Great Northeast Athletic Conference

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

History

Recent changes

On August 24, 2021, the University of New England joined the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving, beginning the 2021–22 academic year.

On June 16, 2022, New England (Me.) left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2021–22 academic year, to join the Little East Conference (LEC) as an affiliate member for that sport.

On September 28, 2022, Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC, beginning the 2023–24 academic year.

Chronological timeline

• 1995 – In 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) was founded. Charter members included the following: On men's sports and women's sports, Albertus Magnus College, Daniel Webster College, Emerson College, Endicott College, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island Campus and Rivier College (now Rivier University); on women's sports only, Emmanuel College, Pine Manor College, the University of Saint Joseph, Simmons College (now Simmons University) and Suffolk University, all beginning the 1995–96 academic year.
• 1998:
• Norwich University, Southern Vermont College and Western New England College (now Western New England University) joined the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
• Suffolk added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
• 1999 – Endicott left the GNAC to join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) after the 1998–99 academic year.
• 2001 – Emmanuel (Mass.) added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2001–02 academic year.
• 2004 – Elms College, Husson College (now Husson University) and Wheelock College joined the GNAC as associate members for women's swimming & diving in the 2004–05 academic year.
• 2006 – Rhode Island College, the University of Southern Maine and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (a.k.a. Massachusetts–Dartmouth or UMass Dartmouth) joined the GNAC as associate members for men's golf in the 2007 spring season (2006–07 academic year).
• 2007:
• Western New England left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2006–07 academic year.
• Lasell College (now Lasell University) and Mount Ida College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine joined the GNAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
• 2008 – Daniel Webster and Southern Vermont left the GNAC to join the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) after the 2007–08 academic year.
• 2009 – Wheelock left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2011:
• Anna Maria College joined the GNAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
• Three institutions joined the GNAC as associate members (and/or added other single sports into their associate memberships), all effective in the 2011–12 academic year:
• Elms for men's swimming & diving
• Regis College of Massachusetts for men's and women's swimming & diving
• and Wentworth Institute of Technology (a.k.a. Wentworth Tech) for men's volleyball
• 2012:
• Pine Manor left the GNAC to join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) after the 2011–12 academic year.
• Worcester State University joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
• 2013:
• Emerson left the GNAC to join the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) after the 2012–13 academic year; while it remained in the conference as an associate member for men's volleyball since the 2014 spring season (2013–14 academic year).
• Husson added men's swimming & diving into its GNAC associate membership in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2017:
• Colby–Sawyer College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming & diving in the 2017–18 academic year.
• Regis (Mass.) had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018:
• Mount Ida left the GNAC after the 2017–18 academic year; as the school ceased operations.
• Colby–Sawyer had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2018–19 academic year.
• Saint Joseph (Conn.) added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
• Eastern Nazarene College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's and women's tennis in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
• 2019:
• Worcester State left the GNAC as an associate member for men's golf after the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
• Lesley University joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
• 2020:
• Five institutions left the GNAC as associate members, all effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
• Lesley for men's tennis
• Husson for men's and women's swimming & diving
• and Rhode Island College, Southern Maine and UMass Dartmouth for men's golf
• Suffolk left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2019–20 academic year; although it remained in the conference as an associate member for men's and women's indoor track & field, beginning the 2020–21 school year.
• Dean College joined the GNAC in the 2020–21 academic year.
• Lesley rejoined the GNAC as an associate member for women's tennis in the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
• 2021 – Elms had upgraded as a full member of the GNAC for all sports in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2021 – The University of New England joined the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2022 – Two institutions left the GNAC as associate members, both effective after the 2021–22 academic year:
• New England (Me.) for women's swimming & diving to join the Little East Conference (LEC) for that sport
• and Suffolk for men's and women's indoor track & field
• 2023:
• Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for women's tennis after the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year).
• Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2024 – Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year).
• 2025 – Two institutions left the GNAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2024–25 academic year:
• Anna Maria to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC)
• and Johnson & Wales (R.I.) to join the Conference of New England (CNE; formerly the Commonwealth Coast Conference or CCC)

Member schools

Current members

The GNAC currently has fourteen full members, all are private schools:

Notes:

Associate members

The GNAC currently has two associate members, both are private schools:

Notes:

Former members

The GNAC had ten former full members, all were private schools:

Notes:

Former associate members

The GNAC had 12 former associate members, 7 were private schools while 5 were public schools:

Notes:

Membership timeline

Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the GNAC that are played by GNAC schools

Women's sponsored sports by school

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the GNAC that are played by GNAC schools

References

External links