Little East Conference

Little East Conference
Association	NCAA
Founded	1986
Commissioner	Al Bean (since September 2, 2024)
Sports fielded	19 men's: 8; women's: 11; ;
Division	Division III
No. of teams	9
Headquarters	North Providence, Rhode Island
Region	New England
Official website	littleeast.com
Locations

The Little East Conference (LEC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The member institutions are located in all six states of New England.

History

50km
31miles

ECSU

UNE

WNE

Salem State

Mass Maritime

Bridgewater State

Westfield State

Castleton

UMass Dartmouth

UMass Boston

Southern Maine

WCSU

R.I. College

Plymouth State

Keene State

🌍

Locations of Little East members, 2022–2023

full and

associate

Chronological timeline

1986 - On April 28, 1986, the Little East Conference (LEC) was founded. Charter members included Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts University (now the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Plymouth State College (now Plymouth State University), Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine; beginning the 1986–87 academic year.
1993 - Western Connecticut State University joined the Little East in the 1993–94 academic year.
1997 - Keene State College joined the Little East in the 1997–98 academic year.
2000 - Seven institutions joined the Little East as associate members: Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University for field hockey as the MASCAC division in fall, and Salem State for men's lacrosse in spring, all effective in the 2000–01 academic year.
2003 - Salem State added men's tennis into its Little East associate membership in the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
2004 - Two institutions added certain sports into their Little East associate memberships: Bridgewater State with men's and women's tennis, and Salem State with women's tennis, both effective the 2005 spring season (2004–05 academic year).
2009 - Three institutions added certain sports into their Little East associate memberships: Worcester State with women's tennis, and Bridgewater State and Westfield State with women's swimming & diving, all effective in the 2009–10 academic year.
2015 - Bridgewater State left the Little East as an associate member for women's swimming & diving after the 2014–15 academic year.
2018 - Castleton University (later Vermont State University–Castleton) joined the Little East in the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 - Two institutions joined the Little East as associate members: Western New England University for women's swimming & diving, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy for men's lacrosse, both effective in the 2019–20 academic year.
2022 -
- The University of New England joined the Little East as an associate member for women's swimming & diving in the 2022–23 academic year.^[1]
- The MASCAC field hockey division of the Little East (Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Salem State, Westfield State and Worcester State) will leave the Little East and be its own separate conference (as in, the MASCAC to have it as a sponsored sport) beginning in the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year).^[2]

Member schools

Current members

The Little East currently has nine full members, all are public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Endowment (millions)	Nickname	Joined
Eastern Connecticut State University	Willimantic, Connecticut	1889	Public^[a]	4,989	$16.3	Warriors	1986
Keene State College	Keene, New Hampshire	1909	Public^[b]	3,213	$14.0^[c]	Owls	1997
Plymouth State University	Plymouth, New Hampshire	1871	Public^[b]	4,491	$28.9	Panthers	1986
Rhode Island College	Providence, Rhode Island	1854	Public^[d]	7,523	$16.4	Anchormen & Anchorwomen	1986
University of Massachusetts Boston	Boston, Massachusetts	1852	Public^[e]	16,259	$92.0	Beacons	1986
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth	Dartmouth, Massachusetts	1895	Public^[e]	8,513	$59.0	Corsairs	1986
University of Southern Maine	Gorham, Maine^[f]	1878	Public^[g]	8,022	$38.5	Huskies	1986
Vermont State University-Castleton	Castleton, Vermont	1787	Public^[h]	2,399	$7.86	Spartans	2018
Western Connecticut State University	Danbury, Connecticut	1903	Public^[a]	5,246	$12.8	Wolves	1993

Notes

^ ^a ^b Part of the Connecticut State University System.
^ ^a ^b Part of the University System of New Hampshire.
^ Actual amount in endowment is $13,996,219.
^ Part of the Rhode Island Board of Education.
^ ^a ^b Part of the University of Massachusetts System.
^ The University of Southern Maine's main campus is located at Gorham; with other campuses at Lewiston and Portland.
^ Part of the University of Maine System.
^ Part of the Vermont State Colleges System.

Associate members

The Little East currently has six associate members, all but two are public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Endowment (millions)	Nickname	Joined	Primary conference	LEC sport(s)
Bridgewater State University	Bridgewater, Massachusetts	1840	Public^[a]	10,651	$54.0	Bears	2004–05^m.ten. 2004–05^w.ten.	MASCAC	men's tennis; women's tennis
Massachusetts Maritime Academy	Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts	1891	Public^[a]	1,637	$13.05^[b]	Buccaneers	2019–20	MASCAC	men's lacrosse
University of New England	Biddeford, Maine	1831	Nonsectarian	7,208	$39.2	Nor'easters	2022–23	CNE	women's swimming & diving
Salem State University	Salem, Massachusetts	1854	Public^[a]	7,242	$25.3	Vikings	2000–01^m.lax. 2003–04^m.ten. 2004–05^w.ten.	MASCAC	men's lacrosse; men's tennis; women's tennis
Western New England University	Springfield, Massachusetts	1919	Nonsectarian	3,702	$55.9	Golden Bears	2019–20	CNE	women's swimming & diving^[3]
Westfield State University	Westfield, Massachusetts	1838	Public^[a]	5,400	$6.2	Owls	2009–10	MASCAC	women's swimming & diving

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Part of the Massachusetts State Universities System.
^ Actual amount in endowment is $13,051,554.

Future associate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Primary conference	Little East sport
Babson College	Wellesley, Massachusetts	1919	Nonsectarian	2,350	Beavers	2025–26	NEWMAC	men's ice hockey
New England College	Henniker, New Hampshire	1946	Nonsectarian	4,327	Pilgrims	2025–26	GNAC	men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey
Norwich University	Northfield, Vermont	1819	Private	2,300	Cadets	2025–26	GNAC	men's ice hockey; women's ice hockey

Former associate members

The Little East had six former associate members, all of which were also public schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Endowment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Primary conference	LEC sport(s)
Bridgewater State University	Bridgewater, Massachusetts	1840	Public^[a]	10,651	$54.0	Bears	2000–01^f.h. 2009–10^w.s.d.	2022–23^f.h. 2014–15^w.s.d.	MASCAC	field hockey; women's swimming & diving
Fitchburg State University	Fitchburg, Massachusetts	1894	Public^[a]	4,659	$19.9	Falcons	2000–01	2022–23	MASCAC	field hockey
Framingham State University	Framingham, Massachusetts	1839	Public^[a]	4,111	$35.4^[b]	Rams	2000–01	2022–23	MASCAC	field hockey
Salem State University	Salem, Massachusetts	1854	Public^[a]	7,242	$25.3	Vikings	2000–01	2022–23	MASCAC	field hockey
Westfield State University	Westfield, Massachusetts	1838	Public^[a]	5,400	$6.2	Owls	2000–01	2022–23	MASCAC	field hockey
Worcester State University	Worcester, Massachusetts	1874	Public^[a]	6,434	$34.5	Lancers	2000–01^f.h. 2009–10^w.ten.	2022–23^f.h. 2020–21^w.ten.	MASCAC	field hockey; women's tennis

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Part of the Massachusetts State Universities System.
^ Actual amount in endowment is $35,385,907.

Membership timeline

Sports

Conference Sports


Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Field Hockey		Y
Golf	Y	Y
Ice Hockey	Y	Y
Lacrosse	Y	Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Swimming & Diving	Y	Y
Tennis	Y	Y
Track & Field	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

Men's sports

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field	Total LEC Sports
Castleton	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	9
Eastern Connecticut	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y^[a]	N	Y	8
Keene State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	9
Plymouth State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y^[a]	N	Y	8
Rhode Island College	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Southern Maine	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	9
UMass Boston	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	8
UMass Dartmouth	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	6
Western Connecticut	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	9
Totals	9	9	9	6	7+3	7+2	9	3+4	5+2	9	73+11
Associate Members
Babson					Y						1
Bridgewater State								Y	Y		2
Husson								Y			1
Maine Maritime								Y			1
Massachusetts Maritime						Y					1
New England College					Y						1
Norwich					Y						1
Salem State						Y			Y		2
SUNY Delhi								Y			1

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Little East Conference that are played by Little East schools


School	Alpine Skiing	Football	Wrestling
Castleton	USCSA	NJAC	NEWA
Plymouth State	EISA	MASCAC	NEWA
Rhode Island College			NEWA
Southern Maine			NEWA
UMass Dartmouth		MASCAC
Western Connecticut		Landmark

Women's sports

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Field Hockey	Golf	Ice Hockey	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field	Volleyball	Total LEC Sports
Castleton	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
Eastern Connecticut	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y^[a]	N	Y	Y	10
Keene State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	11
Plymouth State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y^[a]	Y	Y	Y	11
Rhode Island College	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y^[a]	Y	Y	Y	10
Southern Maine	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	11
UMass Boston	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
UMass Dartmouth	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Western Connecticut	Y	Y	Y	Y	N^[b]	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	9	9	8	5	5+2	9	9	9	5+6	7+2	9	9	93+10
Associate Members
Bridgewater State										Y			1
Husson									Y				1
Maine Maritime									Y				1
New England College					Y								1
U. of New England									Y				1
Norwich					Y								1
Salem State										Y			1
SUNY Delhi									Y				1
Western New England									Y				1
Westfield State									Y^[a]				1

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Little East Conference that are played by Little East schools


School	Alpine Skiing	Gymnastics	Rugby
Castleton	USCSA		Y
Plymouth State	EISA
Rhode Island College		NCGA

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Swimming only
^ 2026-27

References

^ "University of New England Women's Swimming to Join LEC as Affiliate Member in 2022-23" (Press release). Little East Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
^ "Little East Field Hockey Preseason Poll Released". 2022-08-24.
^ "Affiliate Members". littleeast.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.

External links

Official website

[CSUS-3] Part of the Connecticut State University System.

[USNH-4] Part of the University System of New Hampshire.

[5] Actual amount in endowment is $13,996,219.

[RIBoE-6] Part of the Rhode Island Board of Education.

[UMass-7] Part of the University of Massachusetts System.

[USMe-8] The University of Southern Maine's main campus is located at Gorham; with other campuses at Lewiston and Portland.

[UMeS-9] Part of the University of Maine System.

[VSC-10] Part of the Vermont State Colleges System.

[MassSU-11] Part of the Massachusetts State Universities System.

[12] Actual amount in endowment is $13,051,554.

[MassSU-14] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Part of the Massachusetts State Universities System.

[15] Actual amount in endowment is $35,385,907.

[Swimonly-16] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Swimming only

[WesternConn-17] 2026-27

[1] "University of New England Women's Swimming to Join LEC as Affiliate Member in 2022-23" (Press release). Little East Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.

[2] "Little East Field Hockey Preseason Poll Released". 2022-08-24.

[13] "Affiliate Members". littleeast.com. Retrieved 2021-10-22.

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Full members	Eastern Connecticut State Warriors Keene State Owls Plymouth State Panthers Rhode Island College Anchormen UMass Boston Beacons UMass Dartmouth Corsairs Southern Maine Huskies Vermont State Castleton Spartans Western Connecticut State Wolves
Associate members	Bridgewater State Bears¹ Fitchburg State Falcons² Framingham State Rams² Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers³ Salem State Vikings⁴ Western New England Golden Bears⁵ Westfield State Owls⁶ Worcester State Lancers⁷
¹field hockey, men's and women's tennis, and women's swimming & diving ²field hockey ³men's lacrosse ⁴field hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's tennis ⁵women's swimming & diving ⁶field hockey and women's swimming & diving ⁷field hockey and women's tennis