News

Cape Cod, Mass. - Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Commissioner Rudy Keeling and ECAC President Dan Mara have announced Lesley University, Gallaudet University, State University of New York at Cobleskill, and Hampton University have been voted into membership in the Eastern College Athletic Conference for the 2009-10 academic year.

The institutions have all been voted in by the ECAC Board of Directors. With the addition of those four schools, the ECAC's membership increases to 319 colleges from Maine to North Carolina. The conference has 90 members in Division I, 40 members in Division II, and 189 members in Division III.

"We are excited we are still expanding, and that colleges and universities see the value of our services. The ECAC continues to deliver an enormous return to its members - providing championship opportunities, officiating services, and award recognition through our player of the week and all-star programs," said Commissioner Keeling.

Lesley is an NCAA Division III institution with an enrollment of 12,344, including 1,702 undergraduates, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Lesley competes in the New England Collegiate Conference and sponsors 12 varsity sports including men's and women's basketball, women's crew, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, softball, and men's and women's volleyball. Stanley Viera is the Director of Athletics at Lesley.

Gallaudet is an NCAA Division III institution with an enrollment of 1,600, and is located in Washington, D.C. It is a world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students. Gallaudet enjoys an international reputation for the outstanding graduate programs it provides deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students, as well as for the quality of the research it conducts on the history, language, culture, and other topics related to deaf people. The Bison compete in the Capital Athletic Conference and sponsor 14 varsity sports including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's track and field, and volleyball. Mike Weinstock is the Director of Athletics for the Bison.

State University of New York at Cobleskill is an NCAA Division III institution with an enrollment of 2,500, and is located in Cobleskill, New York. SUNY Cobleskill competes in the Northeastern Athletic Conference and provides 20 varsity sports including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cheerleading, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and volleyball. Kevin McCarthy is the Athletic Director for the Fighting Tigers.

Hampton University is an NCAA Division I institution with an enrollment of 6,000, located in Hampton, Virginia. Hampton is a privately-endowed, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational, historically black university. The Pirates compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and offer 15 varsity sports including men's and women's basketball, women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, volleyball, and co-ed sailing. Lonza Hardy is the Director of Athletics for the Pirates.

About the ECAC®
The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with 319 Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC membership covers 16 states and stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors more than 100 championships in 37 men's and women's sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports. The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues. Through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,500 student-athletes in 23 sports are recognized. Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men's ice hockey, women's ice hockey, and men's lacrosse.