2023 – San Diego Christian left the GSAC after the 2022–23 academic year; as the school was placing their athletic department on hiatus since.{{cite news | url=https://www.sdcchawks.com/general/2022-23/releases/Athletics_Message | title=SDCC to Suspend Hawks Athletic Program Operations for 2023–24 Season | newspaper=San Diego Christian College | date=28 April 2023 }}
2024 – Jessup, Menlo and Vanguard left the GSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the PacWest after the 2023–24 academic year.
2024 – Westcliff left the GSAC as an affiliate member for men's and women's tennis after the 2023–24 academic year:
2024 – Benedictine University at Mesa, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott and Park University Gilbert joined the GSAC in the 2024–25 academic year. Then-affiliate member for men's tennis Saint Katherine (USK) was also alongside those three prior schools at the same time; however, the school ceased operations before they could make the move.
2024 – The GSAC has rebranded as the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
2025 – La Sierra University and Soka University of America will join the GSAC, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.

Member schools

=Current members=

The GSAC currently has eight full members, all are private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined{{efn|group=full|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}

Arizona Christian University

| Glendale, Arizona

| 1960

| Nondenominational

| 820

| Firestorm

| 2012

Benedictine University at Mesa

| Mesa, Arizona

| 2013

| Catholic
{{small|(Benedictines)}}

| 340

| Redhawks

| 2024

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott

| Prescott, Arizona

| 1978

| Nonsectarian

| 1,700

| Eagles

| 2024

Hope International University

| Fullerton, California

| 1928

| Nondenominational

| 987

| Royals

| 1999

Life Pacific University

| San Dimas, California

| 1923

| Foursquare Gospel

| 686

| Warriors

| 2017

| Santa Clarita, California

| 1927

| Nondenominational

| 2,600

| Mustangs

| 2001

Ottawa University–Arizona

| Surprise, Arizona

| 2015

| American Baptist

| 750

| Spirit

| 2018

Park University–Gilbert

| Gilbert, Arizona

| 2018

| Nonsectarian

| 300

| Buccaneers

| 2024

;Notes:

=Future members=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

! scope="col" | Institution

! scope="col" | Location

! scope="col" | Founded

! scope="col" | Affiliation

! scope="col" | Enrollment

! scope="col" | Nickname

! scope="col" | Joining{{efn|group=future|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}

! scope="col" | Current
conference

La Sierra University

| Riverside, California

| 1922

| Seventh-day
Adventist

| 2,199

| Golden Eagles

| rowspan=2 | 2025

| rowspan=2 | California Pacific (CalPac)

Soka University of America

| Aliso Viejo, California

| 2001

| Nonsectarian

| 441

| Lions

;Notes:

=Former members=

The GSAC had twelve former full members, all were private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined{{efn|group=former|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}

! Left{{efn|group=former|Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.}}

! Subsequent
conference(s)

! Current
conference

Azusa Pacific University

| Azusa, California

| 1899

| Interdenominational

| 8,539

| Cougars

| 1986

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}
(2012–present)

Biola University

| La Mirada, California

| 1908

| Nondenominational

| 5,942

| Eagles

| 1994

| 2017

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2017–present)

California Baptist University

| Riverside, California

| 1950

| Baptist

| 11,491

| Lancers

| 1987

| 2011

| Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2011–18)

| Western (WAC){{efn|group=former|name=D1|Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.}}
(2018–present)

California Lutheran University

| Thousand Oaks, California

| 1959

| Lutheran ELCA

| 3,298

| Kingsmen &
Regals

| 1986

| 1989

| NAIA/D-III Independent
(1989–91)

| Southern California (SCIAC){{efn|group=former|name=D3|Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.}}
(1991–present)

Concordia University–Irvine

| Irvine, California

| 1976

| Lutheran LCMS

| 2,564

| Eagles

| 1987

| 2015

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2015–present)

Fresno Pacific University

| Fresno, California

| 1944

| Mennonite

| 3,700

| Sunbirds

| 1986

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2012–present)

Jessup University

| Rocklin, California

| 1939

| Nondenominational

| 1,743

| Warriors

| 2014

| 2024

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2024–present)

Menlo College

| Atherton, California

| 1927

| Nonsectarian

| 750

| Oaks

| 2015

| 2024

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2024–present)

Point Loma Nazarene University

| San Diego, California

| 1902

| Nazarene

| 3,487

| Sea Lions

| 1986

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2012–present)

San Diego Christian College

| Santee, California

| 1970

| Nondenominational

| 916

| Hawks

| 1999

| 2023

| colspan="2" | N/A{{efn|group=former|San Diego Christian suspended all their athletic programs after 2022–23.}}

Vanguard University of Southern California

| Costa Mesa, California

| 1920

| Assemblies of God

| 2,552

| Lions

| 1986

| 2024

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2024–present)

Westmont College

| Montecito, California

| 1937

| Christian

| 1,313

| Warriors

| 1986

| 2023

| colspan="2" | Pacific West (PacWest){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2023–present)

;Notes:

=Former affiliate members=

The GSAC had four former affiliate members, one was a public school and three were private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined{{efn|group=faff|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}

! Left{{efn|group=faff|Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.}}

! GSAC
sport(s)

! Primary
conference

Lewis–Clark State College

| Lewiston, Idaho

| 1893

| Public

| 4,200

| Warriors &
Lady Warriors

| 2015{{sup|m.ten.}};
2015{{sup|w.ten.}}

| 2017{{sup|m.ten.}};
2017{{sup|w.ten.}}

| men's tennis;
women's tennis

| Cascade (CCC)

Marymount California University

| Rancho Palos Verdes, California

| 1932

| Catholic
{{small|(R.S.H.M.)}}

| 923

| Mariners

| 2018{{sup|m.ten.}};
2018{{sup|w.ten.}}

| 2022{{sup|m.ten.}};
2022{{sup|w.ten.}}

| men's tennis;
women's tennis

| Closed in 2022

| San Marcos, California

| 2010

| Eastern
Orthodox

| 240

| Firebirds

| 2018{{sup|m.ten.}};
2018{{sup|w.ten.}}

| 2024{{sup|m.ten.}};
2022{{sup|w.ten.}}

| men's tennis;
women's tennis

| Closed in 2024

Westcliff University

| Irvine, California

| 1993

| For-profit

| 2,000

| Warriors

| 2020{{sup|m.ten.}};
2021{{sup|w.ten.}}

| 2024{{sup|m.ten.}};
2024{{sup|w.ten.}}

| men's tennis;
women's tennis

| California Pacific (CalPac)

;Notes:

=Membership timeline=

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id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

PlotData =

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2012 text:Azusa Pacific (1986–2012)

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:PacWest

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1986 till:1989 text:California Lutheran (1986–1989)

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:1991 text:

bar:2 shift:(60) color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:end text:SCIAC

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2012 text:Fresno Pacific (1986–2012)

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:PacWest

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2012 text:Point Loma Nazarene (1986–2012)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:PacWest

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2024 text:Vanguard (1986–2024)

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2023 text:Westmont (1986–2023)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:PacWest

bar:7 color:FullxF from:1987 till:2011 text:California Baptist (1987–2011)

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2018 text:PacWest

bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2018 till:end text:WAC

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1987 till:2015 text:Concordia–Irvine (1987–2015)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:end text:PacWest

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1994 till:2017 text:Biola (1994–2017)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text:PacWest

bar:10 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text:Hope International (1999–present)

bar:11 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2023 text:San Diego Christian (1999–2023)

bar:12 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:The Master's (2001–present)

bar:13 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:Arizona Christian (2012–present)

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2014 till:2024 text:Jessup (2014–2024)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest

bar:15 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Menlo (2015–2024)

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest

bar:16 shift:(-110) color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2017 text:Lewis–Clark State (2015–2017)

bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:2020 text:Frontier

bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:2020 till:end text:CCC

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:Life Pacific (2017–present)

bar:18 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Ottawa (Ariz.) (2018–present)

bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2022 text:Marymount (Cal.) (2018–2022)

bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2024 text:St. Katherine (2020–2024)

bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2020 till:2024 text:Westcliff (2020–2024)

bar:22 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Benedictine Mesa (2024–present)

bar:23 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Embry–Riddle Prescott (2024–present)

bar:24 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Park–Gilbert (2024–present)

bar:25 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:La Sierra (2025–future)

bar:26 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Soka (2025–future)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:1988

TextData =

fontsize:M

textcolor:black

pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center)

text:^"Great Southwest Athletic Conference membership history"

> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

{{Font color||{{RGB|178|229|204}}| Full member (all sports) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}| Full member (non-football) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|178|204}}| Associate member (football-only) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}| Full member (non-football) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|204|229|178}}| Associate member (sport) }}

Sports sponsored

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center" \|+ Conference sports !Sport	Men's	Women's
{{left}}Baseball	{{Y}}
{{left}}Basketball	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Cross Country	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Soccer	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Softball		{{Y}}
{{left}}Tennis	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Track & Field Outdoor	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Volleyball	{{Y}}	{{Y}}
{{left}}Beach Volleyball		{{Y}}
{{left}}Golf	{{Y}}	{{Y}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.gsacsports.org}}

Category:College sports in California

Category:1986 establishments in California