Centennial Conference Explained

The Centennial Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Chartered member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania; associate members are also located in New York and Virginia.^[2]

Eleven private colleges compose the chartered member teams of the Centennial Conference. Five of its 11 members rank among the top 50 national liberal arts colleges and Johns Hopkins University is ranked sixth among national universities.

On average, Centennial members sponsor 19 varsity teams. Conference members have won seventeen NCAA team titles: Johns Hopkins women's cross country (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021), Gettysburg women's lacrosse (2011, 2017, 2018), Haverford men's cross country (2010), Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse (2007, 2009), Ursinus field hockey (2006), Washington men's lacrosse (1998), and Washington men's tennis (1994, 1997).

History

According to the Centennial Conference's website, "On June 4, 1981, Keith Spalding, then-president of Franklin & Marshall College, made the announcement that "eight private colleges found it timely and appropriate to form a round-robin football schedule among institutions with similar attitudes and practices in intercollegiate football competition." With that statement, the Centennial Conference was born. Those private colleges were Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, and Western Maryland College, later renamed and now known as McDaniel College.

The conference moved from a football-only conference to an all-sports conference after a 1991 feasibility study. The study also recommended to expand from eight schools to eleven. The other schools recommended were Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and Washington College. Those three schools accepted and became charter members in 1992 as the conference expanded its sports offerings.^[3]

All of the charter members defected from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Johns Hopkins and McDaniel College both played in the Mason–Dixon Conference prior to entering the MAC in 1975.

Recent changes

On August 21, 2019, Cabrini University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf to replace Neumann University's spot, effective in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).^[4]

On August 31, 2022, football affiliates Juniata College, Moravian University and Susquehanna University departed for a new football league in the Landmark Conference, beginning the 2023 fall season (2022–23 academic year).^[5]

On August 6, 2024, Carnegie Mellon University will join the Centennial as an associate football member, effective beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year).^[6]

Chronological timeline

• 1981 – On June 4, 1981, the Centennial Conference was founded as a football-only league, then known as the Centennial Football Conference. Charter members included Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, and Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), beginning the 1981 fall season (1981–82 academic year).
• 1992 – The Centennial Football Conference was rebranded as the Centennial Conference when the conference expanded to add other sports, beginning the 1992–93 academic year. Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Washington College also joined the newly-formed all-sports conference.
• 1998 – Washington and Lee University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 1998–99 academic year.
• 2001 – Johns Hopkins left the University Athletic Association (UAA) to fully align with the Centennial Conference for all the sports being sponsored in the 2001–02 academic year.
• 2004 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy (Merchant Marine) and Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens or Stevens Tech) joined the Centennial as affiliate members for men's wrestling in the 2004-05 academic year.
• 2007 – Juniata College and Moravian College (now Moravian University) joined the Centennial as affiliate members for football in the 2007 fall season (2007–08 academic year).
• 2009 – Susquehanna University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf in the 2010 spring season (2009–10 academic year).
• 2010 – Susquehanna added football into its Centennial affiliate membership in the 2010 fall season (2010–11 academic year).
• 2012 – New York University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for men's wrestling in the 2012–13 academic year.
• 2016 – NYU left the Centennial as an affiliate member for wrestling after the 2015–16 academic year.
• 2017:
  • Susquehanna left the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
  • Marymount University and Neumann University joined the Centennial as affiliate members for women's golf in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2019:
  • Two institutions left the Centennial as affiliate members, both effective after the 2018–19 academic year:
    • Neumann for women's golf
    • and Stevens for men's wrestling
  • Cabrini University joined the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf to replace Neumann's spot in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
• 2022 – Washington and Lee University left as an affiliate member in wrestling for their primary conference home, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), after the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2023 – Juniata, Moravian and Susquehanna left the Centennial as football affiliates for a new football league within their primary conference home, the Landmark Conference, after the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year).
• 2024 – Cabrini left the Centennial as an affiliate member for women's golf after the 2024 spring season (2024–25 academic year); as the school ceased operations in June 2024.
• 2025 – Carnegie Mellon University joined the Centennial as an associate football member, beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year).

Member schools

Current members

The Centennial currently has 11 full members, all are private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Acceptance Rate	Nickname	Colors	Joined	Football
Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania	1885	Nonsectarian	1,381	38% [7]	Owls		1992	No
Dickinson College	Carlisle, Pennsylvania	1783	Nonsectarian	2,420	35% [8]	Red Devils		1981	Yes
Franklin & Marshall College	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	1787	Nonsectarian	1,911	28% [9]	Diplomats		1981	Yes
Gettysburg College	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	1832	Lutheran ELCA	2,384	56% [10]	Bullets		1981	Yes
Haverford College	Haverford, Pennsylvania	1833	Nonsectarian	1,268	12.9% [11]	Fords		1992	No
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, Maryland	1876	Nonsectarian	20,174	6.5%[12]	Blue Jays		1981	Yes
McDaniel College	Westminster, Maryland	1867	Nonsectarian	1,559	70% [13]	Green Terror		1981	Yes
Muhlenberg College	Allentown, Pennsylvania	1848	Lutheran ELCA	2,408	68% [14]	Mules		1981	Yes
Swarthmore College	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	1864	Nonsectarian	1,543	8% [15]	Garnet		1981	No
Ursinus College	Collegeville, Pennsylvania	1869	Secular	1,556	80%	Bears		1981	Yes
Washington College	Chestertown, Maryland	1782	Nonsectarian	1,479	92% [16]	Shoremen &<br />Shorewomen		1992	No

Notes:

Affiliate members

The Centennial currently has three affiliate members, two private schools and a public school:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Centennial sport	Primary conference
	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1900	Nonsectarian	10,875	Tartans	2025	football	University (UAA)
Marymount University	Arlington, Virginia	1950	Catholic	3,684	Saints	2017	women's golf	Atlantic East (AEC)
(Merchant Marine)	Kings Point, New York	1943	Federal	1,011	Mariners	2004	wrestling	Skyline

Notes:

Former affiliate members

The Centennial had eight former affiliate members, all were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Centennial sport	Primary conference
Cabrini University	Radnor, Pennsylvania	1957	Catholic	1,759	Cavaliers	2019	2024	women's golf	N/A
Juniata College	Huntingdon, Pennsylvania	1876	Church of the Brethren	1,568	Eagles	2007	2023	football	Landmark
Moravian University	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	1742	Moravian	1,568	Greyhounds	2007	2023	football	Landmark
Neumann University	Aston, Pennsylvania	1965	Catholic	3,000	Knights	2017	2019	women's golf	Atlantic East (AEC)
New York University	New York City	1832	Nonsectarian	22,280	Violets	2011	2016	wrestling	University (UAA)
Stevens Institute of Technology	Hoboken, New Jersey	1870	Nonsectarian	5,260	Ducks	2004	2019	wrestling	MAC Freedom
Susquehanna University	Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania	1858	Lutheran ELCA	2,195	River Hawks	2009	2017	women's golf	Landmark
						2010	2023	football
Washington and Lee University	Lexington, Virginia	1749	Nonsectarian	1,830	Generals	1998	2022	wrestling	Old Dominion (ODAC)

Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1981 till:2033TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

Colors = 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:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Dickinson (1981–present) bar:1 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:2 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Franklin & Marshall (1981–present) bar:2 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:3 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Gettysburg (1981–present) bar:3 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:4 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Johns Hopkins (1981–present) bar:4 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:5 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:McDaniel (1981–present) bar:5 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:6 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Muhlenberg (1981–present) bar:6 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:7 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Swarthmore (1981–present) bar:7 color:Full from:1992 till:2001 bar:7 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end

bar:8 color:AssocF from:1981 till:1992 text:Ursinus (1981–present) bar:8 color:Full from:1992 till:end

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Bryn Mawr (1992–present)

bar:10 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Haverford (1992–present)

bar:11 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end text:Washington (Md.) (1992–present)

bar:12 color:AssocOS from:1998 till:2022 text:Washington and Lee (wrestling; 1998–2022)

bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:end text:Merchant Marine (wrestling; 2004–present)

bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2004 till:2019 text:Stevens (wrestling; 2004–2019)

bar:15 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2023 text:Juniata (2007–2023)

bar:16 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2023 text:Moravian (2007–2023)

bar:17 color:AssocF from:2010 till:2023 text:Susquehanna (2010–2023)

bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2016 text:New York (wrestling; 2012–2016)

bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:end text:Marymount (women's golf; 2017–present)

bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2019 text:Neumann (women's golf; 2017–2019)

bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2024 text:Cabrini (women's golf; 2019–2024)

bar:22 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:Carnegie Mellon (2025–present)

bar:N color:powderblue from:1981 till:1992 text:Centennial Football Conference bar:N color:blue from:1992 till:end text:Centennial Conference

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:4 start:1981

TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Centennial Conference membership history"

1. > 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.

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Sports

A divisional format was used for basketball (M / W) from 1992–93 to 2002–03.
width=50%	Bryn Mawr Haverford Muhlenberg Swarthmore Ursinus Washington	width=50%	Dickinson Franklin & Marshall Gettysburg Johns Hopkins McDaniel

The Centennial Conference sponsors championships in the following sports:

Men's	Women's
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and field (indoor)
Track and field (outdoor)
Volleyball
Wrestling

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming	Tennis	Track & Field (indoor)	Track & Field (outdoor)	Wrestling	Total
Dickinson													11
Franklin & Marshall													11
Gettysburg													12
Haverford													9
Johns Hopkins													9
McDaniel													12
Muhlenberg													11
Swarthmore													10
Ursinus													12
Washington													6
Totals	10	10	9	7+1	7	9	10	8	10	9	9	5+1	104+2
Merchant Marine													1
Carnegie Mellon													1

Notes

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Centennial Conference that are played by Centennial schools

School	Fencing	Rowing	Sailing	Squash	Trap & Skeet	Water Polo
Dickinson				MASC
Franklin & Marshall				MASC
Haverford	MACFA			CSA
Johns Hopkins	MACFA					MAWPC
Washington			MAISA		ACUI

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross country	Field Hockey	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Swimming	Tennis	Track & Field (indoor)	Track & Field (outdoor)	Volleyball	Total
Bryn Mawr													10
Dickinson													12
Franklin & Marshall													12
Gettysburg													12
Haverford													10
Johns Hopkins													8
McDaniel													12
Muhlenberg													11
Swarthmore													11
Ursinus													12
Washington													8
Totals	11	10	11	6+1	10	11	9	9	11	10	10	11	118+1
Marymount													1

Notes

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Centennial Conference that are played by Centennial schools

School	Badminton	Fencing	Gymnastics	Rowing	Sailing	Squash	Trap & Skeet
Bryn Mawr	Independent
Dickinson						MASC
Franklin & Marshall				MARC		MASC
Haverford		EWFC/NIWFA				CSA
Johns Hopkins		MACFA
Swarthmore	Independent
Ursinus			NCGA
Washington				MARC	MAISA		ACUI

Current champions

Season	Sport	Women's Champion	Men's Champion
Fall 2025	Cross Country	Johns Hopkins (X17)	Johns Hopkins (X6)
		bgcolor=#6cace4		bgcolor=#6cace4
	Field Hockey	Johns Hopkins (X11)	rowspan="2"
		bgcolor=#6cace4
	Football	Franklin & Marshall (X8)
			bgcolor=#0035AD
	Soccer	Johns Hopkins (X18)	Dickinson (X2)
		bgcolor=#6cace4		bgcolor=#c8102e
	Volleyball	Johns Hopkins (X12)	rowspan="2"
		bgcolor=#6cace4
Winter 2024–25	Basketball	Gettysburg (X6)	Franklin & Marshall (x9)
			bgcolor=#0035AD
	Swimming	Swarthmore (X7)	Johns Hopkins (X1)
		bgcolor=#631919		bgcolor=#6cace4
	Indoor Track & Field	Johns Hopkins (X14)	Johns Hopkins (X12)
		bgcolor=#6cace4		bgcolor=#6cace4
	Wrestling	Ursinus (X14)
			bgcolor=#631919
Spring 2025	Baseball	Johns Hopkins (X19)
			bgcolor=#6cace4
	Golf	Gettysburg (X12)	Gettysburg (X5)
		bgcolor=#ffa600		bgcolor=#ffa600
	Lacrosse	Franklin & Marshall (X11)	Dickinson (X8)
		bgcolor=#0035AD		bgcolor=#c8102e
	Softball	Swarthmore (X2)	rowspan="2"
		bgcolor=#631919
	Tennis	Swarthmore (X6)	Swarthmore (X3)
		bgcolor=#631919		bgcolor=#631919
	Outdoor Track and Field	Johns Hopkins (X15)	Johns Hopkins (X8)
		bgcolor=#6cace4		bgcolor=#6cace4

See also

• Centennial Conference football
• Centennial Conference men's basketball tournament

Notes and References

1. Web site: Centennial Conference Athletics.
2. Web site: Centennial Conference Membership . May 18, 2023 . Centennial Conference Athletics . May 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210524151130/https://www.centennial.org/members/index . dead .
3. The Centennial Conference . Centennial Conference . April 22, 2023 . September 10, 2024 . May 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520223131/https://centennial.org/sports/2023/4/22/information-About.aspx?path=cenconf . dead .
4. Women's Golf Announces 2019 Fall Schedule . Cabrini University Athletics . August 21, 2019 . September 10, 2024 . September 10, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240910193823/https://cabrini.villanova.com/news/2019/8/21/golf-women-womens-golf-announces-2019-fall-schedule.aspx . dead .
5. ODAC to Sponsor Men's Wrestling . Washington and Liberty University Athletics . August 31, 2022 . September 21, 2022 . September 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220921084558/https://generalssports.com/news/2022/8/31/odac-to-sponsor-mens-wrestling.aspx . dead .
6. Carnegie Mellon to Join Centennial as Associate Football Member . Centennial Conference . September 9, 2024 . September 9, 2024 . September 9, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240909161904/https://centennial.org/news/2024/8/6/cmu-to-join-centennial-as-associate-football-member.aspx . dead .
7. Web site: Meet the Class: Text Version | Bryn Mawr College .
8. Web site: With a Record Number of Applications, Dickinson Focuses on Selectivity .
9. Web site: Class Profile: Class of 2028.
10. Web site: Facts and figures - Gettysburg.edu .
11. Web site: The Class of 2027 .
12. Web site: Johns Hopkins invites 1,586 to join the class of 2026 . 18 March 2022 .
13. Web site: Admissions Statistics for the Class of 2024 .
14. Web site: Class Profile .
15. Web site: Swarthmore Begins Classes, Welcomes Class of 2025 . 26 August 2021 .
16. Web site: WC's sudden jump in acceptance rate has no bearing on quality of education – the Elm .