America East Conference
| America East Conference | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1979 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I non-football |
| Members | 13 (full: 9; associate: 5) |
| Sports fielded | 18 (men's: 8 sports; women's: 10 sports) |
| Region |
Northeastern United States (plus California in field hockey and Virginia in swimming & diving) |
| Former names |
Eastern College Athletic Conference-North (1979–1988) North Atlantic Conference (1988–1996) |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Commissioner | Amy Huchthausen |
| Website |
www |
| Locations | |
 | |
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA Division I, whose members are located mainly in the Northeastern United States. The conference was known as the Eastern College Athletic Conference-North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from 1988 to 1996.
History
The America East Conference was founded as the Eastern College Athletic Conference-North, a men's basketball-only athletic conference in 1979. The charter members were the University of Rhode Island, the College of the Holy Cross, Canisius College, Niagara University, Colgate University, Northeastern University, Boston University, the University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont. Many other events have occurred since its formation:
- Rhode Island left in 1980.
- Holy Cross left in 1983.
- Siena College joined in 1984.
- The University of Hartford joined in 1985.
- Later, the conference became an all-sports conference, named as the North Atlantic Conference in the 1988-89 season, only for Canisius, Niagara and Siena to leave after the spring of 1989 to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
- Colgate left in 1990 to join the Patriot League.
- The University of Delaware and Drexel University joined in 1991.
- Hofstra University joined in 1994.
- Towson University joined in 1995.
- On July 1, 1996, the conference's name changed to its present name, the America East Conference.
- During 2001, Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson left to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) while the University at Albany, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University replaced them.
- The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) soon joined in 2003.
- Northeastern left in 2005 to join the CAA.
- Most recently, Boston University left to join the Patriot League on July 1, 2013, while the University of Massachusetts Lowell joined from Division II.
Member schools
Full members
There are nine schools with full membership:
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University at Albany, SUNY | Albany, New York | Great Danes | 1844 | Public | 17,312 | 2001 |
| Binghamton University | Vestal, New York | Bearcats | 1946 | Public | 16,077 | 2001 |
| University of Hartford | Hartford, Connecticut | Hawks | 1877 | Private | 6,935 | 1985 |
| University of Maine | Orono, Maine | Black Bears | 1865 | Public | 11,247 | 1979 |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Catonsville, Maryland | Retrievers | 1966 | Public | 13,908 | 2003 |
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | Lowell, Massachusetts | River Hawks | 1894 | Public | 18,058 | 2013 |
| University of New Hampshire | Durham, New Hampshire | Wildcats | 1866 | Public | 14,761 | 1979 |
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York | Seawolves | 1957 | Public | 24,594 | 2001 |
| University of Vermont | Burlington, Vermont | Catamounts | 1791 | Public | 11,287 | 1979 |
Associate members
There are currently five schools with associate membership. Four schools from California moved their field hockey teams into the America East in July 2015.[1] The newest associate member is the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which joined in men's and women's swimming & diving starting with the 2017–18 school year.[2]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
AmEast sport(s) | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | Stanford, California | Cardinal | 1891 | Private | 15,877 | Pac-12 | Field hockey | 2015 |
| University of the Pacific | Stockton, California | Tigers | 1851 | Private | 6,196 | WCC | Field hockey | 2015 |
| University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | Golden Bears | 1868 | Public | 36,204 | Pac-12 | Field hockey | 2015 |
| University of California, Davis | Davis, California | Aggies | 1905 | Public | 34,175 | Big West | Field hockey | 2015 |
| Virginia Military Institute (VMI) | Lexington, Virginia | Keydets | 1839 | Public | 1,653 | SoCon | Men's and women's swimming & diving | 2017 |
Former members
Former associate members
Three schools have had single-sport membership in the past. Two of these, Fairfield[3] and Providence,[4] moved their America East sports into their all-sports conferences. The third, NJIT, left when it joined a conference that sponsored its America East sport.[5]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary Conference |
AmEast Sport | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield University | Fairfield, Connecticut | Stags | 1942 | Private | 3,800 | MAAC | Field hockey | 2007 | 2015 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, New Jersey | Highlanders | 1881 | Public | 10,646 | Atlantic Sun | Women's tennis | 2013 | 2015 |
| Providence College | Providence, Rhode Island | Friars | 1917 | Private | 3,850 | Big East | Women's volleyball | 2010 | 2014 |
Membership timeline
Full members (non-football) Other Conference Other Conference
Sports sponsored
The America East Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[6] The most recent changes to the roster of America East sports were announced in 2016, with the dropping of women's tennis after the 2015–16 season due to a lack of sponsoring teams and the revival of men's swimming and diving effective in the 2017–18 school year.[2]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Field Hockey | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Swimming & Diving | ||
| Track and Field (Indoor) | ||
| Track and Field (outdoor) | ||
| Volleyball |
Men's sports
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Lacrosse | Soccer | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field (indoor) | Track & Field (outdoor) | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany |  | | | | |  | | | 7 |
| Binghamton | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Hartford | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| Maine | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| New Hampshire | | | | | | | | | 5 |
| Stony Brook | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| UMass Lowell | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| UMBC | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Vermont | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| Totals | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3+1[lower-alpha 1] | 9 | 9 | 61+1 |
- Notes
| School | Football | Golf | Ice Hockey | Skiing | Tennis | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | CAA | No | No | No | No | No |
| Binghamton | No | Big Sky | No | No | Mid-American | EIWA |
| Hartford | No | Big Sky | No | No | No | No |
| Maine | CAA | No | Hockey East | No | No | No |
| New Hampshire | CAA | No | Hockey East | EISA | No | No |
| Stony Brook | CAA | No | No | No | No | No |
| UMass Lowell | No | Independent | Hockey East | No | No | No |
| Vermont | No | No | Hockey East | EISA | No | No |
- Notes
Women's sports
| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Field Hockey | Lacrosse | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field (indoor) | Track & Field (outdoor) | Volleyball | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Binghamton | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Hartford | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Maine | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| New Hampshire | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Stony Brook | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| UMass Lowell | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| UMBC | | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Vermont | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Totals | 9 | 9 | 5+4[lower-alpha 1] | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6+1[lower-alpha 2] | 9 | 9 | 7 | 78+5 |
- Notes
| School | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Skiing | Tennis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | MAAC | No | No | No | No |
| Binghamton | MAAC | No | No | No | Independent |
| Hartford | MAAC | No | No | No | No |
| Maine | No | No | Hockey East | No | No |
| New Hampshire | No | EAGL | Hockey East | EISA | No |
| Stony Brook | No | No | No | No | Missouri Valley |
| Vermont | No | No | Hockey East | EISA | No |
Facilities
| Member | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball field | Capacity | Lacrosse facility | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | SEFCU Arena | 4,538 | Varsity Field | N/A | John Fallon Field Bob Ford Field |
2,500 8,500 |
| Binghamton | Binghamton University Events Center | 5,142 | Varsity Field | 1,000 | Bearcats Sports Complex | 2,534 |
| Hartford | Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion | 4,017 | Fiondella Field | 1,000 | Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium | 2,500 |
| Maine | Cross Insurance Center Memorial Gym |
8,000 1,340 |
Larry Mahaney Diamond | 3,000 | Non-lacrosse school | |
| New Hampshire | Lundholm Gym | 3,500 | Non-baseball school | Non-lacrosse school | ||
| Stony Brook | Island Federal Credit Union Arena | 4,160 | Joe Nathan Field | 1,000 | Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium | 8,300 |
| UMass Lowell | Costello Athletic Center Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell[7][8] |
2,100 6,495 |
Edward A. LeLacheur Park | 4,767 | Cushing Field Complex | N/A |
| UMBC | Retriever Activities Center | 4,024 | The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC | 1,000 | UMBC Stadium | 4,500 |
| Vermont | Patrick Gym | 3,266 | Non-baseball school | Virtue Field | 2,500 | |
The conference does not sponsor football. Four members have football programs, all of which compete in the Colonial Athletic Association: Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, and Stony Brook.
The conference does not sponsor ice hockey. Members who participate in that sport (UMass Lowell for men only, and Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for both men and women) do so as members of Hockey East.
Champions
See also
- America East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
- America East Conference Baseball Tournament
- America East Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
- America East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
References
- ↑ "Cal, UC Davis, Pacific, Stanford Added As #AEFH Associate Members" (Press release). America East Conference. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- 1 2 "Men’s Swimming & Diving to Return as Championship Sport; VMI Joins as Associate Member" (Press release). America East Conference. December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
The America East Conference announced today the return of men’s swimming & diving as a championship sport and that Virginia Military Institute (VMI) will join America East an associate member in men’s and women’s swimming & diving. Both changes are effective for the 2017-18 academic year.
- ↑ "MAAC to Add Field Hockey" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. April 19, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ↑ "Women's Volleyball To Join BIG EAST Conference" (Press release). Providence College Athletics. April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ↑ "NJIT to join Atlantic Sun". Fox Sports. Associated Press. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ↑ "The Official Website of the America East Conference". AmericaEast.com. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- ↑ The Lowell Sun (2013-02-15). "UMass Lowell move makes a lot of sense - Lowell Sun Online". Lowellsun.com. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- ↑ "UMass Lowell Keeps Rising as Sports Move to Division 1". Uml.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
External links
| Full members | | |
|---|---|---|
| Associate members (field hockey) | ||
| Associate members (swimming & diving) | ||
| Championships & awards | ||