New England Collegiate Conference

For the like-named defunct conference, see New England Collegiate Conference (Division II).

Not to be confused with the defunct New England Conference in Division I.

The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) is an NCAA Division III men's volleyball and esports college athletic conference based in the Northeastern United States. The NECC was formerly an all-sports conference from 2008 to 2023. The conference rebranded as the New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC), starting in the 2023–24 school year after becoming a men's volleyball-only conference.

New England Collegiate Conference

Association	NCAA
Founded	2007
Commissioner	Jacob VanRyn (since 2019)
Sports fielded	Men's volleyball and Esports
Division	Division III
No. of teams	7 men's volleyball, 27 Esports
Headquarters	Mansfield, Massachusetts
Region	New England
Official website	neccathletics.com
Locations

History

New England Collegiate Conference

50km
31miles

New England College

Manhattanville

Russell Sage

NVU-Johnson

Nichols

Endicott

Mitchell

Eastern Nazarene

Lesley

   

Locations of NECC members, 2021-2022 full and associate

In June 2007, nine colleges from New England announced the creation of a new athletic conference under the same NECC name.

The conference, which began operations July 1, 2008, in Division III, currently includes Lesley University (Cambridge), Mitchell College (New London, Connecticut), Eastern Nazarene College (Quincy) and New England College (Henniker, New Hampshire) as members. Their indicated locations are in Massachusetts unless otherwise noted.

Southern Vermont and Newbury both announced they would cease operations after the 2018–19 academic year,^[1][2] and founding member Becker College announced the same after the 2020–21 school year.^[3] Elms College joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, where it had competed as a swimming and diving affiliate since 2008, in the 2021-22 academic year.^[4] In July 2021, original member Bay Path was admitted to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA),^[5] implicitly leaving the conference and the NCAA. Also, the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) and the State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam) joined the NECC as associate members for men's volleyball, beginning almost immediately within the 2022 spring season.^[6]

Within the past year, there have been changes. Bard College joined the NECC for men's volleyball as an associate member beginning the spring of 2023.^[7] Lesley received and accepted an invitation to join the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), while Mitchell and New England College both accepted an invitation to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), all beginning the 2023-24 season.^[8] In 2023 it was announced that Eastern Nazarene College would also be joining the NAC. ^[9]

The NECC may remain in operation for men's volleyball and the non-NCAA sport of esports. The conference has nine men's volleyball members in the current 2023 season, and the NCAA's official membership database lists all nine NECC men's volleyball teams as being members of the "New England Volleyball Conference".^[10] Over 25 schools are affiliate members in esports.

Chronological timeline

• 2007 – On May 31, 2007, The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) was founded. Charter members included Bay Path College (now Bay Path University), Becker College, Daniel Webster College, Elms College, Lesley University, Mitchell College, Newbury College, Southern Vermont College and Wheelock College, beginning the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2008 – Springfield College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) joined the NECC as associate members for men's golf in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
• 2009:
  • Massachusetts Tech (MIT) left the NECC as an associate member for men's golf as the school dropped the sport (due to budget cuts) after the 2008–09 academic year.
  • Babson College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2009 fall season (2009–10 academic year).
• 2011:
  • Regis College joined the NECC in the 2011–12 academic year.
  • Endicott College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year).
• 2016 – Eastern Nazarene College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
• 2017:
  • Two institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2016–17 academic year:
    • Regis joined the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)
    • the second, Daniel Webster, ceased operations
  • Dean College joined the NECC in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018:
  • Wheelock left the NECC after the 2017–18 academic year; as the school announced that it would be merged into Boston University.
  • New England College join the NECC (with Eastern Nazarene upgrading for all sports), both effective in the 2018–19 academic year.
  • Nichols College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
• 2019:
  • Newbury and Southern Vermont left the NECC after the 2018–19 academic year; as both schools announced that they ceased operations.
  • Springfield and Babson left the NECC as associate members for men's golf after the 2018–19 academic year.
  • Five institutions joined the NECC as associate members, all effective in the 2019–20 academic year:
    • Husson University, the University of Maine at Farmington, Manhattanville College and Thomas College for field hockey
    • and Johnson State College (later Northern Vermont University–Johnson, now Vermont State University–Johnson) for men's volleyball
• 2020:
  • Dean left the NECC to join the GNAC after the 2019–20 academic year.
  • Russell Sage College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
• 2021:
  • Three institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2020–21 academic year; thus leaving the conference with four institutions to compete in the 2021–22 school year:
    • Bay Path would leave the NCAA to join the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)
    • and Elms joined the GNAC
    • the third, Becker, ceased operations
  • The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) and the State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam) joined the NECC as associate members for men's volleyball in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year).
• 2022:
  • Manhattanville left the NECC as an associate member for field hockey to join the Atlantic East Conference (AEC) for that sport after the 2021 fall season (2021–22 academic year).
  • Bard College joined the NECC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year).
• 2023:
  • Three institutions left the NECC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2022–23 academic year:
    • Lesley to join the North Atlantic Conference (NAC)
    • and Mitchell and New England College (NEC) to join the GNAC
  • Eastern Nazarene left the NECC to join the NAC after the 2022–23 academic year. This effectively ended the NECC as an all-sports conference. However, Eastern Nazarene remained as an associate member in men's volleyball, thus the rebranding of the NECC as the New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC).
• 2024 – Eastern Nazarene left the NEVC after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year) due to ceasing operations, consequently the school left as a men's volleyball-only member.

Member schools

Final full members

The NECC had four full members when it disbanded as an all-sports conference, all were private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	Current conference
Eastern Nazarene College	Quincy, Massachusetts	1900	Nazarene	772	Lions	2018	2023	Closed in 2024
Lesley University[c]	Cambridge, Massachusetts	1909	Nonsectarian	6,593	Lynx	2008	2023	North Atlantic (NAC)
Mitchell College	New London, Connecticut	1938	Nonsectarian	572	Mariners	2008	2023	Great Northeast (GNAC)
New England College	Henniker, New Hampshire	1946	Nonsectarian	4,327	Pilgrims	2018	2023	Great Northeast (GNAC)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Lesley since 2005–06).

Current men's volleyball members

The NECC has seven current associate members in men's volleyball:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	NECC sport	Primary conference
Bard College	Annandale-on- Hudson, New York	1860	Private	2,051	Raptors	2022	Men's volleyball	Liberty (LL)
Endicott College	Beverly, Massachusetts	1939	Nonsectarian	4,600	Gulls	2011		New England (CNE)
Nichols College	Dudley, Massachusetts	1815		1,915	Bison	2018		New England (CNE)
Russell Sage College[b]	Albany/Troy, New York[c]	1916[d]	Nonsectarian	1,600[e]	Gators	2020[11]		Empire 8 (E8)
State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)	Marcy, New York	1913	Public[f]	3,061	Wildcats	2021		North Atlantic (NAC)
State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam)	Potsdam, New York	1816		3,098	Bears			S.U. New York (SUNYAC)
Vermont State University–Johnson	Johnson, Vermont	1828[g]	Public	1,333	Badgers	2019		North Atlantic (NAC)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. The Sage Colleges, which were recognized by the NECC, NCAA, and the state of New York as a single institution, rebranded as Russell Sage College in July 2020 after consolidating the three components Sage previously consisted of—the women-only Russell Sage, the coeducational Sage College of Albany (SCA), and the Sage Graduate Schools. In the context of the NECC, Russell Sage's team consists mostly of former SCA students, since SCA was the only Sage component that enrolled male undergraduates.
3. Russell Sage has campuses in both Albany and Troy, New York, but the former SCA operated only in Albany.
4. The Sage Colleges dated their history to the establishment of Russell Sage College in 1916. SCA was established in 1949 and adopted its historical name in 2002.
5. Reflects Russell Sage's overall undergraduate enrollment. Enrollment in the former SCA, the only Sage component from which men's volleyball drew players, was about 850.
6. Part of the State University of New York System.
7. Northern Vermont University was founded in 2018 by the merger of Johnson State College, founded in 1828, and Lyndon State College, founded in 1911. The two campuses continue to operate separate athletic programs. Later, the two campuses would merge with Castleton University and Vermont Technical College to form Vermont State University in 2023.

Esports members

The NECC currently has twenty-seven associate members for esports, all but eight are private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Primary conference
Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	1932	Public	25,540	Broncos	2020	Mountain West (MW)[b]
California State University, Dominguez Hills (Cal State Dominguez Hills)	Carson, California	1960		17,027	Toros		California (CCAA)[c]
Carroll University	Waukesha, Wisconsin	1846	Presbyterian	3,358	Pioneers		Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW)
Central Methodist University	Fayette, Missouri	1854	United Methodist	3,382	Eagles		Heart of America (HAAC)[d]
Champlain College	Burlington, Vermont	1878	Nonsectarian	2,900	Beavers		N/A[e]
Hocking College	Nelsonville, Ohio	1968	Public	3,671	Hawks		Ohio (OCCAC)[f]
Hood College	Frederick, Maryland	1893	U.C.C.	2,052	Blazers		MAC Commonwealth
Howard Community College	Columbia, Maryland	1966	Public[g]	29,894	Dragons		Maryland (MDJUCO)[f]
Illinois Wesleyan University	Bloomington, Illinois	1850	Nonsectarian	1,893	Titans		Illinois–Wisconsin (CCIW)
Jackson College	Jackson, Michigan	1928	Public[g]	5,487	Jets		Michigan (MCCAA)[f]
Kansas Wesleyan University	Salina, Kansas	1886	United Methodist	710	Coyotes		Kansas (KCAC)[d]
Lakeland University	Plymouth, Wisconsin	1862	U.C.C.	3,973	Muskies		Northern (NACC)
Midland University	Fremont, Nebraska	1883	Lutheran ELCA	1,394	Warriors		Great Plains (GPAC)[d]
Monroe College	New York City, New York	1933	For-profit	6,794	Mustangs		Mid Hudson (MHC)[f]
University of Montana	Missoula, Montana	1893	Public	10,962	Grizzlies & Lady Griz		Big Sky (BSC)[b]
Mount St. Mary's University	Emmitsburg, Maryland	1808	Catholic	2,240	Mountaineers		Metro Atlantic (MAAC)[b]
Newberry College	Newberry, South Carolina	1856	Nonsectarian	1,250	Wolves		South Atlantic (SAC)[c]
Northcentral Technical College	Wausau, Wisconsin	1912	Public[h]	6,395	Timberwolves		N/A[e]
Northern Essex Community College	Essex County, Massachusetts	1961	Public[g]	6,600	Knights		Massachusetts (MCCAA)[f]
Randolph–Macon College	Ashland, Virginia	1830	United Methodist	1,419	Yellow Jackets		Old Dominion (ODAC)
University of Rio Grande	Rio Grande, Ohio	1876	Nonsectarian	2,300	RedStorm		River States (RSC)[d]
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State)	Sacramento, California	1947	Public	31,156	Hornets		Big Sky (BSC)[b]
St. Ambrose University	Davenport, Iowa	1882	Catholic	3,607	Fighting Bees		Chicagoland (CCAC)[d]
Tiffin University	Tiffin, Ohio	1888	Nonsectarian	4,282	Dragons		Great Midwest (G-MAC)[c]
Upper Iowa University	Fayette, Iowa	1857		6,158	Peacocks		Northern Sun (NSIC)[c]
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso, Indiana	1859	Lutheran	4,500	Beacons		Missouri Valley (MVC)[b]
Westcliff University	Irvine, California	1993	Nonsectarian	2,779	Warriors		California Pacific (CalPac)[d]

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
3. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
4. Currently an NAIA athletic conference.
5. This institution has no varsity sports program.
6. Currently an NJCAA athletic conference.
7. This institution is a community college.
8. This institution is a state technical college.

New England Collegiate Conference Esports

450km
280miles

Boise State

Westcliff

Valpo

Upper Iowa

Tiffin

St. A

Rio Grande

Randolph–Macon

Northern Essex

Northcentral Technical

Newberry

Mount Saint Mary's

Montana

Monroe

Midland

Lakeland

Kansas Weslyean

Jackson

Illinois Wesleyan

Howard

Hood

Hocking

Champlain

Central Methodist

Carroll

Sacramento State

Cal State Dominguez Hills

   

Locations of NECC eSports associate members, 2021-2022 associate

Former members

The NECC had nine former full members, all were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	Current conference
Bay Path University[c]	Longmeadow, Massachusetts	1897	Nonsectarian	3,298	Wildcats	2008	2021	USCAA Independent
Becker College	Worcester, Massachusetts	1784	Nonsectarian	N/A	Hawks	2008	2021	Closed in 2021
Dean College	Franklin, Massachusetts	1865	Nonsectarian	1,055	Bulldogs	2017	2020	Great Northeast (GNAC)
Daniel Webster College	Nashua, New Hampshire	1965	For-profit	N/A	Eagles	2008	2017	Closed in 2017
Elms College	Chicopee, Massachusetts	1899	Catholic (S.S.J.)	1,713	Blazers	2008	2021	Great Northeast (GNAC)
Newbury College	Brookline, Massachusetts	1962	Nonsectarian	N/A	Nighthawks	2008	2019	Closed in 2019
Regis College	Weston, Massachusetts	1927	Catholic (S.S.J.)	2,748	Pride	2011	2017	Great Northeast (GNAC)
Southern Vermont College	Bennington, Vermont	1926	Nonsectarian	N/A	Mountaineers	2008	2019	Closed in 2019
Wheelock College	Boston, Massachusetts	1888	Nonsectarian	N/A	Wildcats	2008	2018	N/A[d]

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. This institution was a women's college, therefore it did not compete in men's sports.
4. Wheelock was merged with Boston University in 2018.

Former associate members

The NECC had eight former associate members, all but one were private schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	NECC sport	Primary conference
Babson College	Wellesley, Massachusetts	1919	Nonsectarian	3,340	Beavers	2009	2019	Men's golf	New England (NEWMAC)
Eastern Nazarene College[c]	Quincy, Massachusetts	1900	Nazarene	772	Lions	2016	2018	Men's volleyball	Closed in 2024
						2023	2024
Husson University	Bangor, Maine	1898	Nonsectarian	3,476	Eagles	2019	2023	Field hockey	North Atlantic (NAC)
University of Maine at Farmington	Farmington, Maine	1863	Public[d]	1,861	Beavers	2019	2023	Field hockey	North Atlantic (NAC)
Manhattanville College	Purchase, New York	1841	Catholic (RSCJ)	2,494	Valiants	2019	2022	Field hockey	Skyline
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	Cambridge, Massachusetts	1861	Nonsectarian	10,253	Engineers	2008	2009[e]	Men's golf	New England (NEWMAC)
Springfield College	Springfield, Massachusetts	1919	Nonsectarian	5,062	Pride	2008	2019	Men's golf	New England (NEWMAC)
Thomas College	Waterville, Maine	1894	Nonsectarian	1,949	Terriers	2019	2023	Field hockey	North Atlantic (NAC)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. Eastern Nazarene competed as a full member of the NECC from 2018–19 to 2022–23.
4. Part of the University of Maine System.
5. MIT dropped the sport after just one season due to budget cuts.

Membership timeline

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

See also: NECC men's basketball tournament

Conference sports

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	4	-
Basketball	4	4
Cross Country	4	4
Esports	29
Field hockey	-	4
Golf	-	-
Lacrosse	3	3
Soccer	4	4
Softball	-	4
Volleyball	9	4