# Great Northeast Athletic Conference

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).

## History
### 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.
* 2022 – New England (Me.) left the GNAC as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2021–22 academic year.
* 2023 – Mitchell College and New England College joined the GNAC in the 2023–24 academic year.
* 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..

## Member schools
### Current members

The GNAC currently has fifteen full members, all are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
| Albertus Magnus College | New Haven, Connecticut | 1925 | Catholic (D.S.P.) | 1,961 | Falcons | 1995 |
| Anna Maria College | Paxton, Massachusetts | 1946 | Catholic (S.S.A.) | 1,500 | Amcats | 2011 |
| Colby–Sawyer College | New London, New Hampshire | 1837 | Nonsectarian | 2,262 | Chargers | 2018 |
| Dean College | Franklin, Massachusetts | 1865 | Nonsectarian | 1,055 | Bulldogs | 2020 |
| Elms College | Chicopee, Massachusetts | 1928 | Catholic (S.S.J.) | 1,713 | Blazers | 2021 |
| Emmanuel College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1919 | Catholic (SNDdeN) | 1,850 | Saints | 1995 |
| Lasell University | Newton, Massachusetts | 1851 | Nonsectarian | 2,200 | Lasers | 2007 |
| Mitchell College | New London, Connecticut | 1938 | Nonsectarian | 572 | Mariners | 2023 |
| New England College | Henniker, New Hampshire | 1946 | Nonsectarian | 4,327 | Pilgrims | 2023 |
| Norwich University | Northfield, Vermont | 1819 | Private | 2,300 | Cadets | 1998 |
| Regis College | Weston, Massachusetts | 1927 | Catholic (S.S.J.) | 2,748 | Pride | 2017 |
| Rivier University | Nashua, New Hampshire | 1933 | Catholic (S.P.M.) | 2,520 | Raiders | 1995 |
| University of Saint Joseph | West Hartford, Connecticut | 1932 | Catholic (R.S.M.) | 2,467 | Blue Jays | 1995 |
| Saint Joseph's College of Maine | Standish, Maine | 1912 | Catholic (R.S.M.) | 1,987 | Monks | 2007 |
| Simmons University | Boston, Massachusetts | 1899 | Nonsectarian | 1,900 | Sharks | 1995 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Anna Maria will join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
* 1 2 3 4 5 This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Lasell since 1997–98, Elms since 1998–99, Emmanuel (Mass.) since 2001–02, Regis (Mass.) since 2007–08 and Saint Joseph (Conn.) since 2018–19).
* ↑ Before joining for full membership, Elms competed in the GNAC as an associate member for swimming and diving from 2008–09 to 2020–21.
* ↑ This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
* ↑ Non-basketball member.

### 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:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
| Daniel Webster College | Nashua, New Hampshire | 1965 | For-profit | N/A | Eagles | 1995 | 2008 | Closed in 2017 |
| Endicott College | Beverly, Massachusetts | 1939 | Nonsectarian | 4,528 | Gulls | 1995 | 1999 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
| Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1880 | Nonsectarian | 4,290 | Lions | 1995 | 2013 | New England (NEWMAC) |
| Johnson & Wales University | Providence, Rhode Island | 1914 | Nonsectarian | 8,564 | Wildcats | 1995 | 2024 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
| Mount Ida College | Newton, Massachusetts | 1899 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Mustangs | 2007 | 2018 | Closed in 2018 |
| Pine Manor College | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | 1911 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Gators | 1995 | 2012 | N/A |
| Southern Vermont College | Bennington, Vermont | 1929 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Mountaineers | 1998 | 2008 | Closed in 2019 |
| Suffolk University | Boston, Massachusetts | 1906 | Nonsectarian | 6,832 | Rams | 1995 | 2020 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |
| Western New England University | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1919 | Nonsectarian | 3,702 | Golden Bears | 1998 | 2007 | Commonwealth Coast (CCC) |

#### Notes

* ↑ This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Pine Manor from 2014–15).
* ↑ 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
## Sports

A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W). :
| North Anna Maria Colby–Sawyer Emmanuel Norwich Rivier Saint Joseph (Maine) Simmons | South Albertus Magnus Dean Elms Johnson & Wales Lasell Regis Saint Joseph (Conn.) |
Conference sports :
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | Y | |
| Basketball | Y | Y |
| Cross country | Y | Y |
| Field hockey | | Y |
| Golf | Y | |
| Lacrosse | Y | Y |
| Soccer | Y | Y |
| Softball | | Y |
| Swimming & diving | Y | Y |
| Tennis | Y | Y |
| Track & field | Y | Y |
| Volleyball | Y | Y |