With the transition from Division I to Division III athletics, Saint Francis will move out of the Northeast Conference and begin competing in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) in the 2026-27 season.
The PAC was founded in 1955. Its charter members included Western Reserve, John Carroll, Case Institute of Technology and Wayne State.
None of these original members of the conference are currently competing in the PAC.
The league notes on its website that it is built on a “foundation of faith,” a point that Saint Francis officials have highlighted in their messaging since the announcement that SFU would be joining the conference.
The conference currently includes 11 full-time members. It will expand to 12 when Hiram College joins the league this fall and then to 13 when SFU becomes a member in 2026.
Nine of the league’s current members are in Western Pennsylvania.
The conference sponsors 13 men’s sports and 11 women’s sports. Automatic bids to the NCAA Division III playoffs are awarded to the league’s champions in most sports.
In football, Washington and Jefferson has dominated the conference, winning 27 PAC titles including one last fall. W&J has also won 10 PAC titles in men’s basketball.
“Despite being one of the smallest Division I programs in the nation, Saint Francis always seems to punch above its weight,” said PAC commissioner Joe Onderko at a press conference on March 31 in Loretto announcing that SFU would join the league.
“They routinely battle and often best much larger programs with more resources. This heart, this grit, this sense of pride shows every time the Red Flash take the field or the court – as it clearly did for the men’s basketball team winning this year’s NEC title on the road and advancing to the March Madness First Four in Dayton.
“That same heart, grit and pride continues today, and it will continue as Saint Francis begins a new era in the PAC.”
