Founded in 1975, the Sunshine State Conference has risen from a single sports organization to the Division II "Conference of National Champions." Since its inception, the conference has shown steady growth in sports played, membership, and national prominence. Member institutions have won a total of 104 NCAA national championships across 12 sports. During the 2017-18 academic year, SSC schools won two national titles and boast an NCAA Division II-leading 86% Academic Success Rate. The SSC consists of 11 member institutions, all within the state of Florida: Barry University (Miami Shores), Eckerd College (St. Petersburg), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach), Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne), Florida Southern College (Lakeland), Lynn University (Boca Raton), Nova Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale), Palm Beach Atlantic University (West Palm Beach), Rollins College (Winter Park), Saint Leo University (Saint Leo), and the University of Tampa.