The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) is a college athletics conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Cliff Hamlow of Azusa Pacific University

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...

. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The conference was formed in Autumn of 1986. All of the members of the GSAC are all Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 colleges located in Central and Southern

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

 California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Conference teams have won 20 national championships. Azusa Pacific won the 2004-2005 as well as the 2005-2006 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics

National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics is a professional organization for college and university athletic directors in the United States. NACDA boasts a membership of more than 6,100 individuals and more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico...

 (NACDA) NAIA Director's Cup. Azusa Pacific's football team, which competes as an independent as the GSAC does not sponsor football.

Hope International University

Hope International University

Hope International University is a Private Christian University in Fullerton, California. The campus is located just south of California State University, Fullerton. Hope International University has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students representing 35 states and 40 countries...

 and San Diego Christian College

San Diego Christian College

San Diego Christian College is a private, evangelical Christian college located in El Cajon, California, in suburban San Diego, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.-History:In January 1970, Tim F...

 joined the GSAC in the fall of 1999. The newest member of the GSAC, The Master's College, joined in the fall of 2001. In recent years the conference has seen changes with members leaving the GSAC and NAIA for the NCAA. In 2011 California Baptist University

California Baptist University

California Baptist University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university located in Riverside, California, United States. Originally founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is controlled by the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organization affiliated with the Southern...

 left for the Pacific West Conference

Pacific West Conference

The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...

 followed by the announcement that Azusa Pacific University

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...

, Fresno Pacific University

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno Pacific University also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first bachelor of arts degree in 1965...

, and Point Loma Nazarene University

Point Loma Nazarene University

Point Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:...

 will join Cal Baptist in the PacWest Conference in 2012. The GSAC plans to add Arizona Christian University that same academic year which will bring the conference to 8 members.

Sports sponsored

For men, the GSAC offers baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

, cross country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, soccer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

, tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, and track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

. For women, the GSAC offers basketball, cross country, soccer, softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, tennis, track and field, and volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

.

Current membes

Institution	Location	Affiliation	Member Since	Enrollment	Nickname
Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939... *	Azusa, California Azusa, California Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"...	Private Private university Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are... /Evangelical	1986	8,539	Cougars
Biola University Biola University Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...	La Mirada, California La Mirada, California La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census....	Private/Evangelical	1994	5,942	Eagles
Concordia University Concordia University, Irvine Concordia University is a private, liberal arts university located in Irvine, California, United States and affiliated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in six colleges and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges...	Irvine, California Irvine, California Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...	Private/Lutheran	1987	2,564	Eagles
Fresno Pacific University Fresno Pacific University Fresno Pacific University also known as FPU is an accredited Christian university located in Fresno, California, United States. It was founded in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first bachelor of arts degree in 1965... *	Fresno, California Fresno, California Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...	Private/Mennonite	1986	3,652	Sunbirds
Hope International University Hope International University Hope International University is a Private Christian University in Fullerton, California. The campus is located just south of California State University, Fullerton. Hope International University has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students representing 35 states and 40 countries...	Fullerton, California Fullerton, California Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...	Private/Christian Christian A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...	1999	987	Royals
The Master's College	Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...	Private/Christian	2001	1,348	Mustangs
Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college. Its main campus is located on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:... *	San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...	Private/Nazarene Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...	1986	3,487	Sea Lions
San Diego Christian College San Diego Christian College San Diego Christian College is a private, evangelical Christian college located in El Cajon, California, in suburban San Diego, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.-History:In January 1970, Tim F...	El Cajon, California El Cajon, California -History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...	Private/Baptist (SBC) Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...	1999	439	Hawks
Vanguard University Vanguard University of Southern California Vanguard University is located in Costa Mesa, California, USA. During the summer of 1920, Harold K. Needham, D. W. Kerr, and W. C. Pierce opened a school to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church. The new institute, Southern California Bible School, moved from Los...	Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...	Private/Assemblies of God	1986	1,923	Lions
Westmont College Westmont College Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...	Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...	Private/Christian	1986	1,308	Warriors

* Leaving 2012 for NCAA Division II as Pacific West Conference

Pacific West Conference

The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...

 members.

Future members

Institution	Location	Affiliation	Year joining	Enrollment	Nickname
Arizona Christian University	Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...	Private/Christian	2012–13	429	Firestorm

Former members

Institution	Location	Years	Nickname	New Conference	Classification
California Lutheran University California Lutheran University California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...	Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....	1986–1989	Kingsmen (men), Regals (women)	SCIAC Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was founded in 1915 and it consists of twelve small private schools which are located in Southern California and organized into nine athletic programs...	NCAA Division III
California Baptist University California Baptist University California Baptist University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university located in Riverside, California, United States. Originally founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is controlled by the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organization affiliated with the Southern...	Riverside, California Riverside, California Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...	1987–2011	Lancers	PacWest Pacific West Conference The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...	NCAA Division II