The American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) was an athletic conference with no regular-season competition. The ACAA competed in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was formed in 2017 primarily by Independent schools in the Northeastern United States, but also had members in Michigan, Wisconsin, and California. The members of the ACAA merged with the Capital Athletic Conference in 2020.
The ACAA was formally announced as an NCAA Division III athletic conference in February 2017, with plans to start offering official conference championships in the 2017âÂÂ18 academic year. Unofficial championships were held during the 2016âÂÂ17 season. Initial members were Alfred State College, Finlandia University, Mills College, State University of New York at Canton, State University of New York at Delhi, Pine Manor College, University of Maine at Presque Isle, and University of Valley Forge. Finlandia, MaineâÂÂPresque Isle, Mills, and Pine Manor were formerly members of the women's sports-sponsoring Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC), which disbanded after the 2015âÂÂ16 season.
In November 2017, it was announced that SUNY Canton and UMPI departed the ACAA, effective July 1, 2018, and would join the North Atlantic Conference (NAC).
In January 2018, it was announced that Mount Mary University of Wisconsin joined the ACAA, effective in the 2018âÂÂ19 academic year. Mount Mary was formerly an NCAA Division III independent school.
On February 16, 2018, Pratt Institute announced that the college also joined the ACAA, effective in the 2018-19 academic year. Pratt was a member of the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) within the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
On June 28, 2018, it was announced that Alfred State College was leaving the ACAA, and joined the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), effective in the 2019âÂÂ20 school year.
In July 2018, it was announced that Thomas More College, now known as Thomas More University, joined the ACAA effective immediately for the 2018âÂÂ19 season. Thomas More was previously a full member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference. Thomas More had re-joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and joined the Mid South Conference beginning the fall of 2019.
On November 30, 2018, SUNY Delhi, a North Atlantic Conference associate member in six sports (men's golf, men's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track & field), announced that it would leave the ACAA and become a full member of the NAC effective in the fall of 2019. At that time, five additional Delhi sportsâÂÂmen's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyballâÂÂwere about to begin NAC play. Three more sportsâÂÂmen's and women's basketball, plus softballâÂÂremained in the ACAA until starting NAC play in 2020âÂÂ21.
On June 6, 2019, it was announced that the University of Valley Forge was leaving the ACAA, and joined the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), effective in the 2020âÂÂ21 season.
On July 11, 2019, it was announced that the University of California, Santa Cruz would be joining the ACAA in seven sports, effective 2019-20.
On May 26, 2020, it was announced that the American Collegiate Athletic Association would merge with the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC), later renamed the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C). The ACAA will have all of its full members join the CAC in the 2020âÂÂ21 school year. Pine Manor College, which recently entered into a partnership with Boston College, will participate in the Conference for one academic year in four sports: men's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball. After being acquired by Boston College, Pine Manor dissolved their athletics programs effective after the 2020-21 academic year.
The ACAA had seven full members in the conference's final season, all but one were private schools:
The ACAA had five other full members during the conference's tenure, one was a private school:
The ACAA had two associate members during the conference's tenure, both were public schools:
â - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.