Eastern Nazarene College Athletics will be joining the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) starting in the fall of the 2018-2019 academic year.
Announced on April 7, ENC will move from the current division, Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), to the NECC, after a long process of deliberation. In an email sent out to all ENC athletes, Dr. Brad Zarges, Director of Athletics, said that the investigation on the move took about six months. He said, “We looked at numerous metrics to inform this decision and concluded that we simply fit best in the NECC. The size of student bodies, number of sports offered at each institution, and numerous other factors were considered.”
ENC’s men’s volleyball is already a part of the NECC, which has contributed to the strengthening of this relationship.
The women’s sports that will move are basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The men’s teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field.
President Corlis McGee said, “The addition of ENC increases the strength of the conference and matches our intentions to offer a transformative athletic experience for our student-athletes. ENC regularly competes against many of the member colleges of the NECC in all sports, so we already have an existing and positive relationship.”
Nothing will change in the 2017-2018 academic year. The change will not occur until fall of 2018. NECC commissioner Del Malloy said of ENC, “Throughout the years, athletic programs at ENC have stood for the very best of Division III. They are true student-athletes who compete hard [and] always exhibit high standards of teamwork, respect, and good sportsmanship whenever they play.”
While in the NECC, Eastern Nazarene College will have the privilege of competing against 10 other schools, four of which share the Boston area with ENC.