| Little East Conference | |
| Color: |
|
| Font Color: | white |
| Founded: | 1986 |
| Association: | NCAA |
| Division: | Division III |
| Teams: | 9 |
| Sports: | 19 |
| Mens: | 8 |
| Womens: | 11 |
| Region: | New England |
| Headquarters: | North Providence, Rhode Island |
| Commissioner: | Pamela S. Samuelson, PhD |
| Since: | June 7, 2019 |
| Map: | LEC-USA-states.png |
| Map Size: | 250 |
The Little East Conference (LEC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The member institutions are located in all six states of New England.
The Little East currently has nine full members, all are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, Connecticut | 1889 | Public | 4,989 | $16.3 | Warriors | 1986 | ||
| Keene State College | Keene, New Hampshire | 1909 | Public | 3,213 | $14.0 | Owls | 1997 | ||
| Plymouth State University | Plymouth, New Hampshire | 1871 | Public | 4,491 | $28.9 | Panthers | 1986 | ||
| Rhode Island College | Providence, Rhode Island | 1854 | Public | 7,523 | $16.4 | Anchormen &<br />Anchorwomen | 1986 | ||
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | 1852 | Public | 16,259 | $92.0 | Beacons | 1986 | ||
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | Dartmouth, Massachusetts | 1895 | Public | 8,513 | $59.0 | Corsairs | 1986 | ||
| University of Southern Maine | Gorham, Maine | 1878 | Public | 8,022 | $38.5 | Huskies | 1986 | ||
| Vermont State University–Castleton | Castleton, Vermont | 1787 | Public | 2,399 | $7.86 | Spartans | 2018 | ||
| Western Connecticut State University | Danbury, Connecticut | 1903 | Public | 5,246 | $12.8 | Wolves | 1993 |
The Little East currently has six associate members, all but two are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | Primary conference | LEC sport(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, Massachusetts | 1840 | Public | 10,651 | $54.0 | Bears | 2004–05 2004–05 | MASCAC | men's tennis; women's tennis | ||
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts | 1891 | Public | 1,637 | $13.05 | Buccaneers | 2019–20 | MASCAC | men's lacrosse | ||
| Biddeford, Maine | 1831 | Nonsectarian | 7,208 | $39.2 | Nor'easters | 2022–23 | CCC | women's swimming & diving | |||
| Salem State University | Salem, Massachusetts | 1854 | Public | 7,242 | $25.3 | Vikings | 2000–01 2003–04 2004–05 | MASCAC | men's lacrosse; men's tennis; women's tennis | ||
| Western New England University | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 3,702 | $55.9 | Golden Bears | 2019–20 | CCC | women's swimming & diving[3] | ||
| Westfield State University | Westfield, Massachusetts | 1838 | Public | 5,400 | $6.2 | Owls | 2009–10 | MASCAC | women's swimming & diving |
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference | Little East sport | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babson College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 2,350 | Beavers | 2025–26 | NEWMAC | men's ice hockey | |
| New England College | Henniker, New Hampshire | 1946 | Nonsectarian | 4,327 | Pilgrims | 2025–26 | GNAC | men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey | |
| Norwich University | Northfield, Vermont | 1819 | Private | 2,300 | Cadets | 2025–26 | GNAC | men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey |
The Little East had six former associate members, all of which were also public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Colors | Primary conference | LEC sport(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, Massachusetts | 1840 | Public | 10,651 | $54.0 | Bears | 2000–01 2009–10 | 2022–23 2014–15 | MASCAC | field hockey; women's swimming & diving | ||
| Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, Massachusetts | 1894 | Public | 4,659 | $19.9 | Falcons | 2000–01 | 2022–23 | MASCAC | field hockey | ||
| Framingham State University | Framingham, Massachusetts | 1839 | Public | 4,111 | $35.4 | Rams | 2000–01 | 2022–23 | MASCAC | field hockey | ||
| Salem State University | Salem, Massachusetts | 1854 | Public | 7,242 | $25.3 | Vikings | 2000–01 | 2022–23 | MASCAC | field hockey | ||
| Westfield State University | Westfield, Massachusetts | 1838 | Public | 5,400 | $6.2 | Owls | 2000–01 | 2022–23 | MASCAC | field hockey | ||
| Worcester State University | Worcester, Massachusetts | 1874 | Public | 6,434 | $34.5 | Lancers | 2000–01 2009–10 | 2022–23 2020–21 | MASCAC | field hockey; women's tennis |
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1986 till:2026
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors =
id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Eastern Connecticut State (1986–present)
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Massachusetts–Boston (1986–present)
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Massachusetts–Dartmouth (1986–present)
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Plymouth State (1986–present)
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Rhode Island College (1986–present)
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Southern Maine (1986–present)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1993 till:end text:Western Connecticut State (1993–present)
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1997 till:end text:Keene State (1997–present)
bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Bridgewater State (2000–present)
bar:10 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2022 text:Fitchburg State (2000–2022)
bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2022 text:Framingham State (2000–2022)
bar:12 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Salem State (2000–present)
bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Westfield State (2000–present)
bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Worcester State (2000–present)
bar:15 shift:(-20) color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Castleton/Vermont State–Castleton (2018–present)
bar:16 shift:(-40) color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Massachusetts Maritime (2019–present)
bar:17 shift:(-40) color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Western New England (2019–present)
bar:18 shift:(-80) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:New England (Me.) (2022–present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1986
See also: Little East Conference men's basketball tournament.
The LEC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.
In 2023, the Little East announced the addition of men's and women's ice hockey to begin play in 2025.[4]
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Soccer | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track &<br>Field (Indoor) | Track &<br>Field (Outdoor) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Connecticut | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Keene State | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Plymouth State | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Rhode Island College | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Southern Maine | 10 | ||||||||||||
| UMass–Boston | 9 | ||||||||||||
| UMass–Dartmouth | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Western Connecticut | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Totals | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 6+3 | 8+2 | 9 | 4+1 | 5+2 | 8 | 8 | 79+8 | |
| Associate Members | |||||||||||||
| Babson | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Bridgewater State | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Massachusetts Maritime | 1 | ||||||||||||
| New England College | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Norwich | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Salem State | 2 | ||||||||||||
| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Field Hockey | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track &<br>Field (Indoor) | Track &<br>Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Eastern Connecticut | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Keene State | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Plymouth State | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Rhode Island College | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Southern Maine | 11 | |||||||||||||
| UMass–Boston | 9 | |||||||||||||
| UMass–Dartmouth | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Western Connecticut | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Totals | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5+2 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6+3 | 7+2 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 94+7 | |
| Associate Members | ||||||||||||||
| Bridgewater State | 1 | |||||||||||||
| New England College | 1 | |||||||||||||
| U. of New England | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Norwich | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Salem State | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Western New England | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Westfield State | 1 | |||||||||||||