East Coast Conference Explained

East Coast Conference
Founded:	1989
Association:	NCAA
Division:	Division II
Teams:	9
Sports:	18
Mens:	8
Womens:	10
Region:	Northeastern United States
Headquarters:	Colonia, New Jersey
Commissioner:	Jessica Grasso
Since:	2024
Website:	eccsports.org
Map:	ECCMap.png
Map Size:	250
Color:	b20636;
Font Color:	FFFFFF

The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located primarily in the state of New York, with a single member located in the District of Columbia.

History

The East Coast Conference was founded in 1989 as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included Adelphi University (1989–2009), Concordia College (1989–2009), C. W. Post College (1989–2019), Dowling College (1989–2016), Mercy College (1989–present), Mercy College (1989–present), New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) (1989–2020), Pace University (1989–1997), Queens College (1989–present) and Southampton College of Long Island University (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 (1991–2005), College of Saint Rose (1991–2000), St. Thomas Aquinas College (2000–present), University of the District of Columbia (2011–present), Roberts Wesleyan College (2012–present), Daemen University (2013–present), D'Youville University (2020–present) and College of Staten Island (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 (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 would unite its two athletic programs—the Division II LIU Post program and Division I program at LIU Brooklyn—into a single Division I program under the overall university name effective in 2019–20.^[1] 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.^[2]

The next change in conference membership was announced in March 2019, when the College of Staten Island (CSI), preparing to begin a transition from NCAA Division III, was accepted as a member effective with the 2020–21 school year.^[3] The following August, Tusculum University was announced as a bowling affiliate, effective in 2019–20.^[4] In March 2020, then-current Division III member D'Youville College ("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;^[5] the NCAA's acceptance was officially announced on July 10, 2020.^[6]

In December 2021, the University of Bridgeport published its acceptance into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference as its new member for the 2022–23 school year.^[7]

Chronological timeline

• 1989 - The East Coast Conference (ECC) was founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Its charter members included Adelphi University, 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 Institute of Technology (New York Tech or NYIT), Pace University, Queens College and Southampton College of Long Island University, effective beginning the 1989-90 academic year.
• 1991 - The Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (now Thomas Jefferson University) and the College of Saint Rose joined the NYCAC, effective in the 1991-92 academic year.
• 1997 - Pace left the NYCAC to join the Northeast-10 Conference (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 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and Saint Rose to join the NE-10, both effective after the 1999-2000 academic year.
• 2000 - The University of Bridgeport and St. Thomas Aquinas College 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, known since 2022 as Dominican University 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 and Wheeling Jesuit University for only men's lacrosse, Lake Erie College 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 College 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 and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 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 for men's and women's indoor track & field, and Lincoln Memorial University and Salem University 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 and Caldwell University joined the ECC as affiliate members for bowling, effective in the 2019 spring season (2018-19 academic year).
• 2019
  • Long Island University, 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.
  • 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.
  • D'Youville College ("University" since 2022) and the College of Staten Island 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^[8] and Saint Anselm College joined as affiliate members in bowling, effective with the 2022-23 academic year.
  • Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, 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.
• 2023 – The ECC announced it would sponsor men's volleyball in the 2024 season (2023–24 school year) with four schools, three of which started men's volleyball programs in that season. Full members Roberts Wesleyan and St. Thomas Aquinas were joined by associates American International College and Dominican (NY). Alliance University was originally announced as a fifth sponsoring member, but the university announced it would permanently close on July 1 before they had played a single game. Of these schools, only American International played men's volleyball in the 2023 season.^[9]
• 2024
  • Lincoln (PA) left the ECC as an affiliate member in baseball and women's soccer, effective after the 2023-24 academic year.
  • Mercyhurst left the ECC as an affiliate member for bowling, effective after the 2023-24 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

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

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors
Daemen University	Amherst, New York	1947	Nonsectarian	2,642	Wildcats	2013
	Washington, D.C.	1851	Public (HBCU)	3,351	Firebirds	2011
	Buffalo, New York	1946	Catholic	2,524	Saints	2020
Mercy University	Dobbs Ferry, New York	1950	Nonsectarian	8,615	Mavericks	1989
Molloy University	Rockville Centre, New York	1955	Catholic	4,807	Lions	1989
Queens College	Queens, New York	1937	Public	17,001	Knights	1989
Roberts Wesleyan University	Rochester, New York	1866	Free Methodist	1,579	Redhawks	2012
	Sparkill, New York	1952	Catholic	2,033	Spartans	2000
	Staten Island, New York	1956	Public	10,238	Dolphins	2020

Affiliate members

The ECC currently has 8 affiliate members, most of which are private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors	ECC sport(s)	Primary conference
Adelphi University	Garden City, New York	1896	Nonsectarian	8,110	Panthers	2015–16		Bowling	Northeast-10 (NE-10)
American International College	Springfield, Massachusetts	1885	Nonsectarian	3,177	Yellow Jackets	2023–24			Northeast-10 (NE-10)
Bryant University	Smithfield, Rhode Island	1863	Nonsectarian	3,751	Bulldogs	2022–23		Bowling	America East
Dominican University New York	Orangeburg, New York	1952	Catholic	1,998	Chargers	2023–24			Central Atlantic (CACC)
Frostburg State University	Frostburg, Maryland	1898	Public	5,215	Bobcats	2019–20			Mountain East (MEC)
Georgian Court University	Lakewood, New Jersey	1908	Catholic	3,153	Lions	2012–13			Central Atlantic (CACC)
						2013–14
Holy Family University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1954	Catholic	2,100	Tigers	2016–17			Central Atlantic (CACC)
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	Kutztown, Pennsylvania	1866	Public	10,634	Golden Bears	2015–16		bowling	Pennsylvania (PSAC)
Post University	Waterbury, Connecticut	1890	For-profit	7,317	Eagles	2018–19			Central Atlantic (CACC)
Saint Anselm College	Goffstown, New Hampshire	1889	Catholic	1,945	Hawks	2022–23		bowling	Northeast-10 (NE-10)

Notes:

Former members

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

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
Adelphi University	Garden City, New York	1896	Nonsectarian	8,110	Panthers	1989	2009	Northeast-10 (NE-10)
	Bridgeport, Connecticut	1927	Nonsectarian	5,543	Purple Knights	2000	2022	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Concordia College	Bronxville, New York	1881	Lutheran LCMS	N/A	Clippers	1989	2009	Closed in 2021
Dowling College	Oakdale, New York	1963	Nonsectarian	N/A	Golden Lions	1989	2016	Closed in 2016
Long Island University–Post	Brookville, New York	1954	Nonsectarian	8,472	Pioneers	1989	2019	Northeast (NEC)
	West Haven, Connecticut	1920	Nonsectarian	6,400	Chargers	2002	2008	Northeast-10 (NE-10)
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Newark, New Jersey	1881	Public	11,652	Highlanders	1997	2000	America East
New York Institute of Technology	Old Westbury, New York	1955	Nonsectarian	9,930	Bears	1989	2020	N/A
Pace University	Manhattan, New York	1906	Nonsectarian	12,772	Setters	1989	1997	Northeast-10 (NE-10)
Philadelphia University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1884	Nonsectarian	3,540	Rams	1991	2005	Central Atlantic (CACC)
	Albany, New York	1920	Catholic	4,863	Golden Knights	1991	2000	Closed in 2024
Southampton College of Long Island University	Southampton, New York	1963	Nonsectarian	N/A	Colonials	1989	2005	Closed in 2005

Notes:

Former affiliate members

The ECC has 16 former affiliate members, all but one of which are private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	ECC sport(s)	Primary conference
Alliance University	New York, New York	1882	C&MA	3,318	Warriors	2023–24	2023–24	men's volleyball	n/a
Bloomfield College	Bloomfield, New Jersey	1868	Presbyterian	2,100	Bears	2018–19	2021–22	bowling	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Caldwell University	Caldwell, New Jersey	1939	Catholic	1,800	Cougars	2018–19	2021–22	bowling	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Chestnut Hill College	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1924	Catholic	2,301	Griffins	2009–10 2017–18	2016–17 2021–22	men's lacrosse; bowling	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Dominican College	Orangeburg, New York	1952	Catholic	1,998	Chargers	2006–07	2016–17	men's lacrosse	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Felician University	Rutherford, New Jersey	1923	Catholic	2,109	nowrap	Golden Falcons	2015–16	2021–22	bowling	Central Atlantic (CACC)
Franklin Pierce University	Rindge, New Hampshire	1962	Nonsectarian	2,871	Ravens	2015–16	2017–18	bowling	Northeast-10 (NE-10)
Lake Erie College	Painesville, Ohio	1856	Nonsectarian	1,177	Storm	2009–10; 2009–10	2011–12; 2011–12	men's lacrosse; women's lacrosse	Great Midwest (G-MAC)
Lincoln University	Chester County, Pennsylvania	1854	State-related	2,376	Lions	2019–20; 2019–20	2024–25; 2024–25	baseball; women's soccer	Central (CIAA)
Lincoln Memorial University	Harrogate, Tennessee	1897	Nonsectarian	4,867	Railsplitters	2016–17	2020–21	bowling	South Atlantic (SAC)
Mercyhurst University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1926	Catholic	3,217	Lakers	2005–06 2019–20	2011–12 2024–25	men's lacrosse; bowling	Northeast (NEC)
Salem University	Salem, West Virginia	1888	For-profit	835	Tigers	2016–17	2016–17	bowling	D-II Independent
Seton Hill University	Greensburg, Pennsylvania	1883	Catholic	2,014	Griffins	2009–10; 2009–10	2011–12; 2011–12	men's lacrosse; women's lacrosse	Pennsylvania (PSAC)
Tusculum University	Tusculum, Tennessee	1794	Presbyterian	2.053	Pioneers	2019–20	2020–21	bowling	South Atlantic (SAC)
Wheeling Jesuit University	Wheeling, West Virginia	1954	Roman Catholic	1,600	Cardinals	2009–10	2011–12	men's lacrosse	Mountain East (MEC)
Wilmington University	New Castle, Delaware	1968	Nonsectarian	3,300	Wildcats	2017–18	2021–22	bowling	Central Atlantic (CACC)

Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1989 till:2030TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = 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 (NY) (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 (1989–present)

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

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

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

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1989 till:end text:Queens (NY) (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 (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 (1997–2000)

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

bar:15 color:FullxF from:2000 till:end text:St. Thomas Aquinas (2000–present)

bar:16 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2008 text:New Haven (2002–2008)

bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2012 text:Mercyhurst (2005–2012) bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2024 text:(2019–2024)

bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2006 till:2017 text:Dominican (NY) (2006–2017) bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:(2023–present)

bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2022 text:Chestnut Hill (2009–2022)

bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:2012 text:Lake Erie (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:District of Columbia (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 (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 (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 (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 (2016–present)

bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2022 text:Wilmington (DE) (2017–2022)

bar:34 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2022 text:Bloomfield (2018–2022)

bar:35 color:AssocOS from:2018 till:2022 text:Caldwell (2018–2022)

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

bar:37 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Frostburg State (2019–present)

bar:38 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2024 text:Lincoln (PA) (2019–2024)

bar:39 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2021 text:Tusculum (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 (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 (2022–present)

bar:44 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:American International (2023–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1990

Sports

See also: East Coast Conference (Division II) men's basketball tournament and East Coast Conference (Division II) women's basketball tournament.

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

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Lacrosse	Soccer	Tennis	Track & field indoor	Track & field outdoor	Volleyball	Total ECC sports
Daemen										6
District of Columbia										4
D'Youville										5
Mercy										4
Molloy										7
Queens (NY)										7
Roberts Wesleyan										8
St. Thomas Aquinas										9
Staten Island										6
Totals	6+1	9	7	6+1	9	5	6+3	6	2+2	56+7
Affiliate members
American International										1
Dominican (NY)										1
Frostburg State										1
Georgian Court										1
Holy Family										1
Post										1	-	Future members
Future affiliate members -->

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Bowling	Cross country	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & field indoor	Track & field outdoor	Volleyball	Total ECC sports
Daemen											9
District of Columbia											6
D'Youville											8
Mercy											5
Molloy											10
Queens (NY)											8
Roberts Wesleyan											8
St. Thomas Aquinas											10
Staten Island											7
Totals	9	5+5	8	7	8+1	6	6	7+3	7	8	71+9
Affiliate members
Adelphi											1
Bryant											1
Georgian Court											1
Holy Family											1
Kutztown											1
Post											1
Saint Anselm											1	-	Future members -->

Other sponsored sports by school

School		Men				Women
	Football	Golf	Swimming & diving	Fencing	Field Hockey	Swimming & diving
Daemen		IND
Mercy					NE-10
Molloy					NE-10
Queens (NY)			METS	NIWFA		METS
Roberts Wesleyan			IND			IND
St. Thomas Aquinas	CSFL	IND			NE-10
Staten Island			NE-10			NE-10

Notes and References

1. Long Island University Announces Unification Into One LIU Division I Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20181011133520/https://liuathletics.com/news/2018/10/3/general-long-island-university-announces-unification-into-one-liu-division-i-program . dead . October 11, 2018 . LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds . October 3, 2018 . October 11, 2018 .
2. ECC Adds Frostburg State University as Men's Lacrosse Associate Members . . East Coast Conference . December 8, 2018 . . en . Press release . December 7, 2018.
3. ECC Accepts College of Staten Island as League's 10th Member . East Coast Conference . March 1, 2019 . March 8, 2019.
4. Tusculum Joins ECC as Women's Bowling Associate Member . East Coast Conference . August 23, 2019 . December 7, 2019.
5. ECC to Add D'Youville as Conference's 11th Member . East Coast Conference . March 3, 2020 . March 16, 2020 . March 9, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210309001528/https://www.eccsports.org/information/general-news/2019-20/030320_dyouville . dead .
6. Division II Announcement . D'Youville Saints . July 10, 2020 . July 17, 2020.
7. News: University Of Bridgeport Unanimously Accepted Into The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference . December 26, 2021 . UB Purple Knights . December 15, 2021.
8. Women's Bowling set to join ECC as affiliate member . Bryant Bulldogs . June 29, 2022 . July 7, 2022.
9. ECC to Sponsor Men's Volleyball Beginning in Spring of 2024 . East Coast Conference . May 17, 2023 . May 19, 2023.