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| St. Elizabeth athletics photo |
St. Elizabeth University will join nine Division III institutions, eight of whom are current members of the CUNY Athletic Conference, to help establish a newly expanded NCAA Division III conference set to begin competition in the 2027–28 academic year. This conference, which is currently in the final stages of naming, branding, and incorporation, focuses on institutions in or near New York City.
For the ease of identification in the interim, we're referring to it as the NEWNYAC -- a portmanteau of NEW and CUNYAC.
In 2027-28, the Eagles will begin competition by joining Baruch, Brooklyn, City College of New York, Hunter, John Jay, Lehman, Medgar Evers, Pratt and York (N.Y.). St. Elizabeth, like Pratt, is a current member of the Atlantic East Conference and will end participation in that league at the end of the 2026-27 academic year. Additional expansion is expected.
In February, Pratt announced it was joining the NEWNYAC. New Jersey City University was previously announced as a member of the conference before it was announced that Kean would absorb the school's athletics.
St. Elizabeth is the fourth school in the past 13 months to announce that it is leaving the Atlantic East Conference, joining Marywood and Neumann, which are leaving for the Middle Atlantic Conferences in the fall of 2026. The AEC had only added St. Elizabeth this past fall. The continued loss of membership almost certainly prompted the AEC to seek and find an alliance with the United East Conference, which was recently announced, although it was made clear that it is not a merger of conferences.
“St. Elizabeth University is proud to join this new Division III conference, an affiliation that reflects a shared commitment to expanding opportunity, elevating competition, and positioning our student-athletes and institutions for long-term success,” said St. Elizabeth’s president Gary B. Crosby. “This move strengthens opportunities for competition, enhances the student experience, and supports the continued growth of our athletics program, while positioning the University to thrive in an evolving higher education landscape.”
“Joining the new conference marks a definitive step forward in the evolution of St. Elizabeth athletics. This transition is a high-level, strategic move designed to align our university with a conference that matches our ambition and our regional footprint,” added St. Elizabeth athletic director James Adams. “We are excited to build new rivalries and provide our student-athletes with a championship-caliber experience that reflects the growth and momentum of St. Elizabeth University.”
“The development of this new conference is an exciting process and St. Elizabeth’s commitment to join our work is a very positive and welcome step forward,” said Dr. Fernando Delgado, president of Lehman College and chair of the CUNY Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and the presidential leader for this group of schools forming this new conference.
“St. Elizabeth University, as the second new future member to join this new conference, is significant for several reasons. First and foremost, they fit with our other institutions in many ways, including but not limited to geographical, sport sponsorship, and competitive levels,” said CUNYAC acting commissioner Kurt Patberg. “In addition, they are the second private institution, along with new member Pratt Institute, of what will hopefully be several others that see this new conference as a great fit.”
St. Elizabeth, located in Morristown, New Jersey, will bring a total of 12 NCAA Division III sports into the new conference. The Eagles will compete in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, and men’s and women’s volleyball. St. Elizabeth also sponsors STUNT as an NCAA sport.
With the addition of St. Elizabeth, the new conference’s footprint will expand to New Jersey, with the nine current members located within the five boroughs of New York City in Manhattan (Baruch, CCNY, Hunter, John Jay), Brooklyn (Brooklyn, Medgar Evers, Pratt), Queens (York) and the Bronx (Lehman). St. Elizabeth has convenient access to Manhattan and the five boroughs and is located on the New Jersey Transit Morristown Line at the Convent Station stop, offering direct access to Penn Station.