Frostburg State has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Capital Athletic Conference, it was announced by FSU president Jonathan Gibralter and Capital Athletic Conference commissioner Tom Byrnes. Frostburg will become an official member of the league on July 1, 2010, and start athletic competition that fall.

The school, which is 150 miles from Washington in the Maryland panhandle, has been talked about as a potential CAC member since the mid-1990s. The Bobcats currently compete as the southernmost member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

"The Capital Athletic Conference Board of Directors is thrilled to offer CAC membership to Frostburg State University, an institution that not only fits our philosophical makeup but also offers a highly competitive array of intercollegiate athletic teams," Sullivan said.

Frostburg returns the league's membership to nine schools, following the departure of Gallaudet, which D3sports.com announced last week.

"Entry into the CAC represents a new era for Frostburg State athletics that will improve our competitiveness and expand our range of sports," Gibralter said. "In addition, the schools that represent the CAC are in our recruitment area, making it easier for FSU to attract student-athletes and for their families to watch their sons and daughters participate in intercollegiate athletics. We will miss the AMCC. It is an outstanding, competitive conference, but this is best for our students."

The change will give the CAC four state schools (Frostburg State, Salisbury, St. Mary's, Md. and Mary Washington) and five private schools (Hood, Marymount, Stevenson, Wesley and York, Pa.).