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 and continuing until 2026–27.

History

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, and founding member Becker College announced the same after the 2020–21 school year. 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. In July 2021, original member Bay Path was admitted to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), 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.

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. 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. In 2023 it was announced that Eastern Nazarene College would also be joining the NAC.

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". 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.

• 2026 – The NEVC will disband following the 2026 season as part of an agreement between it, the United Volleyball Conference, and three all-sports conferences—the Conference of New England (CNE), Empire 8, and New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Of the final NEVC members, Russell Sage and SUNY Poly will move men's volleyball to the Empire 8 (being full members of that conference), while the remaining six will join CNE men's volleyball (three as full members and three as affiliates).

Member schools

Final full members

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

1. Notes:

Final men's volleyball members

The NECC had eight associate members in men's volleyball at the time of its dissolution:

1. Notes:

Esports members

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

1. Notes:

Former members

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

1. Notes:

Former associate members

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

1. Notes:

Membership timeline

Sports

Conference sports

References

External links