Salem University Announces Return to NAIA, seeks to join River States Conference

SALEM, W.Va. — September 28, 2026 — Salem University has announced that its athletic programs will return to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), marking a significant new chapter in the history of Salem Athletics. As part of the transition, Salem seeks to compete as a member of the River States Conference (RSC), providing the University with a regional conference home and new opportunities for its student-athletes to compete for conference and national championships. Those final details on that move will be formalized and announced at a later date. “For more than 100 years, athletics has been an important…