The Skyline Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the NCAA's Division III.

The league was originally chartered on May 16, 1989, as a men's basketball conference and now sponsors 17 sports (nine for men and 8 for women). The Skyline Conference sponsors baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's volleyball.

Primarily comprising schools from the New York metropolitan area, the Skyline Conference currently has 11 full-time member schools, as well as two part-time members that compete in men's volleyball only.

Prior to the 2007–08 academic year, the league introduced the Skyline Presidents Cup. St. Joseph's (LI) won the first three Presidents Cups (2007–10), followed by Farmingdale State winning in 2010–11. St. Joseph's (LI) collected its fourth Presidents Cup in 2011–12, with Farmingdale State regaining the title in both 2012–13 and 2013–14.

History

Recent events

In May 2018, Manhattanville College announced that they would leave the MAC Freedom Conference and return to the Skyline for the 2019–20 academic year. Manhattanville was a charter member of the Skyline before leaving to join the MAC in 2007.

On April 22, 2025, New Jersey City University (NJCU) announced that it would leave the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball to join the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) for that sport after the 2025 spring season of the 2024–25 academic year (who would later join for all sports, beginning 2027–28).

Chronological history

• 1989 – On May 16, 1989, the Skyline Conference was founded. Charter members included Manhattanville College, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, the State University of New York at Old Westbury, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Merchant Marine), beginning the 1989–90 academic year.

• 1993 – Mount Saint Mary College joined the Skyline in the 1993–94 academic year.

• 1994 – Stony Brook left the Skyline to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-II Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.

• 1996 – The State University of New York Maritime College joined the Skyline in the 1996–97 academic year.

• 1998 – Yeshiva University joined the Skyline in the 1998–99 academic year.

• 1999 – St. Joseph's College of New York at Long Island (now St. Joseph's University of New York at Long Island) joined the Skyline in the 1999–2000 academic year.

• 2000 – Stevens Institute of Technology joined the Skyline in the 2000–01 academic year.

• 2003 – Centenary College of New Jersey (now Centenary University) and the State University of New York of Farmingdale (also known as Farmingdale State College) joined the Skyline in the 2003–04 academic year.

2005 – Three institutions joined the Skyline as affiliate members, all effective in the 2006 spring season (2005–06 academic year):

• Kean University and Montclair State University for men's and women's lacrosse

• and Stockton University for men's lacrosse

2007:

Four institutions had left the Skyline to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2006–07 academic year:

• Centenary (N.J.) to the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC; later the Colonial States Athletic Conference or CSAC)

• Manhattanville and Stevens to the MAC Freedom Conference

• and U.S. Merchant Marine to the Landmark Conference

• Bard College, Polytechnic Institute of New York (later the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, or NYU Poly), the State University of New York at Purchase and The Sage Colleges (women's college Russell Sage College and the co-ed Sage College of Albany) joined the Skyline in the 2007–08 academic year.

• Ramapo College joined the Skyline as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2007 spring season (2006–07 academic year).

2011:

• Bard left the Skyline to join the Liberty League after the 2010–11 academic year.

• New Jersey City University (NJCU) joined the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball (with Kean and Ramapo adding for that sport), all effective in the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year):

• 2013 – Kean, Montclair State and Ramapo left the Skyline as affiliate members for women's lacrosse after the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).

2014:

• NYU Poly left the Skyline to discontinue its athletics program as it was merged into New York University after the 2013–14 academic year.

• Sarah Lawrence College joined the Skyline in the 2014–15 academic year.

• 2015 – St. Joseph's College of New York at Brooklyn (now St. Joseph's University of New York at Brooklyn) joined the Skyline in the 2015–16 academic year.

• 2016 – U.S. Merchant Marine rejoined the Skyline in the 2016–17 academic year.

2017:

• The Sage Colleges (Russell Sage and Sage [or SCA]) left the Skyline to join the Empire 8 after the 2016–17 academic year.

Five institutions left the Skyline as affiliate members, all effective after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year):

• Kean for men's and women's lacrosse and men's volleyball

• Montclair State for men's and women's lacrosse

• New Jersey City (NJCU) for men's volleyball

• Stockton for men's lacrosse

• and Ramapo for women's lacrosse

2019:

• Manhattanville rejoined the Skyline in the 2019–20 academic year.

• New Jersey City (NJCU) and Ramapo rejoined the Skyline as affiliate members for men's volleyball in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).

• 2025 – New Jersey City (NJCU) left the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball to join the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) after the 2025 spring season (2024–25 academic year).

Member schools

Current members

The Skyline currently has 12 full members, all but five are private schools:

1. Notes:

Affiliate members

The Skyline currently has one affiliate member, a public school.

1. Notes:

Former members

The Skyline had seven former full members, all but one were private schools:

1. Notes:

Former affiliate members

The Skyline currently has five affiliate members, all were public schools.

1. Notes:

Membership timeline

1. Summary:

Sports

The Skyline sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:

References

External links