Peach Belt Conference ground in Alabama. In 2012-13, the Peach Belt expanded to 14 members, the most the league has ever had, with the addition of Young Harris College. On January 8, 2013, the University System of Georgia finalized the mergers of two conference members into new institutions. Augusta State was merged into Georgia Regents University, which was renamed in 2015 as Augusta University, and NGCSU was merged into the University of North Georgia. In both cases, the new institutions inherited the Peach Belt memberships of the older schools. The Peach Belt was less than a year old before capturing its first of
Empire State Empire State The U.S. state of New York has been known by many nicknames, most notably as the Empire State, adopted as late as the 19th century. This nickname has been incorporated into the names of several state buildings and events, and is commonly believed to refer to the state's wealth and resources. However, the origin of the term remains unclear. There are several theories on the origin of the name. Two of them involve George Washington, one credits aggressive trade routes, and another associates the nickname with New York exceeding Virginia in population. None has been proven. One commonly