The Southern Connecticut Conference voted to accept Lauralton Hall as the 23rd full-fledged member of the conference on Wednesday, according to league commissioner Al Carbone.
Lauralton Hall, an all-girls school in Milford, will likely depart the South-West Conference at the end of the school year to officially join the SCC for the 2014-15 season.
Carbone expects the school to accept the league’s invitation within the next few days.
“They have been on a radar screen for a number of years because of the obvious geographic and competitive reasons,” Carbone said. “We have a great league because of what we do in addition to athletics, the programs, the arts, diversity and student leadership. Those things were very appealing to them in their discussions with us.”
Carbone said 17 of the school’s 22 principals and athletic directors voted in favor of the move. Five votes are still outstanding, but league bylaws state at least 75 percent of the vote was needed in Lauralton’s favor and the Crusaders already have a 77 percent share of the vote.
The Crusaders are expected to be slotted into the SCC Quinnipiac Division with West Haven, Hamden, Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame-West Haven, Xavier, Mercy and Sacred Heart Academy.
“I’m glad we moved on this very quickly,” Carbone said.
Lauralton Hall interim athletic director Judy Gallagher did not return a message seeking comment.
The Crusaders were already an associate member in girls hockey only.
The last schools accepted as full-fledged members to the SCC were also Milford schools, Law and Foran, in 2004. Derby was the last school to depart the SCC for the Naugatuck Valley League in 2009.
