Great Northeast Athletic Conference

History

Recent changes

Chronological timeline

• 1995 – In 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference was founded. Charter members included the following: On men's sports and women's sports, Albertus Magnus College, Daniel Webster College, Emerson College, Endicott College, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island Campus and Rivier College ; on women's sports only, Emmanuel College, Pine Manor College, the University of Saint Joseph, Simmons College and Suffolk University, all beginning the 1995–96 academic year.
• 1998:
• * Norwich University, Southern Vermont College and Western New England College joined the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
• * Suffolk added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
• 1999 – Endicott left the GNAC to join the Commonwealth Coast Conference after the 1998–99 academic year.
• 2001 – Emmanuel added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2001–02 academic year.
• 2004 – Elms College, Husson College and Wheelock College joined the GNAC as associate members for women's swimming & diving in the 2004–05 academic year.
• 2006 – Rhode Island College, the University of Southern Maine and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth joined the GNAC as associate members for men's golf in the 2007 spring season.
• 2007:
• * Western New England left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2006–07 academic year.
• * Lasell College and Mount Ida College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine joined the GNAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
• 2008 – Daniel Webster and Southern Vermont left the GNAC to join the New England Collegiate Conference after the 2007–08 academic year.
• 2009 – Wheelock left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2011:
• * Anna Maria College joined the GNAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
• * Three institutions joined the GNAC as associate members, all effective in the 2011–12 academic year:
• ** Elms for men's swimming & diving
• ** Regis College of Massachusetts for men's and women's swimming & diving
• ** and Wentworth Institute of Technology for men's volleyball
• 2012:
• * Pine Manor left the GNAC to join the Great South Athletic Conference after the 2011–12 academic year.
• * Worcester State University joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2013 spring season.
• 2013:
• * Emerson left the GNAC to join the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference after the 2012–13 academic year; while it remained in the conference as an associate member for men's volleyball since the 2014 spring season.
• * Husson added men's swimming & diving into its GNAC associate membership in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2017:
• * Colby–Sawyer College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2017–18 academic year.
• * Regis had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018:
• * Mount Ida left the GNAC after the 2017–18 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
• * Colby–Sawyer had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2018–19 academic year.
• * Saint Joseph added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
• * Nazarene College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's and women's tennis in the 2019 spring season.
• 2019:
• * Worcester State left the GNAC as an associate member for men's golf after the 2019 spring season.
• * Lesley University joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis in the 2020 spring season.
• 2020:
• * Five institutions left the GNAC as associate members, all effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
• ** Lesley for men's tennis
• ** Husson for men's and women's swimming & diving
• ** and Rhode Island College, Southern Maine and UMass Dartmouth for men's golf
• * Suffolk left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2019–20 academic year; although it remained in the conference as an associate member for men's and women's indoor track & field, beginning the 2020–21 school year.
• * Dean College joined the GNAC in the 2020–21 academic year.
• * Lesley rejoined the GNAC as an associate member for women's tennis in the 2021 spring season.
• 2021 – Elms had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2021 – The University of New England joined the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2022 – Two institutions left the GNAC as associate members, both effective after the 2021–22 academic year:
• * New England for women's swimming & diving to join the Little East Conference for that sport
• * and Suffolk for men's and women's indoor track & field
• 2023:
• * Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for women's tennis after the 2023 spring season.
• * Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2024 – Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis after the 2024 spring season.
• 2025 – Two institutions left the GNAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2024–25 academic year:
• * Anna Maria to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
• * and Johnson & Wales to join the Conference of New England

Member schools

Current members

Associate members

Former members

Former associate members

Membership timeline

Sports