Liberty, James Madison, and Marshall University will all join the American Athletic Conference next season as affiliate members in women’s swimming and diving. The move becomes effective July 1, 2025.
The additions bring the conference to nine members next year. Full members with women’s swimming and diving programs are East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, and Tulane, while Florida International, a former CCSA compatriot, is already an affiliate member, joining the conference for the 2022-2023 season.
“We are excited to welcome JMU, Liberty and Marshall to The American in women’s swimming and diving,” AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti said. “All three programs are at the top of the sport and will enhance our strength in women’s swimming and diving and our philosophy of providing the highest level of competition and experience for our student-athletes. This expansion will better position The American for even more participation in the NCAA Championships.”
James Madison won the 2024 Sun Belt Conference championship in their first season in the league, while Marshall finished 2nd. Liberty, meanwhile, has won six consecutive conference championships in the CCSA and the ASUN.
Liberty’s primary conference membership is in Conference USA, which has no swimming & diving championships.
The more peculiar addition is James Madison and Liberty: two schools that are primary Sun Belt Conference members. A source confirmed to SwimSwam what that move implied: that a year after adding a swimming & diving championship, the Sun Belt is no longer interested in hosting one.
This leaves Georgia Southern and Old Dominion (which also has a men’s program) back on the market for a conference championship meet. Both were members of the CCSA, which has essentially become the ASUN league in swimming & diving.
2025-2026 AAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Field
In parenthesis is last year’s conference finish.
- Florida International (1st – AAC)
- SMU (2nd – AAC)
- Rice (3rd – AAC)
- East Carolina (4th – AAC)
- Florida Atlantic (5th – AAC)
- Tulane (6th – AAC)
- North Texas (7th – AAC)
- Liberty (1st – ASUN)
- James Madison (1st – Sun Belt)
- Marshall (2nd – Sun Belt)
Conference realignment has resulted in these schools bouncing around several times in the last few years, with James Madison even having to use the ECAC Championships as their end-of-season meet one year after being barred from competing at the CAA Championship.
2026 Championship
In lockstep with the new teams, the conference announced that the 2026 AAC Championship will be hosted at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The host of the 2015 AAC Championships, 2015 Women’s NCAA Championships, and 2021 Women’s and Men’s NCAA Championships, the GAC is one of the largest aquatic centers (by water and spectator count) in the United States.
The AAC sponsors only a women’s championship.
