For the past few years, Carlow University has played in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It is now the River States Conference.
| Marketing and Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | July 01, 2016 |
| 412.578.2095 (phone) | |
| 412.260.6807 (cell) | |
| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Beginning today, the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), the oldest conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), will now be known as the River States Conference.
The name change was announced at a press conference on March 4, 2016, but it became official today, July 1, 2016.
Carlow University, along with Point Park University, are the two Pittsburgh universities that are members of the 13-team league composed of member schools from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
“I believe the name is especially fitting for our conference,” said Carlow University’s director of Athletics, George Sliman. “It uses an appropriate central theme – the Ohio River – to unify all of the member schools.”
The Ohio River is a central figure and a key player in the development of the River States Conference name. The Ohio River flows through the center of the conference and is near many of the 13 member schools. It also passes through each of the five states featured in the membership and forms the southern border of Ohio and Indiana, the northern board of Kentucky and the western border of the West Virginia.
The Ohio River has its origin in Pittsburgh, Pa., just blocks from the campuses of Point Park (Pa.) University and Carlow (Pa.) University. It continues on all the way to the western border of the conference near Brescia (Ky.) University in Owensboro, Ky., and beyond.
Carlow is a private, co-educational, Catholic university located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Tech, Ed, and Med” district. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow’s graduates, curriculum, and partnerships reflect its strong commitment to social justice; ethical, forward-thinking and responsible leadership; and service to the community that has a meaningful impact. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in three colleges: Health and Wellness, Leadership and Social Change, and Learning and Innovation. Carlow graduates are in demand for their professional expertise, in fields ranging from nursing, the sciences, and perfusion technology to counseling, education, and forensic accounting; their entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset; and their ability to manage change. Carlow’s eleven athletic teams are known as the Celtics, a reflection of the university’s Irish heritage and roots.