Atlantic East Conference
The Atlantic East Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III and is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
History
Beginning play in July 2018, the league consists of seven private universities, each former members of either the Capital Athletic Conference, since renamed the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference, or the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The charter members consisted of Cabrini University, Gwynedd Mercy University, Immaculata University, Marymount University, Marywood University, Neumann University and Wesley College.On May 31, 2018, Jessica Huntley was named the inaugural commissioner of the Atlantic East.
On September 16, 2019, the AEC announced its first affiliate member, St. Mary's College of Maryland, who would participate in field hockey starting in the 2020–21 season. This will ultimately be St. Mary's only season in AEC field hockey, as that school will join the North Eastern Athletic Conference, which sponsors that sport, for 2021–22 and beyond. The United East Conference, reversed their decision to add field hockey, thus St. Mary's remained as an affiliate in the sport.
On November 19, 2019, it was announced that William Paterson University will become an affiliate member in men's golf starting in the 2019–20 season.
On January 12, 2020, it was announced that Cedar Crest College would join the AEC as an affiliate member in women's swimming & diving.
On August 17, 2020 and August 19, 2020, it was announced that Gallaudet University and St. Mary's College of Maryland, respectively, would also become an affiliate member in men's and women's swimming and diving.
On July 9, 2020, Delaware State University announced that it would acquire Wesley College starting in the 2021–22 school year, due to the financial struggles Wesley faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 18, 2021, Centenary University announced its move to Atlantic East from the CSAC also in 2021–22. Centenary is the conference's first non-Catholic member institution.
On June 29, 2021, New Jersey City University announced that it would be joining the Atlantic East as an affiliate member in men's and women's golf starting in the 2021–22 season.
In 2023, the conference announced that it would add women's flag football as a fully sponsored sport, with the first season planned for spring 2025. The first season took place on the announced schedule, with the initial membership consisting of full members Centenary, Immaculata, Marymount, and Neumann and associate members Eastern University; NCAA Division II member Holy Family University; and Penn State Schuylkill, a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association instead of the NCAA. In 2025–26, full conference member Marywood added the sport, and another Division II member, Chestnut Hill College, joined as an associate member. The AEC is the first NCAA conference to officially sponsor flag football.
Chronological timeline
- 2018 – The Atlantic East Conference was founded. Charter members included Cabrini University, Gwynedd Mercy University, Immaculata University, Marymount University, Marywood University, Neumann University and Wesley College, beginning the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2019 – William Paterson University joined the Atlantic East as an associate member for men's golf in the 2020 spring season.
- 2020 – Three institutions joined the Atlantic East as associate members, all effective in the 2020–21 academic year:
- * Gallaudet University for men's and women's swimming & diving
- * St. Mary's College of Maryland for field hockey and men's and women's swimming & diving
- * and Cedar Crest College for women's swimming and diving
- 2021:
- * Wesley left the Atlantic East after the 2020–21 academic year; as the school announced that it would be acquired by Delaware State University, therefore ceasing operations.
- * Centenary College of New Jersey joined the Atlantic East in the 2021–22 academic year.
- * New Jersey City University joined the Atlantic East as an associate member for men's and women's golf in the 2022 spring season.
- 2023:
- * New Jersey City left the Atlantic East as an associate member for men's and women's golf after the 2023 spring season.
- * The Atlantic East announced that it would add women's flag football as a fully sponsored sport, with a planned start date of the 2025 spring season.
- 2024:
- * Two institutions left the Atlantic East as associate members, both effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
- ** St. Mary's for field hockey
- ** and William Paterson for men's golf
- * Cabrini left the Atlantic East after the 2023–24 academic year; as the school announced that it had been sold to nearby Villanova University and had ceased operations.
- * Pratt Institute joined the Atlantic East in the 2024–25 academic year.
- * Also in the 2024–25 academic year, the Atlantic East became the first NCAA conference to sponsor women's flag football as a varsity sport.
- 2025 – Saint Elizabeth University joined the Atlantic East in the 2025–26 academic year.
- 2026 – Marywood and Neumann will both leave the Atlantic East to join the Middle Atlantic Conferences, beginning the 2026–27 academic year.
Member schools
Full members
The AEC currently has eight full members, all are private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors |
| Centenary University | Hackettstown, New Jersey | 1867 | United Methodist | 1,597 | Cyclones | 2021 | |
| Gwynedd Mercy University | Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania | 1948 | Catholic | 2,017 | Griffins | 2018 | |
| Immaculata University | Immaculata, Pennsylvania | 1940 | Catholic | 1,043 | Mighty Macs | 2018 | |
| Marymount University | Arlington, Virginia | 1950 | Catholic | 3,684 | Saints | 2018 | |
| Marywood University | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 1915 | Catholic | 2,470 | Pacers | 2018 | |
| Neumann University | Aston, Pennsylvania | 1965 | Catholic | 3,000 | Knights | 2018 | |
| Pratt Institute | Brooklyn, New York | 1887 | Nonsectarian | 4,907 | Cannoneers | 2024 | |
| Saint Elizabeth University | Morristown, New Jersey | 1899 | Catholic | 1,200 | Eagles | 2025 |
;Notes:
Associate members
The AEC currently has eight associate members, three being public schools, one being a privately governed but state-supported institution, and the rest being private schools.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | AEC sport | Primary conference |
| Cedar Crest College | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 1867 | United Church of Christ | 1,885 | Falcons | 2020 | United East | |
| Chestnut Hill College | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1924 | Catholic | 1,072 | Griffins | 2025 | Central Atlantic (CACC) | |
| Eastern University | 1925 | Baptist | 4,429 | Eagles | 2024 | MAC Commonwealth | ||
| Gallaudet University | Washington, D.C. | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 1,740 | Bison | 2020 | United East | |
| Gallaudet University | Washington, D.C. | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 1,740 | Bison | 2020 | United East | |
| Holy Family University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1954 | Catholic | 2,955 | Tigers | 2024 | Central Atlantic (CACC) | |
| Manhattanville University | Purchase, New York | 1841 | Nonsectarian | 2,494 | Valiants | 2022 | Field hockey | Skyline |
| Penn State Schuylkill | Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania | 1934 | State-related | 594 | Nittany Lions | 2024 | Penn State U. (PSUAC) | |
| 1840 | Public | 1,950 | Seahawks | 2020 | United East | |||
| 1840 | Public | 1,950 | Seahawks | 2020 | United East |
;Notes:
Former members
The AEC had two former full members, both private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
| Cabrini University | Radnor, Pennsylvania | 1957 | Catholic | 1,759 | Cavaliers | 2018 | 2024 | N/A |
| Wesley College | Dover, Delaware | 1873 | United Methodist | 2,400 | Wolverines | 2018 | 2021 | N/A |
;Notes:
Former associate members
The AEC had three former associate members, all were private schools.| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | AEC sport | Primary conference |
| New Jersey City University | Jersey City, New Jersey | 1929 | Public | 7,300 | Gothic Knights | 2021 | 2023 | New Jersey (NJAC) | |
| New Jersey City University | Jersey City, New Jersey | 1929 | Public | 7,300 | Gothic Knights | 2021 | 2023 | New Jersey (NJAC) | |
| 1840 | Public | 1,950 | Seahawks | 2020 | 2024 | Field hockey | United East | ||
| William Paterson University | Wayne, New Jersey | 1855 | Public | 10,970 | Pioneers | 2019 | 2024 | New Jersey (NJAC) |
;Notes:
Membership timeline
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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
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bar:1 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2024 text:Cabrini
bar:2 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Gwynedd Mercy
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bar:4 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Marymount
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bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:MAC Freedom
bar:6 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2026 text:Neumann
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:MAC Commonwealth
bar:7 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2021 text:Wesley (Del.)
bar:8 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2024 text:William Paterson
bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2020 till:end text:Cedar Crest
bar:10 color:AssocOS from:2020 till:end text:Galluadet
bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2020 till:end text:St. Mary's (Md.)
bar:12 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:Centenary (N.J.)
bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2021 till:2023 text:New Jersey City
bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:Manhattanville
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:Pratt
bar:16 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:Eastern
bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:Holy Family
bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:Penn State–Schuylkill
bar:19 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Saint Elizabeth
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Sports
The Atlantic East sponsored 20 sports at its launch—nine for men and 11 for women. The conference has since added flag football as a 12th women's sport.| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross country | ||
| Field hockey | ||
| Flag football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Swimming & diving | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track & field (outdoor) | ||
| Volleyball |