Meredith College's application for membership into the USA South Athletic Conference has been accepted, the conference announced on Tuesday, May 9.

Meredith will be a provisional member for the 2006-07 academic year and a full member beginning in 2007-08 season. Meredith College fields teams in basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, soccer and cross country.

"Membership in an athletic conference will offer significant advantages to our athletic teams and to greatly enhance the quality of our student-athlete experience," said Meredith President Maureen A. Hartford.

USA South is a 42-year old conference headquartered in Fayetteville, N.C. The Conference is comprised of eight full member institutions located in the North Carolina and Virginia area and a football only member in Tennessee.

Full member teams are Averett College, Christopher Newport University, Ferrum College, Greensboro College, Maryville College, Methodist College, N.C. Wesleyan College, Peace College and Shenandoah University. Mary Baldwin College will become a full member for the 2007-08 season.

For more information on Meredith College athletics, visit www.meredith.edu/athletics. For more on the USA South Conference, visit www.usasouth.net.