This article is about the current NCAA Division III conference. For the NCAA Division I conference that used this name from 1988 to 1996, see America East Conference. For the shortlived HBCU conference, see North Atlantic Conference (1946).
The conference was founded in 1996 when six colleges agreed to form the North Atlantic Women's Conference. It changed to its current name in the fall of 1999. It currently sponsors a total of 17 men's and women's sports played by teams of the 13 institutions therein.
The 17 different sports that are played in the NAC range from the fall season, throughout the winter, and to the spring season. These sports are played among both men's and women's teams.
Spring 1997 – The above named institutions work out the details to create an athletic conference to be known as the North Atlantic Women's Conference (NAWC). The steps for a constitution and set bylaws is drafted, championship hosting criteria are established and dates chosen for a spring softball championship.
Fall 1997 – The first full academic year for the NAWC brings additional meetings to continue to make policy and procedures more formalized. Championships are to be held in women's soccer, cross-country, basketball and softball.
Spring 1998 – Basketball holds first NAWC Championship at Lasell College.
Spring 1999 – Basketball holds its first NAWC Championship at the Maine Maritime Academy.
Fall 1999 – The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) begins first season of competition, new members include: Becker, Elms and Mount Ida Colleges. There are 8 members of the NAC. Championships include both women and men.
Spring 2000 – The North Atlantic Conference conducts women's and men's championships for basketball and softball.
Fall 2000 – The North Atlantic Conference continues to expand postseason championship opportunities for its student-athletes. Two new associate members are added for women's field hockey, Simmons College and Western New England College.
Spring 2001 – The North Atlantic Conference begins preliminary discussions with potential new NAC members.
Fall 2001 – The North Atlantic Conference continues to expand the post season championship opportunities for its student-athletes. Five institutions apply and present to NAC members for admittance to the NAC for Fall 2002 academic year. Two Vermont institutions, being Castleton State College and Johnson State College, apply for full members status. Three Maine institutions are seeking associate membership for women's field hockey, Thomas College, Husson College and the University of Maine at Farmington (UMaine–Farmington). The NAC approves its first major expansion in 2 years, bringing the NAC membership to 10 full members and 5 associate members.
Spring 2002 – The 3 Maine institutions with associate membership status continue talks about joining the NAC as full members for the fall of 2003–2004.
Fall 2002 – The NAC receives confirmation that it will be recognized as a non-voting member of the NCAA Division III. Dr. Carol Matteson of Mount Ida College begins a two-year term at President of the NAC. The automatic qualifier opportunities for women's sports begin a two-year waiting period before being instituted.
Fall 2002 – Three institutions, Thomas, Husson and UMaine–Farmington apply and present for full member consideration in September 2002 for admittance to the NAC for the Fall 2003 academic year. The NAC accepts the three associate members for full NAC membership in Fall 2003. The NAC approves its second major expansion in 3 years, bringing the NAC membership to 13 full members and 2 associate members.
Fall 2002 – The North Atlantic Conference continues to expand the post season championship opportunities for its student-athletes. Fall sports teams now compete with championships being expanded to include both full and associate members, increasing the championships sponsored to include: women's volleyball, soccer, field hockey and cross country and men's soccer and cross country.
Spring 2003 – The NAC members meet at NCAA Convention to continue to chart the future course for the NAC. The members meet in Portsmouth, NH for membership meeting and to set the agenda for the President's Meeting in May. The NAC conducts women's and men's basketball championships. For the second year in a row, the NAC sends a men's team, Lasell College, to the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid. The NAC holds a spring championship for softball. Elms College wins and receives an at-large bid to play in the NCAA softball championship.
Spring 2003 – Presidents and Directors of Athletics meet for the first time in NAC history to discuss various issues on the future of the NAC. Strategic planning, mission statement, travel and web development are discussed.
Fall 2004 – Tournament Champions in Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Soccer, and Volleyball receive the conference's automatic qualifier to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Maine–Farmington, which claimed the 2004 NAC Field Hockey Championship, upends Keene State in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament, 3–2 in double overtime on November 10 being the first NAC school to advance past the first round of NCAA championship play.
Winter 2005 – Elms ends a dominant three-year run by Lasell in the Men's Basketball Championship, upending the top-seeded Lasers 70–66. Maine Maritime earns its third NAC Women's Basketball Championship in seven years with a 65–56 win over intrastate rival Maine–Farmington. Both victors receive the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time.
Spring 2005 – Baseball and Men's Lacrosse both feature for the first time seven teams competing for the NAC Championship and begin the two-year waiting period for automatic qualification to the NACC Tournament. For Baseball, Elms and Husson along with associate member Saint Joseph's College of Maine compete for the first time in league play, with St. Joseph's (Me.) taking the 2005 championship. Maine Maritime and Thomas fielded Men's Lacrosse for the first time ever, and were joined by associate members Daniel Webster College and Emerson College. Mount Ida continued its dominance in Men's Lacrosse, going undefeated for the second season in a row and taking the 2005 NAC Tournament. Maine–Farmington takes the 2005 NAC Softball Championship for the first time in dramatic fashion, winning four straight games, the final in extra innings over Elms.
Spring 2005 – Julie Muller becomes the commissioner of the North Atlantic Conference on May 1, 2005. Inheriting the title from Mount Ida Athletic Director, Dr. Jacqueline Palmer, she becomes the first person to hold the sole title of commissioner for the 13-member NCAA Division III conference. The NAC begins an extensive evaluation of the conference and plans to initiate its first strategic planning process. Dr. Carol Matteson agrees to extend her term in office as President of the Presidents Council for an additional year.
Spring 2006 – President Dave Wolk of Castleton is elected to the position of Chair for the Presidents Council, taking over the post from President Carol Matteson of Mount Ida College. St. Joseph's (Me.) earns an At-Large Bid to the NCAA tournament in Baseball. NAC begins to explore adding football as an NAC championship sport.
Fall 2006 – Mount Ida and Lasell begin final year of NAC competition as conference full members after withdrawing from the conference as full members. Both are accepted as Associate Members beginning Fall of 2007; Mount Ida for Men's Lacrosse and Lasell for Field Hockey. Western New England participates in its final year as associate members in field hockey.
Spring 2007 – Mount Ida earns the first NAC automatic qualifier in Men's Lacrosse. During its last season of competition in NAC baseball, St. Joseph's (Me.) earns the first automatic qualifier awarded the conference in that sport. Husson represents the NAC as the automatic qualifier in Men's Golf. Green Mountain College and Lyndon State present for full membership consideration during the NAC Annual Meeting in York Harbor, Maine. Both institutions are accepted, to begin competition in Fall of 2008. St. Joseph's (Me.) is accepted as associate members for field hockey, beginning competition in fall of 2008. Presidents Council votes to begin NAC competition in football in the fall of 2009.
Fall 2007 – Bay Path, Becker, Elms, Lesley and Wheelock begin their final year of competition as full conference members after withdrawing from the NAC. Applications for associate membership in football are accepted and under consideration for competition to begin fall of 2009.
Fall 2008 – Green Mountain and Lyndon State join the conference as full members.
Spring 2012 – Castleton earns NAC's first women's lacrosse automatic qualifier awarded to the conference in that sport with an 18–11 win over Morrisville State College.
Spring 2013 – The NAC Presidents Council affirmed its commitment to respect and inclusion by placing their support behind a project aimed at combating homophobia on campuses and recognizing the benefit of diversity at each of its membership institutions.
Fall 2014 – The 10 membership institutions of the NAC showed their commitment to promoting respect for all by developing a conference-wide You Can Play video project.
Spring 2015 – The NAC continues to expand the post season championship opportunities for its student-athletes with the addition of women's outdoor track and field. The NAC received national recognition from the NCAA after being selected as the February recipient of the Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative for its work on the You Can Play video project.
Fall 2015 – The NAC SAAC commits to embracing the It's On Us campaign as a conference wide initiative.
Spring 2016 – The North Atlantic Conference continues to expand the post season championship opportunities for its student-athletes with the addition of men's outdoor track and field.
Summer 2016 – Marcella Zalot becomes the second ever full-time commissioner of the North Atlantic Conference on June 13, 2016. Inheriting the title from Julie Muller, who served as the NAC's first full-time commissioner and retired on June 30, 2016.
Summer 2016 – On June 9, 2016, Colby–Sawyer announced that it would leave the NAC following the 2017–18 school year to join the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).[3]
Fall 2016 – Castleton University graduate Rachel Bombardier, the 2015–16 NAC Woman of the Year, was named one of 30 Top Honorees for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Bombardier becomes the first NAC woman to be selected in the final 30 student-athletes throughout the history of the award. The University of Maine at Preques Isle (UMaine–Presque Isle) competes as an associate member in the men's and women's NAC cross country championships and in the women's volleyball regular season and postseason.
Spring 2017 – On May 4, 2017, Castleton announced that it would leave the NAC following the 2017–18 school year to join the Little East Conference (LEC).[4]
Summer 2017 – On June 13, 2017, Green Mountain announced that it would leave the NAC (and the NCAA) following the 2017–18 school year to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),[5] which it would spend one season as an NAIA member before closing in 2019.
Summer 2017 – On July 31, 2017, New England College announced that it would leave the NAC following the 2017–18 school year to join the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).[6]
Fall 2018 – On November 30, 2018, the NAC announced that the State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi), already an associate member in six sports (men's golf, men's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track & field), would become a full member of the conference effective in the fall of 2019. At that time, five additional Delhi sports—men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball—began NAC play. Three more sports—men's and women's basketball, plus softball—remained in the ACAA as its associate member until starting NAC play in 2020–21.[8]
Spring 2022 – On March 1, 2022, the NAC announced that SUNY Morrisville (formerly Morrisville State)—alongside Lesley—would join as full members in the 2023–24 season.
Winter 2023 – On January 9, 2023, the NAC announced that they would welcome Eastern Nazarene College as a full member, also starting in the 2023–24 season.
Fall 2023 – Three New York institutions announced they would depart the conference to join their future respective primary home conferences: On October 5, 2023, SUNY Canton and SUNY Morrisville accepted to join to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC).[11] A month later, on November 21, 2023, SUNY Poly followed suit to join the Empire 8.[12]
Summer 2024 – Eastern Nazarene announced that it would be permanently closing following the 2024–25 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The NAC currently has ten full members, all but three are public schools.
^Before becoming a full member in the 2019–20 school year, SUNY Delhi had been an associate member in six sports. Men's and women's track joined in 2017–18, while men's golf, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's tennis joined in 2018–19. Men's and women's basketball and softball would later join in 2020–21, a year after becoming a full member of the NAC.[13]
^ abThe former Johnson State and Lyndon State Colleges were merged into Northern Vermont University effective July 1, 2018. Both former institutions remain separate campuses, with their own athletic programs. The schools were subsequently merged with Castleton University and Vermont Technical College to become Vermont State University on July 1, 2023.
^ abThis institution is a former women's college, it has since become a co-educational college (Elms since 1998–99, Lesley since 1997–98, Lesley since 2005–06).
^Wheelock was merged into Boston University after the school closed in 2018.
Former associate members
The NAC had ten former associate members, all but two were private schools. This list includes only associate members that have completely departed the NAC. Current full members that had previously housed select sports in the NAC, such as SUNY Delhi, are not included.
