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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Commissioner | Joe Walsh (since 2005) |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 15 (14 in 2025) |
| Headquarters | Winthrop, Massachusetts |
| Region | New England |
| Official website | thegnac.com |
| Locations | |
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Chronological timeline
- 1995 – In 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) was founded. Charter members included the following: On men's sports and women's sports, Albertus Magnus College, Daniel Webster College, Emerson College, Endicott College, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island Campus and Rivier College (now Rivier University); on women's sports only, Emmanuel College, Pine Manor College, the University of Saint Joseph, Simmons College (now Simmons University) and Suffolk University, all beginning the 1995–96 academic year.
- 1998 – Norwich University, Southern Vermont College and Western New England College (now Western New England University) joined the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 1998 – Suffolk's men's sports joined the GNAC in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 1999 – Endicott left the GNAC to join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) after the 1998–99 academic year.
- 2001 – Emmanuel (Mass.) added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2001–02 academic year.
- 2007 – Western New England left the GNAC to join the CCC after the 2006–07 academic year.
- 2007 – Lasell College (now Lasell University) and Mount Ida College and Saint Joseph's College of Maine joined the GNAC in the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2008 – Daniel Webster and Southern Vermont left the GNAC to join the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) after the 2007–08 academic year.
- 2008 – Four institutions joined the GNAC as associate members: Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine for men's golf, and Elms College and Husson University for men's and women's swimming & diving, all effective in the 2008–09 academic year.
- 2011 – Anna Maria College joined the GNAC in the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2011 – Wentworth Institute of Technology (Wentworth Tech) joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's volleyball in the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year).
- 2012 – Pine Manor left the GNAC to join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) after the 2011–12 academic year.
- 2012 – The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (UMass–Dartmouth) joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's golf in the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
- 2013 – Emerson left the GNAC to join the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) after the 2012–13 academic year.
- 2017 – Regis College joined the GNAC in the 2017–18 academic year.
- 2018 – Mount Ida left the GNAC due to the school announcing that it would close after the 2017–18 academic year.
- 2018 – Colby–Sawyer College joined the GNAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2018 – Eastern Nazarene College joined the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis in the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year).
- 2018 – Saint Joseph (Conn.) added men's sports in its athletic program to join the GNAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2020 – Eastern Nazarene left the GNAC as an associate member for men's tennis after the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
- 2020 – Dean College joined the GNAC in the 2020–21 academic year.
- 2021 – Elms had upgraded to join the GNAC for all sports in the 2021–22 academic year.
- 2021 – The University of New England joined the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving in the 2021–22 academic year.[1]
- 2022 – New England (Me.) left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2021–22 academic year.[2]
- 2023 – Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC in the 2023–24 academic year.[3]
- 2024 – Johnson & Wales (RI) will leave the GNAC to will join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
- 2024 – Anna Maria will leave the GNAC to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), beginning the 2025–26 academic year..
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Current members
The GNAC currently has fifteen full members, all are private schools:
- Notes
- Anna Maria will join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
- Before joining for full membership, Elms competed in the GNAC as an associate member for swimming and diving from 2008–09 to 2020–21.[4]
Associate members
The GNAC currently has five associate members, all but two are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
GNAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Husson University | Bangor, Maine | 1898 | Nonsectarian | 3,500 | Eagles | 2008 | North Atlantic (NAC) | swimming and diving |
| Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1880 | Nonsectarian | 4,290 | Lions | 1995 | New England (NEWMAC) | men's volleyball |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, Massachusetts | 1904 | Nonsectarian | 4,576 | Leopards | 2011 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) | men's volleyball |
Former members
The GNAC had nine former full members, all were private schools:
- Notes
- Pine Manor was acquired by Boston College in 2021.
Former associate members
The GNAC had two former associate members, which were also private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Primary conference |
GNAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Nazarene College | Quincy, Massachusetts | 1900 | Nazarene | 1,063 | Lions | 2018 | 2020 | North Atlantic (NAC) | men's tennis |
| University of New England | Biddeford, Maine | 1831 | Nonsectarian | 7,208 | Nor'easters | 2021 | 2022 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) | women's swimming & diving |
| Rhode Island College | Providence, Rhode Island | 1854 | Nonsectarian | 7,523 | Anchormen | 2008 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
| University of Southern Maine | Portland, Maine | 1878 | Public | 8,022 | Huskies | 2008 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts | 1895 | Public | 8,513 | Corsairs | 2012 | ? | Little East (LEC) | men's golf |
Membership timeline
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| A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W). | |
North
|
South
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| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | |
| Basketball | | |
| Cross country | | |
| Field hockey | | |
| Golf | | |
| Lacrosse | | |
| Soccer | | |
| Softball | | |
| Swimming & diving | | |
| Tennis | | |
| Track & field | | |
| Volleyball | | |
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