Little East Conference
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
The Little East Conference (LEC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The member institutions are located in all six states of New England.
History
Chronological timeline
- 1986 - On April 28, 1986, the Little East Conference (LEC) was founded. Charter members included Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts University (now the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Plymouth State College (now Plymouth State University), Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine; beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
- 1993 - Western Connecticut State University joined the Little East in the 1993–94 academic year.
- 1997 - Keene State College joined the Little East in the 1997–98 academic year.
- 2000 - Seven institutions joined the Little East as associate members: Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University for field hockey as the MASCAC division in fall, and Salem State for men's lacrosse in spring, all effective in the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2003 - Salem State added men's tennis into its Little East associate membership in the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
- 2004 - Two institutions added certain sports into their Little East associate memberships: Bridgewater State with men's and women's tennis, and Salem State with women's tennis, both effective the 2005 spring season (2004–05 academic year).
- 2009 - Three institutions added certain sports into their Little East associate memberships: Worcester State with women's tennis, and Bridgewater State and Westfield State with women's swimming & diving, all effective in the 2009–10 academic year.
- 2015 - Bridgewater State left the Little East as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2014–15 academic year.
- 2018 - Castleton University (later Vermont State University–Castleton) joined the Little East in the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2019 - Two institutions joined the Little East as associate members: Western New England University for women's swimming & diving, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy for men's lacrosse, both effective in the 2019–20 academic year.
- 2022 -
- The University of New England joined the Little East as an associate member for women's swimming & diving in the 2022–23 academic year.[1]
- The MASCAC field hockey division of the Little East (Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Salem State, Westfield State and Worcester State) will leave the Little East and be its own separate conference (as in, the MASCAC to have it as a sponsored sport) beginning in the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year).[2]
Member schools
Current members
The Little East currently has nine full members, all are public schools:
- Notes
Associate members
The Little East currently has six associate members, all but two are public schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Endowment (millions)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Nickname | Joined | Colors | Primary conference |
LEC sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, Massachusetts | 1840 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 10,651 | $54.0 | Bears | 2004–05m.ten. 2004–05w.ten. |
Template:College color boxes | MASCAC | men's tennis; women's tennis |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts | 1891 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 1,637 | $13.05Template:Efn | Buccaneers | 2019–20 | Template:College color boxes | MASCAC | men's lacrosse |
| Script error: No such module "sort". | Biddeford, Maine | 1831 | Nonsectarian | 7,208 | $39.2 | Nor'easters | 2022–23 | Template:College color boxes | CNE | women's swimming & diving |
| Salem State University | Salem, Massachusetts | 1854 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 7,242 | $25.3 | Vikings | 2000–01m.lax. 2003–04m.ten. 2004–05w.ten. |
Template:College color boxes | MASCAC | men's lacrosse; men's tennis; women's tennis |
| Western New England University | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 3,702 | $55.9 | Golden Bears | 2019–20 | Template:College color boxes | CNE | women's swimming & diving[3] |
| Westfield State University | Westfield, Massachusetts | 1838 | PublicTemplate:Efn | 5,400 | $6.2 | Owls | 2009–10 | Template:College color boxes | MASCAC | women's swimming & diving |
- Notes
Future associate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
Little East sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babson College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 2,350 | Beavers | 2025–26 | NEWMAC | men's ice hockey |
| New England College | Henniker, New Hampshire | 1946 | Nonsectarian | 4,327 | Pilgrims | 2025–26 | GNAC | men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey |
| Norwich University | Northfield, Vermont | 1819 | Private | 2,300 | Cadets | 2025–26 | GNAC | men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey |
Former associate members
The Little East had six former associate members, all of which were also public schools:
- Notes
Membership timeline
<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1986 till:2026
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors =
id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Eastern Connecticut State (1986–present)
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Massachusetts–Boston (1986–present)
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Massachusetts–Dartmouth (1986–present)
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Plymouth State (1986–present)
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Rhode Island College (1986–present)
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end text:Southern Maine (1986–present)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1993 till:end text:Western Connecticut State (1993–present)
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1997 till:end text:Keene State (1997–present)
bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Bridgewater State (2000–present)
bar:10 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2022 text:Fitchburg State (2000–2022)
bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2022 text:Framingham State (2000–2022)
bar:12 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Salem State (2000–present)
bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Westfield State (2000–present)
bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:end text:Worcester State (2000–present)
bar:15 shift:(-20) color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Castleton/Vermont State–Castleton (2018–present)
bar:16 shift:(-40) color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Massachusetts Maritime (2019–present)
bar:17 shift:(-40) color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Western New England (2019–present)
bar:18 shift:(-80) color:AssocOS from:2022 till:end text:New England (Me.) (2022–present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1986
</timeline>
Sports
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".
The LEC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball.
In 2023, the Little East announced the addition of men's and women's ice hockey to begin play in 2025.[4]
Men's sports
Women's sports
Notes
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
Template:Little East Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division III conference navbox