America East Conference will accept the resignation of Northeastern University from membership effective June 30, 2005, it was announced today by Chris Monasch, Commissioner of America East. The move allows Northeastern to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for the 2005-06 academic year. America East, Northeastern and the CAA all agreed to expedite the process to allow for Northeastern's withdrawal from America East earlier than the two-year period mandated by the conference's bylaws.
"The focus of the nine continuing members of America East Conference is on the future," said Monasch. "The last three years have seen a steady increase in the performance of our conference schools both on the athletic fields and in the classroom. Our sole focus now is on the continuation of this trend."
America East added University at Albany, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University to its membership in 2001 with each school entering its fourth year in the conference in 2004-05. University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) joined America East last season.
America East will continue to receive its automatic qualifier status to NCAA Championships in 12 sports despite the departure of Northeastern. Conference champions in the sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, field hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball will gain access to those NCAA Championships. In addition, the individual champions in the sport of men's and women's outdoor track and field will receive bids to that NCAA Championship.
The America East ratings percentage index (RPI) for men's basketball has improved in each of the last three seasons, jumping seven positions since 2001-02. The women's basketball RPI was rated fifth among the NCAA Division I-AA/I-AAA conferences in 2003-04. America East RPIs in the sports of baseball, women's basketball, field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball were better in 2003-04 than in 2000-01, the year prior to the addition of Albany, Binghamton and Stony Brook.
In addition, America East enjoyed its highest grade-point average of 2.97 among its nearly 3,500 student-athletes this past season. Nearly 1,700 of those student-athletes maintained grade-point averages of 3.0 or better. University of Maine won the America East Academic Cup with a record-setting grade-point average. Maine student-athletes compiled a grade-point average of 3.12 during the 2003-04 academic year, the highest grade-point average by an institution in the nine-year history of the award.
Monasch expects continued growth in both the academic and athletic arenas for America East. A strategic planning committee, comprised of four of the conference's athletic directors, is in place with a focus on continuing to upgrade the conference's competitive level in all sports and increase exposure and attendance for men's and women's basketball.
America East sponsors championship competition in 22 men's and women's sports—baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
America East membership includes Albany, Binghamton, Boston University, University of Hartford, Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Northeastern, Stony Brook and University of Vermont. Quinnipiac University is an associate member in men's lacrosse.