East Coast Conference
| Formerly | New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (1989–2006) |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Commissioner | Jessica Grasso (since 2024) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division II |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Headquarters | Colonia, New Jersey |
| Region | Northeastern United States |
| Official website | eccsports.org |
| Locations | |
The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located primarily in the state of New York, with a single member located in the District of Columbia.
History
East Coast Conference
50km
31miles
31miles
Staten Island
D'Youville
Daemen
Roberts Wesleyan
District of Columbia
St. Thomas Aquinas
Queens
Molloy
Mercy
Location of ECC members: full
The East Coast Conference was founded in 1989 as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included Adelphi University (1989–2009), Concordia College (1989–2009), C. W. Post College (1989–2019), Dowling College (1989–2016), Mercy College (1989–present), Molloy College (1989–present), New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) (1989–2020), Pace University (1989–1997), Queens College (1989–present) and Southampton College of Long Island University (1989–2005).
Other members that joined were: University of Bridgeport (2000–2022), University of New Haven (2002–2008), New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) (1997–2000), Philadelphia University (1991–2005), College of Saint Rose (1991–2000), St. Thomas Aquinas College (2000–present), University of the District of Columbia (2011–present), Roberts Wesleyan College (2012–present), Daemen University (2013–present), D'Youville University (2020–present) and College of Staten Island (2020–present).
The ECC has become a lacrosse powerhouse, seeing six ECC teams win the Division II Men's Lacrosse championship over the past 10 years. In addition, at least 1 ECC team has competed in 13 the last 14 championship games. Recent ECC champions include Adelphi (1998, 1999, 2001), C.W. Post (1996, 2006 Tri-Champion), Dowling College (2006 Tri-Champion), NYIT (1997, 2003, 2005, 2008), and Mercyhurst College (2006 Tri-Champion, 2007)
Two changes to the conference membership were announced in the fall of 2018. First, it was announced on October 3, 2018 that Long Island University would unite its two athletic programs—the Division II LIU Post program and Division I program at LIU Brooklyn—into a single Division I program under the overall university name effective in 2019–20.[1] Second, it was announced on December 7, 2018 that beginning with the 2020 season (2019–20 school year), Frostburg State University will join the conference as an associate member in men's lacrosse, contingent on being accepted into Division II by the NCAA.[2]
The next change in conference membership was announced in March 2019, when the College of Staten Island (CSI), preparing to begin a transition from NCAA Division III, was accepted as a member effective with the 2020–21 school year.[3] The following August, Tusculum University was announced as a bowling affiliate, effective in 2019–20.[4] In March 2020, then-current Division III member D'Youville College ("University" since 2022) was announced as a future member effective in 2020–21, contingent on NCAA approval of that school's transition to D-II;[5] the NCAA's acceptance was officially announced on July 10, 2020.[6]
In December 2021, the University of Bridgeport published its acceptance into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference as its new member for the 2022–23 school year.[7]
Chronological timeline
- 1989 – The East Coast Conference (ECC) was founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included Adelphi University, Concordia College of New York, Dowling College, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University (LIU Post), Mercy College, Molloy College, the New York Institute of Technology (New York Tech or NYIT), Pace University, Queens College and Southampton College of Long Island University (LIU Southampton), beginning the 1989–90 academic year.
- 1991 – The Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (later Philadelphia University, now Thomas Jefferson University) and the College of Saint Rose joined the NYCAC in the 1991–92 academic year.
- 1997 – Pace left the NYCAC to join the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) after the 1996–97 academic year.
- 1997 – The New Jersey Institute of Technology (New Jersey Tech or NJIT) joined the NYCAC in the 1997–98 academic year.
- 2000 – Two institutions left the NYCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 1999–2000 academic year:
- New Jersey Tech (NJIT) to join the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)
- and Saint Rose to join the NE-10
- 2000 – The University of Bridgeport and St. Thomas Aquinas College joined the NYCAC in the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2002 – The University of New Haven joined the NYCAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
- 2005 – Two institutions left the NYCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2004–05 academic year:
- Philadelphia (now Jefferson) to join the CACC
- and LIU Southampton to discontinue its athletic program and close the school
- 2005 – Mercyhurst University joined the NYCAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse in the 2006 spring season (2005–06 academic year).
- 2006 – The NYCAC was rebranded as the East Coast Conference (ECC) in the 2006–07 academic year.
- 2006 – Dominican College of New York, known since 2022 as Dominican University New York, joined the ECC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse in the 2007 spring season (2006–07 academic year).
- 2008 – New Haven left the ECC to join the NE-10 after the 2007-08 academic year.
- 2009 – Two institutions left the ECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2008–09 academic year:
- Adelphi to join the NE-10
- and Concordia (N.Y.) to join the CACC
- 2009 – Four institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2010 spring season (2009–10 academic year):
- Chestnut Hill College and Wheeling Jesuit University for only men's lacrosse
- Lake Erie College and Seton Hill University for men's and women's lacrosse
- 2011 – The University of the District of Columbia joined the ECC in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012 – Three institutions left the ECC as affiliate members, all effective after the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year):
- Lake Erie and Seton Hill for men's and women's lacrosse
- and Mercyhurst and Wheeling Jesuit for only men's lacrosse
- 2012 – Roberts Wesleyan College joined the ECC in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2012 – Georgian Court University joined the ECC as an affiliate member for women's indoor and outdoor track & field in the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2013 – Georgian Court left the ECC as an affiliate member for women's outdoor track & field after the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2013 – Daemen College (now Daeman University) joined the ECC in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2013 – Georgian Court added men's indoor track & field into its ECC affiliate membership in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2015 – Felician University, Franklin Pierce University and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania joined the ECC as affiliate members for women's bowling (with Adelphi rejoining for that sport), all effective in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
- 2016
- Dowling left the ECC to announce that the school would cease operations after the 2015–16 academic year.
- Three institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year):
- Holy Family University for men's and women's indoor track & field
- and Lincoln Memorial University and Salem University for women's bowling
- 2017
- Three institutions left the ECC as affiliate members, all effective after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year):
- Chestnut Hill and Dominican (N.Y.) for men's lacrosse
- and Salem for women's bowling
- Wilmington University of Delaware joined the ECC as an affiliate member for women's bowling (with Chestnut Hill rejoining for that sport), both effective in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
- Three institutions left the ECC as affiliate members, all effective after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year):
- 2018
- Franklin Pierce left the ECC as an affiliate member for women's bowling after the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
- Three institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year):
- Bloomfield College and Caldwell University for women's bowling
- and Post University for men's & women's indoor track & field
- 2019
- Long Island University, the parent of LIU Post, announced that it would merge the Post athletic program with the D-I athletic program of its Brooklyn campus after the 2018–19 academic year, creating a D-I program that now competes as the LIU Sharks.
- Three institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members, all effective in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year):
- Frostburg State University for men's lacrosse
- Lincoln University of Pennsylvania for baseball and women's soccer
- and Tusculum University for women's bowling
- 2020
- New York Tech (NYIT) left the ECC to announce that the school would suspend its athletic programs until further notice (at least two years) after the 2019–20 academic year.
- D'Youville College (now D'Youville University) and the College of Staten Island joined the ECC in the 2020–21 academic year.
- 2021 – Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum left the ECC as affiliate members for women's bowling after the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
- 2022
- Bridgeport left the ECC to join the CACC after the 2021–22 academic year.
- Division I member Bryant University[8] and Saint Anselm College joined as affiliate members for women's bowling in the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year).
- Bloomfield, Caldwell, Chestnut Hill, Felician and Wilmington (Del.) left the ECC as affiliate members for women's bowling after the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year); as their primary conference home (the CACC) launched a bowling league, beginning spring 2023 (2022–23 school year).
- 2023 – The ECC announced it would sponsor men's volleyball in the 2024 spring season (2023–24 school year) with four schools, three of which started men's volleyball programs in that season. Full members Roberts Wesleyan and St. Thomas Aquinas were joined by associates American International College and Dominican (N.Y.). Alliance University was originally announced as a fifth sponsoring member, but the university announced it would permanently close on July 1 before they had played a single game. Of these schools, only American International played men's volleyball in the 2023 season.[9]
- 2024
- Lincoln (Pa.) left the ECC as an affiliate member in baseball and women's soccer after the 2023–24 academic year.
- Mercyhurst left the ECC as an affiliate member for women's bowling after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year).
- 2026 – The ECC will begin sponsoring field hockey in the 2026 fall season (2026–27 school year). Full members D'Youville, Mercy, Molloy, Roberts Wesleyan, and St. Thomas Aquinas will be joined by associate Dominican (N.Y.).
Member schools
Current members
The ECC currently has nine full members, all but three are private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daemen University | Amherst, New York | 1947 | Nonsectarian | 2,642 | Wildcats | 2013[b] | |
| University of the District of Columbia | Washington, D.C. | 1851 | Public (HBCU) | 3,351 | Firebirds | 2011 | |
| D'Youville University | Buffalo, New York | 1946 | Catholic | 2,524 | Saints | 2020 | |
| Mercy University | Dobbs Ferry, New York | 1950 | Nonsectarian | 8,615 | Mavericks | 1989 | |
| Molloy University | Rockville Centre, New York | 1955 | Catholic | 4,807 | Lions | 1989 | |
| Queens College | Queens, New York | 1937 | Public | 17,001 | Knights | 1989 | |
| Roberts Wesleyan University | Rochester, New York[c] | 1866 | Free Methodist | 1,579 | Redhawks | 2012 | |
| St. Thomas Aquinas College | Sparkill, New York | 1952 | Catholic | 2,033 | Spartans | 2000 | |
| College of Staten Island | Staten Island, New York | 1956 | Public | 10,238 | Dolphins | 2020 |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Daemon previously competed in the ECC as an affiliate member for a majority of sports during the 2012–13 school year
- ^ The Roberts Wesleyan campus has a Rochester mailing address, but is physically located in North Chili, New York.
Affiliate members
The ECC currently has 10 affiliate members, most of which are private schools.
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Adelphi was a full member of the ECC from 1989–90 to 2008–09.
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
- ^ Dominican (N.Y.) previously competed in the ECC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse from 2006–07 to 2016–17.
- ^ Felician previously competed in the ECC as an affiliate member for women's bowling from 2015–16 to 2021–22.
- ^ Georgian Court also previously competed in the ECC as an affiliate member for women's outdoor track & field during the 2012–13 school year.
Future affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining[a] | Colors | ECC sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican University New York | Orangeburg, New York | 1952 | Catholic | 1,998 | Chargers | 2026 | field hockey | Central Atlantic (CACC) |
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
Former members
The ECC had ten former full members, all but one were private schools:
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- ^ Adelphi remains in the ECC as an affiliate member for bowling.
- ^ Concordia (N.Y.)'s campus was later sold to nearby Iona College, now Iona University.[10]
- ^ a b Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
- ^ Long Island University merged the Post athletic program with the NCAA Division I program of its Brooklyn campus in 2019. The merged program inherited the Division I membership of the Brooklyn campus, and now competes in the Northeast Conference as the LIU Sharks.
- ^ As of July 1, 2022, New York Tech (NYIT) suspended its athletic program after the 2019–20 school year.
- ^ Merged with Thomas Jefferson University, a healthcare-only institution with no athletic program, in 2017. The PhilaU athletic program, now branded as "Jefferson", moved in its entirety to the merged institution.
- ^ LIU Southampton's campus was later sold to Stony Brook University in 2006.[11]
Former affiliate members
The ECC has 18 former affiliate members, all but one of which are private schools.
- Notes
- ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- ^ Formerly known as Nyack College until 2022.
- ^ Alliance was announced as a men's volleyball associate on May 17, 2023. However, the university later announced it would shut down permanently on September 1, 2023, before they had played a single game in the ECC during that school year.
- ^ Currently known as Dominican University of New York since 2022.
- ^ Dominican (N.Y.) remains as an affiliate member of the ECC for men's volleyball since 2023–24.
- ^ Felician remains as an affiliate member of the ECC for men's & women's indoor track & field since 2023–24.
- ^ Georgian Court remains as an affiliate member of the ECC for men's & women's indoor track & field since 2013–14 and 2012–13 respectively.
- ^ During its tenure as an affiliate member of the ECC, Lake Erie was otherwise an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2009–10 school year, becoming a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in 2010 and remaining in that conference through 2016–17.
- ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
- ^ During its tenure as an affiliate member of the ECC, Seton Hill's primary home conference was the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).
- ^ Currently known as Wheeling University since 2019.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
Sports
The East Coast Conference sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Bowling | ||
| Cross country | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track & field indoor | ||
| Track & field outdoor | ||
| Volleyball |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country |
Lacrosse | Soccer | Tennis | Track & field indoor |
Track & field outdoor |
Volleyball[a] | Total ECC sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daemen | [b] | 6 | ||||||||
| District of Columbia | 4 | |||||||||
| D'Youville | [b] | 5 | ||||||||
| Mercy | 4 | |||||||||
| Molloy | 7 | |||||||||
| Queens (NY) | 7 | |||||||||
| Roberts Wesleyan | 8 | |||||||||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | 9 | |||||||||
| Staten Island | 6 | |||||||||
| Totals | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6+1 | 9 | 5 | 6+3 | 6 | 2+2 | 56+7 |
| Affiliate members | ||||||||||
| American International | 1 | |||||||||
| Dominican (NY) | 1 | |||||||||
| Frostburg State | 1 | |||||||||
| Georgian Court | 1 | |||||||||
| Holy Family | 1 | |||||||||
| Post | 1 | |||||||||
- ^ De facto Division I sport. The NCAA sponsors a joint men's volleyball championship for Divisions I and II.
- ^ a b Daemen and D'Youville currently play men's volleyball in the Division I Northeast Conference.
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Bowling [a] | Cross country |
Lacrosse | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & field indoor |
Track & field outdoor |
Volleyball | Total ECC sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daemen | 9 | ||||||||||
| District of Columbia | 6 | ||||||||||
| D'Youville | 8 | ||||||||||
| Mercy | 5 | ||||||||||
| Molloy | 10 | ||||||||||
| Queens (NY) | 8 | ||||||||||
| Roberts Wesleyan | 8 | ||||||||||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | 10 | ||||||||||
| Staten Island | 7 | ||||||||||
| Totals | 9 | 5+5 | 8 | 7 | 8+1 | 6 | 6 | 7+3 | 7 | 8 | 71+9 |
| Affiliate members | |||||||||||
| Adelphi | 1 | ||||||||||
| Bryant | 1 | ||||||||||
| Georgian Court | 1 | ||||||||||
| Holy Family | 1 | ||||||||||
| Kutztown | 1 | ||||||||||
| Post | 1 | ||||||||||
| Saint Anselm | 1 | ||||||||||
- ^ De facto Division I sport. The NCAA sponsors a single national bowling championship open to members of all three divisions.
Other sponsored sports by school
| School | Men | Women | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football[a] | Golf | Swimming & diving |
Fencing [b] | Field Hockey[c] |
Swimming & diving | |||
| Daemen | IND | |||||||
| D'Youville | IND | |||||||
| Mercy | NE-10 | |||||||
| Molloy | CSFL | NE-10 | ||||||
| Queens (NY) | METS | NIWFA | METS | |||||
| Roberts Wesleyan | METS | IND | METS | |||||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | CSFL | IND | NE-10 | |||||
| Staten Island | NE-10 | NE-10 | ||||||
- ^ Although football is an official NCAA sport, the only ECC members with football programs, Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas, play sprint football, a weight-restricted variant that is not governed by the NCAA.
- ^ De facto Division I sport. The NCAA conducts a single fencing championship open to members of all three divisions.
- ^ The ECC will begin sponsoring field hockey in 2026.
References
- ^ "Long Island University Announces Unification Into One LIU Division I Program" (Press release). LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "ECC Adds Frostburg State University as Men's Lacrosse Associate Members". Frostburg State University Athletics (Press release). West Babylon, New York: East Coast Conference. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "ECC Accepts College of Staten Island as League's 10th Member" (Press release). East Coast Conference. March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Tusculum Joins ECC as Women's Bowling Associate Member" (Press release). East Coast Conference. August 23, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "ECC to Add D'Youville as Conference's 11th Member" (Press release). East Coast Conference. March 3, 2020. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ "Division II Announcement" (Press release). D'Youville Saints. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "University Of Bridgeport Unanimously Accepted Into The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference". UB Purple Knights. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Women's Bowling set to join ECC as affiliate member" (Press release). Bryant Bulldogs. June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "ECC to Sponsor Men's Volleyball Beginning in Spring of 2024" (Press release). East Coast Conference. May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Whitford, Emma (January 29, 2021). "Another Concordia College Closes". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Stony Brook University Completes Purchase of Former Southampton College Property". Stony Brook University. October 4, 2006. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to East Coast Conference.