Wells College Welcomes St. Mary's College of Maryland as Newest NEAC Member

LATHAM, N.Y. - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) welcomes its newest member, the St. Mary's College of Maryland Seahawks, to the conference. Beginning July 1st, 2021 the Seahawks become the ninth core member of the NEAC.

Located in St. Mary's, Maryland, St. Mary's brings with them 12 NEAC-sponsored programs including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's soccer, baseball and women's volleyball. The Seahawks also host a slew of non-NEAC sports including field hockey, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's rowing, men's and women's sailing and men's and women's swimming.

"We are thrilled to officially have St. Mary's College of Maryland as a full member of the NEAC.", announced NEAC Commissioner Stephanie Dutton. "We appreciate the efforts of their campus administrators in recent months as we have been preparing for St. Mary's transition to the NEAC and we are eager to welcome the Seahawks' student-athletes to our conference this fall. Not only is today the start of a new academic year with a new member, but it is only just the beginning of a new era for our conference."

Formerly part of the Coast-to-Coast Conference, the Seahawks bring a level of competition that matches the competitiveness the NEAC provides.

"We are excited to officially start a new chapter for Seahawk Athletics as a full member of the North East Athletic Conference," remarked Crystal Gibson, St. Mary's Director of Athletics and Recreation. "This transition will afford our student-athletes the ability to continue to compete at the highest level and challenge for conference championships, while excelling in the academic pursuits of our conference peers. The conference has outstanding leadership on every level, and we look forward to being a guiding partner as the NEAC continues to rise as a national contender."

St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public liberal arts college with approximately 1,600 enrolled students. The institution offers bachelor's degrees in 21 disciplines, as well as a master's program and certification programs.

The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has nine NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Wells College, Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg and St. Mary's College of Maryland.

The NEAC also includes one associate member in Rutgers University – Camden (M Golf). The NEAC has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse and the North Atlantic Conference in men's tennis and women's tennis. For more information, please visit: www.neacsports.com.