WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) has received official acceptance from Palm Beach Atlantic University to become a provisional member of the conference beginning July 1, 2014. Palm Beach Atlantic joins Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who will also become a provisional member this July. PBA will serve a three-year provisional term before becoming a full member of the SSC. The provisional agreement with the SSC requires the institution to meet certain requirements before it can be eligible to compete for conference championships and become a full non-conditional member. If all requirements are met, the Sailfish will begin competing fully in the SSC during the 2017-18 athletic season. Located in West Palm Beach, Fla., PBA is no stranger to the SSC. Since earning NCAA Division II full membership prior to the 2007-08 academic year, the Sailfish have been a non-conference South Region opponent for SSC-member institutions the past seven years. PBA is currently an NCAA Division II Independent institution. Prior to its transition to Division II, PBA was a member of the National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) Florida Sun Conference (now called The Sun Conference). The nine current SSC member institutions, all private schools located in the state of Florida, are: Barry University (Miami Shores), Eckerd College (St. Petersburg), Florida Southern (Lakeland), Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne), Lynn University (Boca Raton), Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale), Rollins College (Winter Park) Saint Leo University (Saint Leo) and the University of Tampa. PBA currently sponsors 12 varsity sports including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball. As part of the provisional agreement, PBA is required to add men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s distance track by the 2017-18 season. Currently, the Sailfish compete in men’s and women’s lacrosse at the club level. The SSC is currently in its first season of men’s lacrosse and recently announced its sponsorship of women’s lacrosse to begin in the spring of 2015. The addition of women’s lacrosse will grow the conference sponsorship to 18 intercollegiate sports that compete in NCAA Division II.