Great Northeast Athletic Conference
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Commissioner | Joe Walsh (since 2005) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 16 (15 in 2024, 14 in 2025) |
| Headquarters | Winthrop, Massachusetts |
| Region | New England |
| Official website | thegnac.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
History
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, 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.
- 1998 - Suffolk's men's sports joined 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.
- 2007 - Western New England left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2006-07 academic year.
- 2007 - 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.
- 2008 - Four institutions joined the GNAC as associate members: Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine for men's golf, and Elms College and Husson University for men's and women's swimming & diving, all effective in the 2008-09 academic year.
- 2011 - Anna Maria College joined the GNAC in the 2011-12 academic year.
- 2011 - Wentworth Institute of Technology (Wentworth Tech) joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2012 spring season (2011-12 academic year).
- 2012 - Pine Manor left the GNAC to join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) after the 2011-12 academic year.
- 2012 - The University of Massachusetts at Darmouth (UMass–Darthmouth) 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.
- 2017 - Regis College joined the GNAC in the 2017-18 academic year.
- 2018 - Mount Ida left the GNAC due to the school announcing that it would close after the 2017-18 academic year.
- 2018 - Colby–Sawyer College joined the GNAC in the 2018-19 academic year.
- 2018 - Eastern Nazarene College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis in the 2019 spring season (2018-19 academic year).
- 2018 - Saint Joseph (Conn.) added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2018-19 academic year.
- 2020 - Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis after the 2020 spring season (2019-20 academic year).
- 2020 - Dean College joined the GNAC in the 2020-21 academic year.
- 2021 - Elms had upgraded to join 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.[1]
- 2022 - New England (Me.) left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2021-22 academic year.[2]
- 2022 - Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC in the 2023-24 academic year.[3]
Member schools
Current members
The GNAC currently has sixteen full members, all are private schools:
- Notes
- Anna Maria will join the MASCAC in 2025–26 academic year.
- This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Lasell since 1997–98, Elms since 1998–99, Emmanuel (Mass.) since 2001–02, Regis (Mass.) since 2007–08 and Saint Joseph (Conn.) since 2018–19).
- Before joining for full membership, Elms competed in the GNAC as an associate member for swimming and diving from 2008–09 to 2020–21.[4]
- Johnson & Wales will join the Commonwealth Coast Conference in 2024–25 academic year.
- This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
- Non-basketball member.
Associate members
The GNAC currently has five associate members, all but two are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
GNAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Husson University | Bangor, Maine | 1898 | Nonsectarian | 3,500 | Eagles | 2008–09 | North Atlantic (NAC) | swimming and diving |
| Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1880 | Nonsectarian | 4,290 | Lions | 1995–96 | New England (NEWMAC) | men's volleyball |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, Massachusetts | 1904 | Nonsectarian | 4,576 | Leopards | 2011–12 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) | men's volleyball |
Former members
The GNAC had eight former full members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Webster College | Nashua, New Hampshire | 1965 | For-profit | N/A | Eagles | 1995–96 | 2007–08 | Closed in 2017 |
| Endicott College | Beverly, Massachusetts | 1939 | Nonsectarian | 4,528 | Gulls | 1995–96 | 1998–99 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
| Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1880 | Nonsectarian | 4,290 | Lions | 1995–96 | 2012–13 | New England (NEWMAC) |
| Mount Ida College | Newton, Massachusetts | 1899 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Mustangs | 2007–08 | 2017–18 | Closed in 2018 |
| Pine Manor College[lower-alpha 1] | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | 1911 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Gators | 1995–96 | 2011–12 | N/A[lower-alpha 2] |
| Southern Vermont College | Bennington, Vermont | 1929 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Mountaineers | 1998–99 | 2007–08 | Closed in 2019 |
| Suffolk University | Boston, Massachusetts | 1906 | Nonsectarian | 6,832 | Rams | 1995–96 | 2019–20 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
| Western New England University | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 3,702 | Golden Bears | 1998–99 | 2006–07 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
- Notes
- This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Pine Manor from 2014–15).
- Pine Manor was acquired by Boston College in 2021.
Former associate members
The GNAC had two former associate members, which were also private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Primary conference |
GNAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Nazarene College | Quincy, Massachusetts | 1900 | Nazarene | 1,063 | Lions | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | North Atlantic (NAC) | men's tennis |
| University of New England | Biddeford, Maine | 1831 | Nonsectarian | 7,208 | Nor'easters | 2021–22 | 2021–22 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) | women's swimming & diving |
| Rhode Island College | Providence, Rhode Island | 1854 | Nonsectarian | 7,523 | Anchormen | 2008–09 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
| University of Southern Maine | Portland, Maine | 1878 | Public | 8,022 | Huskies | 2008–09 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts | 1895 | Public | 8,513 | Corsairs | 2012–13 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
Membership timeline
Sports
| A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W). | |
North
|
South
|
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | |
| Basketball | | |
| Cross country | | |
| Field hockey | | |
| Golf | | |
| Lacrosse | | |
| Soccer | | |
| Softball | | |
| Swimming & diving | | |
| Tennis | | |
| Track & field | | |
| Volleyball | | |
References
- "UNE Women Join GNAC Swimming & Diving as Associate Member" (Press release). Great Northeast Athletic Conference. August 24, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- "University of New England Women's Swimming to Join LEC as Affiliate Member in 2022-23" (Press release). Little East Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- "Mitchell, NEC Joining GNAC in 2023-24 Academic Year" (Press release). Great Northeast Athletic Conference. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- "Elms, GNAC Ready to Begin Conference Affiliation in 2021-22". Great Northeast Athletic Conference. April 7, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
External links
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