The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

in the states of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, as well as the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

History

The East Coast Conference was founded in 1989 as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher edu ...

(1989–2009), Concordia College (1989–2009),

C.W. Post College LIU Post (formally, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, and often referred to as C.W. Post) is a private university in Brookville, New York. It is the largest campus of the private Long Island University system. The campus is name ...

(1989–2019), Dowling College (1989–2016), Mercy College (1989–present), Molloy College (1989–present),

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cyberse ...

(NYIT) (1989–2020), Pace University (1989–1997),

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

(1989–present) and

Southampton College of Long Island University Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of Stony Brook University, located in Southampton, New York between the Shinnecock Indian Reservation and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the eastern end of Long Island. History Southampton College, ...

(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 Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

(1991–2005),

College of Saint Rose The College of Saint Rose is a private Roman Catholic college in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a women's college. It became fully co-educational in 1969; the following year, the college a ...

(1991–2000),

St. Thomas Aquinas College St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) is a private college in Sparkill, New York. The college is named after the medieval philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. It was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, whose headquarters are in th ...

(2000–present), University of the District of Columbia (2011–present), Roberts Wesleyan University (2012–present), Daemen University (2013–present), D'Youville University (2020–present) and

College of Staten Island The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public university in Staten Island, New York. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system. Programs in the liberal arts and sciences and professional studie ...

(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 Charles William Post (October 26, 1854 – May 9, 1914) was an American innovator, breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry. He was the founder of what is now Post Consumer Brands. Early life Char ...

(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 Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

would unite its two athletic programs—the Division II LIU Post program and Division I

program Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Programm ...

at LIU Brooklyn—into a single Division I program under the overall university name effective in 2019–20. 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. The next change in conference membership was announced in March 2019, when the

(CSI), preparing to begin a transition from

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their ...

, was accepted as a member effective with the 2020–21 school year. The following August, Tusculum University was announced as a bowling affiliate, effective in 2019–20. In March 2020, then-current Division III member

D'Youville College D'Youville University (D'Youville or DYU) is a private university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded as D'Youville College in 1908 and named by the Grey Nuns after the patroness saint Marie-Marguerite d'Youville. As of Fall 2020 D'Youville Col ...

("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; the NCAA's acceptance was officially announced on July 10, 2020. In December 2021, the University of Bridgeport published its acceptance into the

Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (or CACC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Its fourteen member institutions are located in the northeaster ...

as its new member for the 2022–23 school year.

Chronological timeline

* 1989 - The East Coast Conference (ECC) was founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included

, 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 Tech or NYIT), Pace University,

and

, effective beginning the 1989-90 academic year. * 1991 - The Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (now Thomas Jefferson University) and the

joined the NYCAC, effective in the 1991-92 academic year. * 1997 - Pace left the NYCAC to join the

Northeast-10 Conference The Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states ...

(NE-10), effective after the 1996-97 academic year. * 1997 - The New Jersey Institute of Technology (New Jersey Tech or NJIT) joined the NYCAC, effective in the 1997-98 academic year. * 2000 - Two institutions left the NYCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: New Jersey Tech (NJIT) to join the

(CACC) and Saint Rose to join the NE-10, both effective after the 1999-2000 academic year. * 2000 - The University of Bridgeport and

joined the NYCAC, effective in the 2000-01 academic year. * 2002 - The University of New Haven joined the NYCAC, effective in the 2002-03 academic year. * 2005 - Two institutions left the NYCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Philadelphia to join the CACC, and LIU–Southampton to discontinue its athletic program and close the school, both effective after the 2004-05 academic year. * 2005 - Mercyhurst University joined the NYCAC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse, effective in the 2006 spring season (2005-06 academic year). * 2006 - The NYCAC has been renamed as the East Coast Conference (ECC), effective in the 2006-07 academic year. * 2006 - Dominican College of New York joined the ECC as an affiliate member for men's lacrosse, effective in the 2007 spring season (2006-07 academic year). * 2008 - Adelphi left the ECC to join the NE-10, effective after the 2007-08 academic year. * 2009 - Two institutions left the ECC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Adelphi to join the NE-10, and Concordia (N.Y.) to join the CACC, both effective after the 2008-09 academic year. * 2009 - Four institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members:

Chestnut Hill College Chestnut Hill College is a private Catholic college in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1924 as a women's college by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It was originally named Mount Saint Joseph College ...

and Wheeling Jesuit University for only men's lacrosse,

Lake Erie College Lake Erie College is a private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio. Founded in 1856 as a female seminary, the college converted to a coeducational institution in 1985. As of the 2016–2017 academic year, the total enrollment was 1,177 stud ...

and Seton Hill University for men's and women's lacrosse, all effective in the 2010 spring season (2009-10 academic year). * 2011 - The University of the District of Columbia joined the ECC, effective in the 2011-12 academic year. * 2012 - Three institutions left the ECC as affiliate members: Lake Erie and Seton Hill for men's and women's lacrosse for men's lacrosse, and Mercyhurst and Wheeling Jesuit for only men's lacrosse, all effective after the 2012 spring season (2011-12 academic year). * 2012 - Roberts Wesleyan University joined the ECC, effective in the 2012-13 academic year. * 2012 - Georgian Court University joined the ECC as an affiliate member for men's & women's indoor track & field, effective in the 2007 spring season (2006-07 academic year). * 2013 - Daemen College ("University" since 2022) joined the ECC, effective in the 2013-14 academic year. * 2015 - Felician University,

Franklin Pierce University Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional preparation. The school gained university stat ...

and

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Kutztown University or KU) is a public university in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Highe ...

joined the ECC as affiliate members for bowling (with Adelphi re-joining for that sport), effective in the 2016 spring season (2015-16 academic year). * 2016 ** Dowling left the ECC to announce that the school would close, effective after the 2015-16 academic year. ** Three institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members:

Holy Family University Holy Family University is a private Roman Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was chartered in 1954 by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In addition to the main Torresdale campus in the northeas ...

for men's and women's indoor track & field, and

Lincoln Memorial University Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a private university in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. As of fall 2019, it had 1,975 undergraduate and 2,892 graduate and professional students. LMU ...

and

Salem University Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Se ...

for bowling, all effective in the 2017 spring season (2016-17 academic year). * 2017 ** Three institutions left the ECC as affiliate members: Chestnut Hill and Dominican (N.Y.) for men's lacrosse, and Salem for bowling, all effective after the 2017 spring season (2016-17 academic year). ** Wilmington University of Delaware joined the ECC as an affiliate member for bowling (with Chestnut Hill rejoining for that sport), effective in the 2018 spring season (2017-18 academic year). * 2018 ** Franklin Pierce left the ECC as an affiliate member for bowling, effective after the 2018 spring season (2017-18 academic year). **

Bloomfield College Bloomfield College is a private college in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It is chartered by the State of New Jersey and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) through ...

and

Caldwell University Caldwell University is a private Catholic university in Caldwell, New Jersey. Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chartered by the State of New Jersey, ...

joined the ECC as affiliate members for bowling, effective in the 2019 spring season (2018-19 academic year). * 2019 **

, 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 The LIU Sharks are the athletics teams representing Long Island University's (LIU) campuses in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York. The Sharks compete in NCAA Division I athletics and are members of the Northeast Conference. The LIU Sharks are the ...

. ** Three institutions joined the ECC as affiliate members: Frostburg State University for men's lacrosse, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania for baseball and women's soccer, and Tusculum University for bowling, all effective in the 2020 spring season (2019-20 academic year). * 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), effective after the 2019-20 academic year. **

("University" since 2022) and the

joined the ECC, effective in the 2020-21 academic year. * 2021 – Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum left the ECC as affiliate members for bowling, effective after the 2021 spring season (2020-21 academic year). * 2022 ** Bridgeport announced that it would leave the ECC to join the CACC, effective after the 2021-22 academic year. ** Division I member

Bryant University Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. History Butler ...

and

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1 ...

joined as affiliate members in bowling, effective with the 2022-23 academic year. **

, Felician University, and Wilmington University of Delaware left the ECC as affiliate members for bowling when their full-time conference home of the CACC launched a bowling league in the 2022–23 season.

Member schools

Current members

The ECC currently has nine full members, all but three are

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

schools. Reclassifying members in yellow:

Affiliate members

The ECC currently has 10 affiliate members, most are

schools. ;Notes:

Former members

The ECC had ten former full members, all but one were

schools: ;Notes:

Former affiliate members

The ECC had 14 former affiliate members, all but one were

schools: ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1989 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:20 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black id:Full value:rgb(0.63,0.88,0.755) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.88,0.755,0.63) # non-football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.88,0.63,0.63) # football-only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.755,0.755,0.63) # associate PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2009 text: Adelphi (1989–2009) bar:1 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:end text:(2015–present) bar:2 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2009 text: Concordia (N.Y.) (1989–2009) bar:3 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2016 text: Dowling (1989–2016) bar:4 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2019 text: LIU–Post (1989–2019) bar:5 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text:

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

(1989–present) bar:6 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text:

Molloy Molloy or O'Molloy is an Irish surname, anglicised from Ó Maolmhuaidh, maolmhuadh meaning 'Proud Chieftain'. (See also Malloy.) They were part of the southern Uí Néill, the southern branch of the large tribal grouping claiming descent from Ni ...

(1989–present) bar:7 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2020 text:

NYIT The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecur ...

(1989–2020) bar:8 color:FullxF from:1989 till:1997 text:

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US *Pace Airlines, an American charter airline * Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

(1989–1997) bar:9 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text: Queens (N.Y.) (1989–present) bar:10 color:FullxF from:1989 till:2005 text: LIU–Southampton (1989–2005) bar:11 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2005 text:

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

(1991–2005) bar:12 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2000 text: Saint Rose (1991–2000) bar:13 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2000 text:

NJIT {{Infobox university , name = {{nowrap, New Jersey Institute of Technology , image = New Jersey IT seal.svg , image_upright = 0.9 , former_names = Newark College of Engineering (1930–1975)Ne ...

(1997–2000) bar:14 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2022 text:

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...

(2000–2022) bar:15 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...

(2000–present) bar:16 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2008 text:

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

(2002–2008) bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2012 text: Mercyhurst (2005–2012) bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:(2019–present) bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2006 till:2017 text: Dominican (N.Y.) (2006–2017) bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2022 text: Chestnut Hill (2009–2022) bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2012 text:

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

(2009–2012) bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2012 text: Seton Hill (2009–2012) bar:22 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2012 text: Wheeling Jesuit (2009–2012) bar:23 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:

(2011–present) bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:end text: Georgian Court (2012–present) bar:25 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:

Roberts Wesleyan Roberts Wesleyan University is a private Christian university offering liberal arts and professional programs in Rochester, New York. It was the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America. Roberts is accredite ...

(2012–present) bar:26 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text: Daemen (2013–present) bar:27 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2022 text: Felician (2015–2022) bar:28 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2018 text:

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

(2015–2018) bar:29 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:end text: Kutztown (2015–present) bar:30 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:2021 text:

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in ...

(2016–2021) bar:31 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:2017 text: Salem (2016–2017) bar:32 color:AssocOS from:2016 till:end text:

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...

(2016–present) bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2022 text: Wilmington (Del.) (2017–2022) bar:34 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2022 text: Bloomfield (2018–2022) bar:35 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2022 text:

Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, Eas ...

(2018–2022) bar:36 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:end text:

Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service **Iraqi Post, Ira ...

(2018–present) bar:37 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text: Frostburg State (2019–present) bar:38 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text: Lincoln (Ps.) (2019–present) bar:39 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2021 text:

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Classical Rome, Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable dist ...

(2019–2021) bar:40 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text: D'Youville (2020–present) bar:41 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

(2020–present) bar:42 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text: Bryant (2022–present) bar:43 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:

Saint Anselm Anselm of Canterbury, OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also called ( it, Anselmo d'Aosta, link=no) after his birthplace and (french: Anselme du Bec, link=no) after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and theologian of th ...

(2022–present) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1990

Sports

The East Coast Conference sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:

History

Chronological timeline

Member schools

Current members

Affiliate members

Former members

Former affiliate members

Membership timeline

Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sponsored sports by school

Other sponsored sports by school

References

External links