The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, will again sponsor men’s lacrosse as part of its partnership with the Southern Conference, the ASUN announced Friday.

Air Force, Bellarmine, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris and Utah will comprise the new conference effective July 1, with their affiliation in place for the 2022 season.

Air Force and Bellarmine currently compete in the SoCon, Detroit Mercy in the MAAC and Cleveland State, Robert Morris and Utah as independents.

“I love the national aspect that this alignment provides,” Bellarmine coach Andrew Whitley said in the announcement. “Our student-athletes will get to travel and compete in Florida, Utah and Colorado, amongst many others. The level of commitment this display allows each member institution as well as the ASUN to be visible and recognized on a national stage. This is a great partnership for the ASUN, its student-athletes and college lacrosse as a whole.

Both the ASUN and SoCon will be eligible for NCAA tournament automatic qualifiers under the new alignment, which on the SoCon side now includes Hampton, High Point, Jacksonville, Mercer, Richmond and VMI. All but Hampton (independent) have been affiliated with the conference since it took over men’s lacrosse from the former Atlantic Sun in 2014-15.

“The ability to expand our outreach with these two conferences is going to give us the opportunity to stamp ourselves as a team in the South that is committed to growing our game beyond the restrictions that existed in the past,” Jacksonville coach John Galloway said in the announcement. “In the big picture, this gives more teams an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament. For us, this gives us a relationship with six other teams that allows us to build a schedule to play 14-to-15 games against high-level opponents. Our initiative as coaches is to grow the game of lacrosse. This relationship will increase participation and help foster future growth for the college game well beyond what currently exists.”

Inside Lacrosse first reported news of the ASUN’s possible return Wednesday.