The UVA Wise Cavaliers (formerly Virginia–Wise Cavaliers), nicknamed the "Highland Cavaliers" before 2017, are the athletic teams that represent the

University of Virginia's College at Wise The University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) is a public liberal arts college adjacent to Wise, Virginia. It is part of the University of Virginia, though separately accredited, and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of t ...

, located in

Wise, Virginia Wise is a town in Wise County, Virginia. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Wise County. It was originally incorporated as the town of Gladeville in 1874. The town's name was changed to Wise in 1924, after Hen ...

, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

ranks, primarily competing in the

South Atlantic Conference The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as ...

(SAC) since the 2019–20 academic year. The Cavaliers previously competed in the D-II

Mountain East Conference The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, m ...

(MEC) from 2013–14 to 2018–19. Prior joining the NCAA, UVA Wise previously competed in the

Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentuc ...

(MSC) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) from 2010–11 to 2012–13 (with a partial provisional membership as a core member of the D-II

Great Midwest Athletic Conference The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and op ...

(G-MAC) during their D-II transition within the 2012–13 school year); in the

Appalachian Athletic Conference The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentu ...

(AAC) from 2001–02 to 2009–10; the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference from 1994–95 to 2000–01; and in the

Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historica ...

(KIAC; now currently known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) from 1971–72 to 1993–94.

History

On April 23, 2012, the college was accepted as a provisional member of the

(G-MAC) and announced it would begin competition as the G-MAC's seventh full member in the 2013–2014 academic year. UVA Wise also announced it planned to submit the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

application prior to June 1, 2012. Once accepted by the NCAA, the college will begin the official transition from NAIA to NCAA and if the requirements are met would become an active NCAA Division II member for the 2015–2016 academic year. However, UVA Wise would play in the G-MAC for only one season; it announced on August 20, 2012, that it would become a charter member of the new

, a conference made up mostly of former members of the

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early y ...

History

Classifications

National affiliations

Conference affiliations

Varsity teams

References

External links