North Eastern Athletic Conference

The North Eastern Athletic Conference was founded in 2004. The original membership consisted of the following schools: Baptist Bible College (now known as Clarks Summit University), Bard College, Philadelphia Biblical University (now known as Cairn University), Cazenovia College, Chestnut Hill College, D'Youville College, Keuka College, Keystone College, Penn State-Berks, Polytechnic University (later known as the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and now fully merged into NYU as its Tandon School of Engineering), State University of New York at Purchase (SUNY Purchase), and Villa Julie College (now known as Stevenson University).

At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, the NEAC had a shifting of membership losing five institutions and gaining three new members. The departing members were: Bard, Chestnut Hill, Polytechnic (N.Y.), SUNY Purchase, and Stevenson; while the new members were: Penn State-Harrisburg, Wells College, and Wilson College. The NEAC consisted of 10 members, effective the 2007-08 season.

At the conclusion of the 2007–08 season, the NEAC lost an additional three institutions while gaining two new members. The departing members were: Baptist Bible, Cairn, and Keystone (all to the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, currently named the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The new members were State University of New York at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill) and State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT); the latter is now known as SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly). The NEAC consisted of bringing the total to nine members, effective the 2008-09 season.

The NEAC accepted four associate member institutions for the 2008–09 season; they were: Medaille College (for men's and women's lacrosse), Rutgers University–Camden (for men's golf), State University of New York at Oneonta (for men's tennis), and the University of Dallas (in men's soccer, men's golf, men's & women's cross country, and men's & women's basketball). The University of Dallas also competed in women's volleyball to the NEAC in the 2009–10 season.

At the conclusion of the 2008–09 season, the NEAC lost an additional founding member in D'Youville. In the 2009–10 season, the NEAC welcomed three additional new members in the College of Saint Elizabeth, Penn State-Abington, and State University of New York at Morrisville (SUNY Morrisville). The NEAC had accepted four associate member institutions in that same season. Additionally, the NEAC also began a three year partnership with the North Atlantic Conference in four sports: baseball; women's lacrosse; and men's and women's tennis. Departing the NEAC at the conclusion of the 2009–10 season were associate members the University of Dallas and SUNY Oneonta.

In the 2010-11 season, the NEAC welcomed by Gallaudet University. In the 2011–12 season, the NEAC gained one new full member in Lancaster Bible College while Rutgers–Camden (already an associate member in men's golf) joined the NEAC in men's tennis. The partnership between the NEAC and the NAC ended for baseball and women's lacrosse following the 2011-12 season.

At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, the NEAC lost one full member in Penn State Harrisburg. In the 2013–14 season, the NEAC added Cedar Crest College as an associate member for women's swimming. Beginning in the 2014–15 season, the NEAC accepted two new full members in Bryn Athyn College and Pennsylvania College of Technology. Also in that same season, Wilson College, a former women's college that became co-educational in the 2013–14 school year, began a men's athletic program, and four other schools became men's volleyball associates.

Changes in the NEAC membership have continued to the present. On August 30, 2017, Bryn Athyn and Wilson announced that they would leave the NEAC for the Colonial States Athletic Conference effective with the 2018–19 school year.[1] The next change of membership came in 2019–20 with the return of Penn State Harrisburg[2] and the departure of Saint Elizabeth for the Colonial States Athletic Conference.[3] In July 2020, the NEAC will lose four members, with Keuka departing for the Empire 8 Conference[4] and Cazenovia, SUNY Cobleskill, and SUNY Poly leaving for the North Atlantic Conference.[5] The NEAC membership will eventually return to 9 in 2021 with the arrival of St. Mary's College of Maryland.[6]

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