New England Collegiate Conference


The New England Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division III men's volleyball and esports college athletic conference based in the Northeastern United States. The NECC was formerly an all-sports conference from 2008 to 2023. The conference rebranded as the New England Volleyball Conference, starting in the 2023–24 school year after becoming a men's volleyball-only conference.

History

In June 2007, nine colleges from New England announced the creation of a new athletic conference under the same NECC name.
The conference, which began operations July 1, 2008, in Division III, currently includes Lesley University, Mitchell College, Eastern Nazarene College and New England College as members. Their indicated locations are in Massachusetts unless otherwise noted.
Southern Vermont and Newbury both announced they would cease operations after the 2018–19 academic year, and founding member Becker College announced the same after the 2020–21 school year. Elms College joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, where it had competed as a swimming and diving affiliate since 2008, in the 2021-22 academic year. In July 2021, original member Bay Path was admitted to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, implicitly leaving the conference and the NCAA. Also, the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and the State University of New York at Potsdam joined the NECC as associate members for men's volleyball, beginning almost immediately within the 2022 spring season.
Within the past year, there have been changes. Bard College joined the NECC for men's volleyball as an associate member beginning the spring of 2023. Lesley received and accepted an invitation to join the North Atlantic Conference, while Mitchell and New England College both accepted an invitation to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, all beginning the 2023-24 season. In 2023 it was announced that Eastern Nazarene College would also be joining the NAC.
The NECC may remain in operation for men's volleyball and the non-NCAA sport of esports. The conference has nine men's volleyball members in the current 2023 season, and the NCAA's official membership database lists all nine NECC men's volleyball teams as being members of the "New England Volleyball Conference". Over 25 schools are affiliate members in esports.

Chronological timeline

  • 2007 – On May 31, 2007, The New England Collegiate Conference was founded. Charter members included Bay Path College, Becker College, Daniel Webster College, Elms College, Lesley University, Mitchell College, Newbury College, Southern Vermont College and Wheelock College, beginning the 2008–09 academic year.
  • 2008 – Springfield College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology joined the NECC as associate members for men's golf in the 2008 fall season.
  • 2009:
  • * Massachusetts Tech left the NECC as an associate member for men's golf as the school dropped the sport after the 2008–09 academic year.
  • * Babson College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2009 fall season.
  • 2011:
  • * Regis College joined the NECC in the 2011–12 academic year.
  • * Endicott College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2012 spring season.
  • 2016 – Eastern Nazarene College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2017 spring season.
  • 2017:
  • * Two institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2016–17 academic year:
  • ** Regis joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference
  • ** the second, Daniel Webster, ceased operations
  • * Dean College joined the NECC in the 2017–18 academic year.
  • 2018:
  • * Wheelock left the NECC after the 2017–18 academic year; as the school announced that it would be merged into Boston University.
  • * New England College join the NECC, both effective in the 2018–19 academic year.
  • * Nichols College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2019 spring season.
  • 2019:
  • * Newbury and Southern Vermont left the NECC after the 2018–19 academic year; as both schools announced that they ceased operations.
  • * Springfield and Babson left the NECC as associate members for men's golf after the 2018–19 academic year.
  • * Five institutions joined the NECC as associate members, all effective in the 2019–20 academic year:
  • ** Husson University, the University of Maine at Farmington, Manhattanville College and Thomas College for field hockey
  • ** and Johnson State College for men's volleyball
  • 2020:
  • * Dean left the NECC to join the GNAC after the 2019–20 academic year.
  • * Russell Sage College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2021 spring season.
  • 2021:
  • * Three institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2020–21 academic year; thus leaving the conference with four institutions to compete in the 2021–22 school year:
  • ** Bay Path would leave the NCAA to join the United States Collegiate Athletic Association
  • ** and Elms joined the GNAC
  • ** the third, Becker, ceased operations
  • * The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and the State University of New York at Potsdam joined the NECC as associate members for men's volleyball in the 2022 spring season.
  • 2022:
  • * Manhattanville left the NECC as an associate member for field hockey to join the Atlantic East Conference for that sport after the 2021 fall season.
  • * Bard College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2023 spring season.
  • 2023:
  • * Three institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2022–23 academic year:
  • ** Lesley to join the North Atlantic Conference
  • ** and Mitchell and New England College to join the GNAC
  • * Eastern Nazarene left the NECC to join the NAC after the 2022–23 academic year. This effectively ended the NECC as an all-sports conference. However, Eastern Nazarene remained as an associate member in men's volleyball, thus the rebranding of the NECC as the New England Volleyball Conference.
  • 2024 – Eastern Nazarene left the NEVC after the 2024 spring season due to ceasing operations, consequently the school left as a men's volleyball-only member.

    Member schools

Final full members

The NECC had four full members when it disbanded as an all-sports conference, all were private schools.
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedLeftCurrent
conference
Eastern Nazarene CollegeQuincy, Massachusetts1900Nazarene772Lions20182023Closed in 2024
Lesley UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts1909Nonsectarian6,593Lynx20082023North Atlantic
Mitchell CollegeNew London, Connecticut1938Nonsectarian572Mariners20082023Great Northeast
New England CollegeHenniker, New Hampshire1946Nonsectarian4,327Pilgrims20182023Great Northeast

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Current men's volleyball members

The NECC has seven current associate members in men's volleyball:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedNECC
sport		Primary
conference
Bard CollegeAnnandale-on-
Hudson, New York		1860Private2,051Raptors2022Men's volleyballLiberty
Endicott CollegeBeverly, Massachusetts1939Nonsectarian4,600Gulls2011Men's volleyballNew England
Nichols CollegeDudley, Massachusetts1815Nonsectarian1,915Bison2018Men's volleyballNew England
Russell Sage CollegeAlbany/Troy, New York1916Nonsectarian1,600Gators2020Men's volleyballEmpire 8
State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
Marcy, New York1913Public3,061Wildcats2021Men's volleyballNorth Atlantic
State University of New York at Potsdam
Potsdam, New York1816Public3,098Bears2021Men's volleyballS.U. New York
Vermont State University–JohnsonJohnson, Vermont1828Public1,333Badgers2019Men's volleyballNorth Atlantic

;Notes:

Esports members

The NECC currently has twenty-seven associate members for esports, all but eight are private schools:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedPrimary
conference
Boise State UniversityBoise, Idaho1932Public25,540Broncos2020Mountain West
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Carson, California1960Public17,027Toros2020California
Carroll UniversityWaukesha, Wisconsin1846Presbyterian3,358Pioneers2020Illinois–Wisconsin
Central Methodist UniversityFayette, Missouri1854United Methodist3,382Eagles2020Heart of America
Champlain CollegeBurlington, Vermont1878Nonsectarian2,900Beavers2020N/A
Hocking CollegeNelsonville, Ohio1968Public3,671Hawks2020Ohio
Hood CollegeFrederick, Maryland1893U.C.C.2,052Blazers2020MAC Commonwealth
Howard Community CollegeColumbia, Maryland1966Public29,894Dragons2020Maryland
Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, Illinois1850Nonsectarian1,893Titans2020Illinois–Wisconsin
Jackson CollegeJackson, Michigan1928Public5,487Jets2020Michigan
Kansas Wesleyan UniversitySalina, Kansas1886United Methodist710Coyotes2020Kansas
Lakeland UniversityPlymouth, Wisconsin1862U.C.C.3,973Muskies2020Northern
Midland UniversityFremont, Nebraska1883Lutheran ELCA1,394Warriors2020Great Plains
Monroe UniversityNew York City, New York1933For-profit6,794Mustangs2020NJCAA Independent
'Missoula, Montana1893Public10,962Grizzlies &
Lady Griz		2020Big Sky
Mount St. Mary's UniversityEmmitsburg, Maryland1808Catholic2,240Mountaineers2020Metro Atlantic
Newberry CollegeNewberry, South Carolina1856Nonsectarian1,250Wolves2020South Atlantic
Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, Wisconsin1912Public6,395Timberwolves2020N/A
Northern Essex Community CollegeEssex County, Massachusetts1961Public6,600Knights2020Massachusetts
Randolph–Macon CollegeAshland, Virginia1830United Methodist1,419Yellow Jackets2020Old Dominion
'Rio Grande, Ohio1876Nonsectarian2,300RedStorm2020River States
'
Sacramento, California1947Public31,156Hornets2020Big Sky
'Davenport, Iowa1882Catholic3,607Fighting Bees2020Chicagoland
Tiffin UniversityTiffin, Ohio1888Nonsectarian4,282Dragons2020Great Midwest
Upper Iowa UniversityFayette, Iowa1857Nonsectarian6,158Peacocks2020Northern Sun
Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, Indiana1859Lutheran4,500Beacons2020Missouri Valley
Westcliff UniversityIrvine, California1993Nonsectarian2,779Warriors2020California Pacific

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