America East Conference
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has ten core members including nine public research universities, three of which: University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, and University of Vermont are the flagship universities of their states. Stony Brook University is a member of the AAU. Three of the four SUNY "university Centers" are conference members: University at Albany, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University. University of Hartford is the only private university. Of the ten members, nine are located within the borders of 7 contiguous states. The tenth, UMBC, is the only institution not bordering other conference institutions. UMass Lowell and NJIT are the latest institutions to join the conference.
America East Conference | |
---|---|
Established | 1979 |
Association | NCAA |
Division | Division I |
Subdivision | non-football |
Members | 10 Full (4 associate) |
Sports fielded |
|
Region | Northeastern United States |
Former names | Eastern College Athletic Conference-North (1979–1988) North Atlantic Conference (1988–1996) |
Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Commissioner | Amy Huchthausen (since 2011) |
Website | www |
Locations | |
America East Conference sponsors 18 sports (8 men's and 10 women's). The conference is among the best in the country according to Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data released by the NCAA.
History
The America East Conference was founded as the Eastern College Athletic Conference-North, a men's basketball-only athletic conference in 1979. The conference was known as the Eastern College Athletic Conference-North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from 1988 to 1996. 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. The America East Conference made history during the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on March 16, 2018 when No. 16 seed UMBC defeated No. 1 seed Virginia, marking the first time in tournament history that a No. 1 seed had lost to a No. 16 seed.[1]
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.
- Boston University left to join the Patriot League on July 1, 2013,[2] while the University of Massachusetts Lowell joined from Division II.[3][4]
- In 2020, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) joined from the Atlantic Sun Conference.[5]
Members
Current members
Associate members
Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Joined | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Sport | Primary Conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | 1868 | Public | 2015 | 36,204 | Golden Bears | Field hockey | Pac-12 | |
University of California, Davis | Davis, California | 1905 | Public | 2015 | 34,175 | Aggies | Field hockey | Big West | |
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) | Lexington, Virginia | 1839 | Public | 2017 | 1,653 | Keydets | Men's and women's swimming & diving | SoCon | |
Monmouth University | West Long Branch, New Jersey | 1933 | Private | 2019 | 6,500 | Hawks | Field hockey | MAAC |
Four schools currently hold associate membership: 2 from California, 1 from Virginia, and 1 from New Jersey.
Four schools (University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis, Stanford University and University of the Pacific) from California moved their field hockey teams into the America East in July 2015.[6] The California schools and America East planned to end their agreement in field hockey after the 2018 season (2018–19 school year) due to coast to coast distance and travel inconvenience, but the invitation to the west coast members was extended and they have remained in the America East field hockey until further notice. University of the Pacific have dropped their program to reduce travel cost. This also coincided with the announcement that Monmouth would become the newest field hockey associate for the 2019 season and beyond.[7][8] Stanford dropped their program in the summer of 2020, as part of an athletics cut that discontinued 11 sports, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) joined in men's and women's swimming & diving starting with the 2017–18 school year.[10]
Former members
Former associate members
Four schools have had single-sport membership in the past. Two of these, Fairfield[11] and Providence,[12] 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,[13] but returned as a full member in July 2020. Pacific dropped its America East sport following the 2018–19 academic year due to budget cuts.[14] Stanford dropped field hockey in 2020 also due to budget cuts[15].
Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Sport | Primary Conference |
Conference in former AE sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fairfield University | Fairfield, Connecticut | 1942 | 2007 | 2015 | 3,800 | Stags | field hockey | MAAC | MAAC | |
New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, New Jersey | 1881 | 2013 | 2015 | 10,646 | Highlanders | Women's tennis | ASUN | America East | |
Providence College | Providence, Rhode Island | 1917 | 2010 | 2014 | 3,850 | Friars | Women's volleyball | Big East | Big East | |
University of the Pacific | Stockton, California | 1851 | 2015 | 2019 | 6,196 | Tigers | Field hockey | WCC | Discontinued Program | |
Stanford University | Stanford, California | 1891 | 2015 | 2020 | 15,877 | Cardinal | Field hockey | Pac-12 | Discontinued Program |
Membership timeline
Full members (non-football) Other Conference Other Conference
Facilities
Sports sponsored
The America East Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[16] 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.[10]
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 | ||||||||
NJIT | 8 | ||||||||
Stony Brook | 7 | ||||||||
UMass Lowell | 7 | ||||||||
UMBC | 8 | ||||||||
Vermont | 6 | ||||||||
Totals | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 4+1[lower-alpha 1] | 10 | 10 | 69+1 |
- Notes
- Associate member VMI.
School | Fencing | Football | Golf | Ice Hockey | Skiing | Tennis | Volleyball | Wrestling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albany | No | CAA | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Binghamton | No | No | Big Sky | No | No | Mid-American | No | EIWA |
Hartford | No | No | Big Sky | No | No | No | No | No |
Maine | No | CAA | No | Hockey East | No | No | No | No |
New Hampshire | No | CAA | No | Hockey East | EISA | No | No | No |
NJIT | MACFA | No | No | No | No | TBA | EIVA | No |
Stony Brook | No | CAA | No | ESCHL | No | No | No | No |
UMass Lowell | No | No | Independent | Hockey East | No | No | No | No |
Vermont | No | No | No | Hockey East | EISA | No | No | No |
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 | ||||||||||
NJIT | 6 | ||||||||||
Stony Brook | 9 | ||||||||||
UMass Lowell | 8 | ||||||||||
UMBC | 9 | ||||||||||
Vermont | 8 | ||||||||||
Totals | 10 | 10 | 5+3[lower-alpha 1] | 8 | 10 | 7 | 6+1[lower-alpha 2] | 10 | 10 | 7 | 83+6 |
- Notes
- Associate members California, Monmouth, and UC Davis.
- Associate member VMI.
School | Fencing | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Skiing | Tennis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albany | No | MAAC | No | No | No | No |
Binghamton | No | No | No | No | No | Independent |
Hartford | No | MAAC | No | No | No | No |
Maine | No | No | No | Hockey East | No | No |
New Hampshire | No | No | EAGL | Hockey East | EISA | No |
NJIT | MACFA | No | No | No | No | TBA |
Stony Brook | No | No | No | No | No | Missouri Valley |
Vermont | No | No | No | Hockey East | EISA | No |
NCAA team championships
School | Total | Men | Women | Co-ed | Nickname | Most successful sport (Titles) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | None | None |
No America East school has won a national title in a sport sponsored by the conference; however, member institutions have been national champions in non-America East sports.
Men's basketball
All-time school record by winning percentage
This list goes through the 2018–19 season.
No. | Team | Records | Win Pct. | America East Tournament Championships | America East Regular Season Championships | Final Fours | National Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Albany | 1,296-968 | .572 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2 | Stony Brook | 864-724 | .544 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
3 | Vermont | 1,268-1126 | .530 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
4 | UMass Lowell | 646-608 | .515 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
5 | Hartford | 857-987 | .465 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Maine | 973–1215 | .445 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
7 | New Hampshire | 926-1355 | .406 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | UMBC | 581-860 | .403 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
9 | Binghamton | 679-1022 | .399 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
† | Denotes game went into overtime |
List of regular season champions
Year | Regular Season Champion | Record |
---|---|---|
1979–80 | Boston | 19–7 |
1980–81 | Northeastern | 21–5 |
1981–82 | Northeastern | 8–1 |
1982–83 | Boston | 8–2 |
1983–84 | Northeastern | 14–0 |
1984–85* | Canisius Northeastern |
13–3 |
1985–86 | Northeastern | 16–2 |
1986–87 | Northeastern | 17–1 |
1987–88 | Siena | 16–2 |
1988–89 | Siena | 16–1 |
1989–90* | Northeastern Boston |
9–3 |
1990–91 | Northeastern | 8–2 |
1991–92 | Delaware | 14–0 |
1992–93 | Drexel | 12–2 |
1993–94 | Drexel | 12–2 |
1994–95 | Drexel | 12–4 |
1995–96 | Drexel | 17–1 |
1996–97 | Boston | 17–1 |
1997–98* | Delaware Boston |
12–6 |
1998–99* | Delaware Drexel |
15–3 |
1999–00 | Hofstra | 16–2 |
2000–01 | Hofstra | 16–2 |
2001–02 | Vermont | 13–3 |
2002–03 | Boston | 13–3 |
2003–04 | Boston | 17–1 |
2004–05 | Vermont | 16–2 |
2005–06 | Albany | 13–3 |
2006–07 | Vermont | 15–1 |
2007–08 | UMBC | 13–3 |
2008–09* | Binghamton Vermont |
13–3 |
2009–10 | Stony Brook | 13–3 |
2010–11 | Vermont | 13–3 |
2011–12 | Stony Brook | 14–2 |
2012–13 | Stony Brook | 14–2 |
2013–14 | Vermont | 15–1 |
2014–15 | Albany | 15–1 |
2015–16 | Stony Brook | 14–2 |
2016–17 | Vermont | 16–0 |
2017–18 | Vermont | 15–1 |
2018–19 | Vermont | 14–2 |
2019–20 | Vermont | 14–2 |
List of tournament champions
No. 16 UMBC upset of No. 1 Virginia
During the 2018 NCAA Tournament, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men's tournament, beating the Virginia Cavaliers 74–54.[17][18]
Women's basketball
All-time school record by winning percentage
No. | Team | Records | Win Pct. | America East Tournament Championships | America East Regular Season Championships | Final Fours | National Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Maine | 705–522 | .575 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
2 | Albany | 624–578 | .519 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
3 | New Hampshire | 583–545 | .517 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
4 | Vermont | 521–493 | .514 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
5 | Stony Brook | 594–602 | .497 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Binghamton | 504–512 | .496 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
7 | Hartford | 550–596 | .480 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
8 | UMass Lowell | 537–600 | .472 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 | UMBC | 520–711 | .422 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
† | Denotes game went into overtime |
List of regular season champions
Year | Regular Season Champion | Record |
---|---|---|
1984–85* | New Hampshire Northeastern |
|
1985–86 | Northeastern | 10–2 |
1986–87 | Northeastern | 12–2 |
1987–88* | Boston Maine |
12–2 |
1988–89 | Maine | 13–1 |
1989–90 | Maine | 11–1 |
1990–91 | Maine | 9–1 |
1991–92 | Vermont | 14–0 |
1992–93 | Vermont | 14–0 |
1993–94 | Maine | 12–2 |
1994–95 | Maine | 14–2 |
1995–96 | Maine | 18–0 |
1996–97 | Maine | 17–1 |
1997–98 | Vermont | 15–3 |
1998–99 | Maine | 17–1 |
1999–00 | Vermont | 15–3 |
2000–01 | Delaware | 17–1 |
2001–02 | Vermont | 14–2 |
2002–03 | Maine | 16–0 |
2003–04 | Maine | 17–1 |
2004–05 | Maine | 16–2 |
2005–06 | Hartford | 15–1 |
2006–07 | Hartford | 15–1 |
2007–08 | Hartford | 14–2 |
2008–09 | Boston | 16–0 |
2009–10 | Hartford | 16–0 |
2010–11 | UMBC | 13–3 |
2011–12 | Boston | 15–1 |
2012–13 | Albany | 16–0 |
2013–14 | Albany | 15–1 |
2014–15* | Albany Maine |
14–2 |
2015–16* | Albany Maine |
15–1 |
2016–17 | New Hampshire | 15–1 |
2017–18 | Maine | 13–3 |
2018–19 | Maine | 15–1 |
List of tournament champions
Lacrosse
Soccer
References
- "No. 16 UMBC over No. 1 Virginia will change March Madness forever". cbssports.com. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- "What's next for America East?". ESPN. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- "UMass Lowell Keeps Rising as Sports Move to Division 1". Uml.edu. 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.
- "NJIT to Join America East Conference as 10th Member Institution - NJIT Highlanders". NJIT Highlanders. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Cal, UC Davis, Pacific, Stanford Added As #AEFH Associate Members" (Press release). America East Conference. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- "Monmouth University Added as Associate Member in Field Hockey" (Press release). America East Conference. July 12, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- "America East field hockey adds member to end East-West format". BANGOR DAILY NEWS. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- University, Stanford (2020-07-08). "Stanford Athletics varsity sport reductions: FAQ". Stanford News. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
- "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.
- "Pacific cuts field hockey program". Recordnet.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/29429478/stanford-cut-11-varsity-sports-cites-pandemic-breaking-point
- "The Official Website of the America East Conference". AmericaEast.com. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
- Wilco, Daniel (March 17, 2018). "Last perfect bracket busts after UMBC pulls off biggest upset in NCAA tournament history". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- Reed, Steve (March 17, 2018). "No. 16 UMBC stuns No. 1 Virginia 74–54 to make NCAA history". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved March 17, 2018.