Liberty League
Liberty League | |
---|---|
Established | 1995 |
Association | NCAA |
Division | Division III |
Members | 11 |
Sports fielded | 26 (men's: 14; women's: 13) |
Region | Upstate New York |
Former names | Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association |
Headquarters | Troy, New York |
Commissioner | Tracy King |
Website | libertyleagueathletics.com |
Locations | |
The Liberty League is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. Member schools are top institutions that are all located in the State of New York.
History
It was founded in 1995 as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association. The conference was renamed during the summer of 2004 to the current name.
The league includes founding members Clarkson University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Skidmore College, and Union College. Vassar College became a full member of the league during the 2000-01 academic year, Bard College and Rochester Institute of Technology joined for the 2011-12 academic year, and Ithaca College officially joined for the 2017-2018 academic year. Founding member Hamilton College departed following the 2010-11 academic year in order to fully integrate its athletic programs within the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
The United States Merchant Marine Academy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Springfield College are associate members in football only.
At the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, New York University became an associate member in both men's and women's golf, while Wellesley College and Mount Holyoke College became associate members in women's golf.
Offensive linesman Ali Marpet of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, drafted in the 2nd round, 61st overall, of the 2015 NFL draft, is the highest-drafted pick in the history of Division III football.[1] He was three-time All-Liberty League first team (2012, 2013, 2014), and 2014 Liberty League Co-Offensive Player of the Year—the first offensive lineman in league history to be so honored.[2][3][4]
Member schools
Current members
Full member institutions include:
- Note
- Rochester holds both dual conference membership with the Liberty and with the University Athletic Association (UAA).
Associate members
Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Primary Conference |
Liberty Sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mount Holyoke College | Lyons | South Hadley, Massachusetts | 1837 | Private | 2,100 | 2012-13 | NEWMAC | women's golf |
New York University | Violets | New York City | 1832 | Private | 22,280 | 2012-13 | UAA | men's golf women's golf |
St. John Fisher College | Cardinals | Rochester, New York | 1948 | Private | 4,000 | 2013-14 | Empire 8 | men's rowing women's rowing |
Springfield College | Pride | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1885 | Private | 5,062 | 2012-13 | NEWMAC | football[6] |
United States Merchant Marine Academy | Mariners | Kings Point, New York | 1942 | Federal | 910 | 2004-05 | Landmark | football[7] |
Wellesley College | Blue | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 1870 | Private/Non-sectarian | 2,300 | 2012-13 | NEWMAC | women's golf |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Engineers | Worcester, Massachusetts | 1865 | Private | 5,071 | 2004-05 | NEWMAC | football |
- The NEWMAC, the all-sports home of Springfield and WPI, will begin sponsoring football in 2017. Merchant Marine will join the NEWMAC as a football-only member at that time.[8]
Former members
Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hamilton College* | Continentals | Clinton, New York | 1793 | Private | 1,864 | 1995 | 2011 | NESCAC |
- Note
- Hamilton left the Liberty League after the 2010-11 academic year in order to fully align with the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), of which it has been a charter member since 1971. Therefore, the school held both dual conference membership of the Liberty and the NESCAC.
Former associate members
Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
Primary Conference |
Liberty Sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Susquehanna University | Crusaders | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | 1858 | Private | 2,200 | 2007-08 | 2009-10 | Centennial[lower-alpha 1] | Landmark | football |
United States Coast Guard Academy | Bears | New London, Connecticut | 1876 | Federal | 1,045 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | NEFC[lower-alpha 2] | NEWMAC | football |
United States Merchant Marine Academy[lower-alpha 3] | Mariners | Kings Point, New York | 1942 | Federal | 910 | 2009-10 | 2011-12 | n/a | Landmark | men's golf |
- Notes
- ↑ Susquehanna was a football-only associate member in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons after leaving its previous football conference, the Middle Atlantic Conferences (it then competed in the Landmark Conference in most other sports, where it remains). After three seasons it moved to the Centennial Conference.
- ↑ Coast Guard was a football-only associate member in the 2004 and 2005 seasons after its previous conference, the Freedom Football Conference, disbanded (it competed in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) in most other sports, where it remains). After two seasons it moved to the New England Football Conference, where it remained through the 2016 season. Coast Guard football will join its other sports in the NEWMAC in 2017 when that conference adds football.
- ↑ Merchant Marine remained a Liberty League associate in football through the 2016 season. It will join the new NEWMAC football league for 2017 and beyond.
Membership timeline
Sports
The Liberty League sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's crew, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's football, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women’s soccer, women's softball, men's and women's squash, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.
References
- ↑ Kevin McGuire (May 2, 2015). "Ali Marpet puts D3 Hobart on the NFL Draft scoreboard – College Football Talk". NBC Sports.
- ↑ "Liberty League Athletics – Liberty League announces 2014 Football Award Recipients". Liberty League.
- ↑ "Press Release: News: Senior Bowl". seniorbowl.com.
- ↑ "AFCA Announces 2014 Division III Coaches All-America Team". afca.com.
- 1 2 Hobart (men) and William Smith (women) are together the Colleges of the Seneca and usually grouped together, but they participate separately in athletics.
- ↑ http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/Headline/F6154E7D46617C5F852576C1004F27F1
- ↑ Liberty League
- ↑ "NEWMAC to Sponsor Football Beginning in 2017" (Press release). New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.