August 31 , 2007
SUNY Cobleskill & SUNY Institute of Technology Join the North Eastern Athletic Conference
GANSEVOORT, NY - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) is thrilled to announce the acceptance of two new colleges to the conference beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year. The NEAC has accepted SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Institute of Technology as full-members.
SUNY Cobleskill is located in Cobleksill, NY and has a dynamic interim president and athletic director who are moving the athletic program forward towards National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III competition at a very rapid pace. SUNY Cobleskill recently was accepted to the NCAA and will begin NCAA DIII provisional membership in 2008-2009 at the same time they join the NEAC. SUNY Cobleskill will be leaving behind many years of junior college athletics and the tremendous success at they enjoyed at the National Junior College Athletic Association level. They will be embarking on their new journey as a member of the NEAC where they will find support from other colleges who recently made a similar transition. SUNY Cobleskill offers a wide compliment of co-educational athletic opportunities for both men and women in the following sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. They also offer baseball and lacrosse for men and softball and volleyball for women. SUNY Cobleskill will grow into an NCAA and NEAC competitive program which the NEAC finds extremely exciting.
SUNY Institute of Technology is located in Utica, NY and a current member of the SUNYAC but has made a bold move to join the NEAC. In doing so, SUNY IT has made a commitment to give their student-athletes a quality athletic program through competition with similar institutions. They have a wide array of athletic programs and are also a long time member of the NCAA Division III. SUNY IT will have an immediate impact on the NEAC as they bring a tradition of excellence and a long history of dedication to their student-athletes. SUNY IT offers the following sports for both men and women: basketball, cross country, soccer, and volleyball. They also offer baseball and golf for men and bowling and softball for women. In the future, they will consider adding men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s lacrosse, field hockey, and men’s and women’s ice hockey. SUNY Institute of Technology is a terrific choice for the NEAC because they are a full-NCAA DIII co-educational institution with many years of experience in running a quality program.
Dr. Susan Phillip Speece, Chancellor at Penn State Berks and Chair of the NEAC Presidents Council spoke of the changes in the NEAC: “The North Eastern Athletic Conference is excited to be adding two dynamic new schools to the conference. The conference is based upon our shared belief in the importance of education, similar student populations and similar commitment of our Presidents to the conference. Our student athletes are celebrated and supported as they make their educational journey. We believe that both SUNY IT and SUNY Cobleskill will bring that shared philosophy to the conference.”
The NEAC will be losing Keystone College and Philadelphia Biblical University at the conclusion of 2007-2008.
In 2008-2009, the NEAC membership will be at 10 strong including: Baptist Bible College (Clark Summit, PA), Cazenovia College (Cazenovia, NY), D’Youville College (Buffalo, NY), Keuka College (Keuka, NY), Penn State – Berks (Reading, PA), Penn State Harrisbug (Harrisburg, PA), SUNY Cobleskill (Cobleskill, NY), SUNY Institute of Technology (Utica, NY), Wells College (Aurora, NY), and Wilson College (Chambersburg, PA). The NEAC will continue to sponsor baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse (new in 2008-2009), men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. The NEAC will look to add other sports that fit the new membership profile.