Liberty League
The Liberty League is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III. Member schools 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, William Smith Colleges">Hobart and William Smith Colleges">William Smith Colleges, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Rochester, 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 2017–18 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.
Buffalo State University and Hilbert College are associate members in football only.
Accomplishments
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. He was three-time All-Liberty League first team, and 2014 Liberty League Co-Offensive Player of the Year—the first offensive lineman in league history to be so honored.Chronological timeline
- 1995 – In 1995, the Liberty League was founded as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association. Charter members included Clarkson University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Skidmore College and Union College, beginning the 1995–96 academic year.
- 2001 – Vassar College joined the UCAA in the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2004:
- * On July 1, 2004, the UCAA was rebranded as the Liberty League; beginning the 2004–05 academic year.
- * The Coast Guard Academy">United States Coast Guard Academy">Coast Guard Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy">United States Merchant Marine Academy">Merchant Marine Academy and Worcester Polytechnic Institute joined the Liberty League as associate members for football in the 2004 fall season.
- 2006 – U.S. Coast Guard left the Liberty League as an associate member for football after the 2005 fall season.
- 2007 – Susquehanna University joined the Liberty League as an associate member for football in the 2007 fall season.
- 2009 – U.S. Merchant Marine added men's golf to its Liberty League associate membership in the 2010 spring season.
- 2010 – Susquehanna left the Liberty League as an associate member for football after the 2009 fall season.
- 2011:
- * Charter member Hamilton left the Liberty League in order to fully integrate its athletic programs within the New England Small College Athletic Conference after the 2010–11 academic year.
- * Bard College and Rochester Institute of Technology joined the Liberty League in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012:
- * U.S. Merchant Marine left the Liberty League as an associate member for men's golf after dropping the sport after the 2012 spring season.
- * Four institutions joined the Liberty League as associate members, all effective in the 2012–13 academic year:
- ** Springfield College for football
- ** New York University for both men's and women's golf
- ** and Mount Holyoke College and Wellesley College for women's golf
- 2013 – St. [John Fisher University|St. John Fisher College] joined the Liberty League as an associate member for men's and women's rowing in the 2013–14 academic year.
- 2017:
- * Springfield, U.S. Merchant Marine and Worcester Poly left the Liberty League as associate members for football after the 2016 fall season.
- * Ithaca College joined the Liberty League in the 2017–18 academic year.
- 2019 – Buffalo State College joined the Liberty League as an associate member for football in the 2019 fall season.
- 2020 – Mount Holyoke left the Liberty League as an associate member for women's golf after dropping the sport after the 2020 spring season.
- 2022:
- * St. John Fisher left the Liberty League as an associate member for men's rowing after the 2021–22 academic year.
- * Denison University joined the Liberty League as an associate member for men's and women's squash in the 2022–23 academic year.
- 2023 – Two institutions joined the Liberty League as associate members, both effective in the 2023–24 academic year:
- * Haverford College for men's and women's squash
- * and Mount Holyoke for women's squash
- 2024 – Mount Holyoke left the Liberty League as an associate member for women's squash after the 2023–24 academic year.
- 2025 – The Liberty League announced that it entered into a scheduling agreement for non-conference football games with the Empire 8 for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. As part of this agreement, Hilbert College joined the Liberty League from the Empire 8 as an associate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season, giving both leagues 8 football-playing members.
Member schools
Current members
The Liberty League currently has 12 full members, all are private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Football? |
| Bard College | Annandale-on-Hudson | 1860 | Episcopal | 1,958 | Raptors | 2011 | No |
| Clarkson University | Potsdam | 1896 | Nonsectarian | 2,848 | Golden Knights | 1995 | No |
| Hobart College | Geneva | 1822 | Episcopal | 905 | Statesmen | 1995 | Yes |
| Ithaca College | Ithaca | 1892 | Nonsectarian | 6,769 | Bombers | 2017 | Yes |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy | 1824 | Nonsectarian | 5,431 | Engineers | 1995 | Yes |
| Rochester | 1850 | Nonsectarian | 12,233 | Yellowjackets | 1995 | Yes | |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Henrietta | 1829 | Nonsectarian | 18,000 | Tigers | 2011 | No |
| Canton | 1856 | Nonsectarian | 2,327 | Saints | 1995 | Yes | |
| Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs | 1903 | Nonsectarian | 2,734 | Thoroughbreds | 1995 | No |
| Union College | Schenectady | 1795 | Nonsectarian | 2,197 | Garnet Chargers | 1995 | Yes |
| Vassar College | Poughkeepsie | 1861 | Nonsectarian | 2,446 | Brewers | 2001 | No |
| William Smith College | Geneva | 1908 | Episcopal | 1,045 | Herons | 1995 | No |
;Notes:
Associate members
The Liberty League currently has seven associate members, all but one are private schools:;Notes:
Former full members
The Liberty League had one former full member, which was also a private school:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
| Hamilton College | Clinton | 1793 | Nonsectarian | 1,864 | Continentals | 1995 | 2011 | New England (NESCAC) |
;Notes:
Former associate members
The Liberty League had seven former associate members, all but two were private schools:;Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1995 till:2028
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5
Colors =
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:Clarkson
bar:2 color:AssocOS from:1995 till:2011 text:Hamilton (N.Y.)
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:Hobart
bar:3 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:RPI
bar:4 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:Rochester
bar:5 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:Skidmore
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:St. Lawrence
bar:7 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2003 text:Union
bar:8 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:William Smith
bar:10 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:Vassar
bar:11 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2006 text:Coast Guard
bar:12 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2017 text:Merchant Marine
bar:12 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2012 text:
bar:13 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2017 text:WPI
bar:14 color:AssocF from:2007 till:2010 text:Susquehanna
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:Bard
bar:16 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:RIT
bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2020 text:Mount Holyoke
bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:
bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:end text:NYU
bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:end text:Wellesley
bar:20 color:AssocF from:2012 till:2017 text:Springfield
bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:end text:St. John Fisher
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:Ithaca
bar:23 color:AssocF from:2019 till:end text:Buffalo State
bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Denison
bar:25 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:Haverford
bar:26 shift: color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:Hilbert
bar:N color:red from:1995 till:2004 text:Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association
bar:N color:blue from:2004 till:end text:Liberty League
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1996
TextData =
fontsize:M
textcolor:black
pos: tabs:
text:^"Liberty League membership history"
- > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.
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.| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Field Hockey | ||
| Football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Rowing | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Squash | ||
| Swimming & Diving | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track & Field | ||
| Track & Field | ||
| Volleyball |