| Empire 8 (E8) | |
| Established | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 12 (9 full, 3 associate) |
| Sports fielded | 22 (men's: 11; women's: 11) |
| Region | New York, New Jersey |
| Former names | Independent College Athletic Conference (1964–1991) Empire Athletic Association (1991–1999) |
| Headquarters | Rochester, New York |
| Commissioner | Chuck Mitrano (since 2001) |
| Website | www |
| Locations | |
The Empire 8 (E8) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. The E8 sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's football, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball. The E8 shares offices with the United Volleyball Conference, a separate Division III league that competes solely in men's volleyball.
About the Empire 8[]
The Empire 8 can trace its beginnings back to 1964 with the founding of the Independent College Athletic Conference (ICAC). At this time, the conference was made up of Alfred University, Clarkson University, Hobart College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), St. Lawrence University, and Union College. After Union left the league, Ithaca College and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) joined the ICAC.
In 1991, the ICAC regrouped to become the Empire Athletic Association (EAA), with Clarkson leaving and Hartwick College joining to replace the spot. Hobart/William Smith, RPI, and St. Lawrence left in 1993, to be replaced by Elmira College, Nazareth College, and Utica College. Alfred re-joined and St. John Fisher College joined the league in 1998.
The EAA became the Empire 8 Athletic Conference in 1999, hosting 13 sports.
Stevens Institute of Technology joined as a field hockey member beginning in 2006 and became a full member in 2007. RIT announced on June 5, 2009 that it planned to leave the Empire 8 for the Liberty League beginning in the fall of the 2011–12 season. Houghton College announced that they would join the Empire 8 in the 2012–13 season as they transitioned from a NAIA school to NCAA Division III status; they became full D-III members in 2016.
The most recent changes to the conference's membership were announced in the 2018–19 school year. First, Stevens announced in August 2018 that it would leave the E8 at the end of the 2018–19 school year to rejoin the Middle Atlantic Conferences after an absence of more than 40 years. Stevens will become part of the MAC's Freedom Conference.[1] In January 2019, the E8 announced that Stevens would eventually be replaced by Keuka College in 2020–21.[2]
Member schools[]
Current members[]
Full member institutions are listed immediately below. Departing member Stevens indicated in red.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Football? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred University | Alfred, New York | Saxons | 1836 | Private | 2,055 | 1964, 1998 |
Yes |
| Elmira College | Elmira, New York | Soaring Eagles | 1855 | Private | 1,170 | 1993 | No |
| Hartwick College | Oneonta, New York | Hawks | 1797 | Private | 1,600 | 1991 | Yes |
| Houghton College | Houghton, New York | Highlanders | 1883 | Private | 1,415 | 2012 | No |
| Nazareth College | Pittsford, New York | Golden Flyers | 1924 | Private | 3,140 | 1993 | No |
| The Sage Colleges Sage College of Albany (coed) Russell Sage College (women's) |
Albany, New York Troy, New York |
Gators | 1916 | Private | 2,832 | 2017 | No |
| St. John Fisher College | Pittsford, New York | Cardinals | 1948 | Private | 4,008 | 1998 | Yes |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, New Jersey | Ducks | 1870 | Private | 5,260 | 2007 | No |
| Utica College | Utica, New York | Pioneers | 1946 | Private | 3,105 | 1993 | Yes |
Future member[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joining | Football? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keuka College | Keuka Park, New York | Wolves | 1890 | Private | 1,650 | 2020 | No |
Affiliate members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Primary Conference | Empire 8 Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo State College | Buffalo, New York | Bengals | 1871 | Public | 11,659 | 2012–13 | SUNYAC | football |
| State University of New York at Brockport | Brockport, New York | Golden Eagles | 1867 | Public | 8,275 | 2014–15 | SUNYAC | football |
| State University of New York at Cortland | Cortland, New York | Red Dragons | 1868 | Public | 6,199 | 2015–16 | SUNYAC | football |
| Morrisville State College | Morrisville, New York | Mustangs | 1908 | Public | 3,356 | 2015–16 | NEAC | football |
| Washington & Jefferson College | Washington, Pennsylvania | Presidents | 1781 | Private | 1,519 | 2002–03 | Presidents' | field hockey |
Former members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkson University | Potsdam, New York | Golden Knights | 1896 | Private | 3,539 | 1964 | 1991 | Liberty |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, New York | Statesmen (Hobart) Herons (William Smith) |
1822 (Hobart) 1908 (William Smith) |
Private | 2,118 | 1964 | 1993 | Liberty |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, New York | Engineers | 1824 | Private | 7,521 | 1964 | 1993 | Liberty |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Henrietta, New York | Tigers | 1829 | Private | 17,652 | 1971 | 2011 | Liberty |
| St. Lawrence University | Canton, New York | Saints | 1856 | Private | 2,431 | 1964 | 1993 | Liberty |
| Union College | Schenectady, New York | Dutchmen (men's) Dutchwomen (women's) |
1795 | Private | 2,194 | 1964 | 1971 | Liberty |
| Ithaca College | Ithaca, New York | Bombers | 1892 | Private | 6,800 | 1971 | 2017 | Liberty |
Former affiliate members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Primary Conference | Empire 8 Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frostburg State University | Frostburg, Maryland | Bobcats | 1898 | Public | 6,133 | 2011–12 | 2015–16 | Capital (Mountain East, D-II in 2019) |
football |
| Salisbury University | Salisbury, Maryland | Sea Gulls | 1925 | Public | 8,606 | 2011–12 | 2015–16 | Capital | football |
| Springfield College[3] | Springfield, Massachusetts | Pride | 1885 | Private | 5,062 | 2002–03 | 2011–12 | NEWMAC | football |
Membership timeline[]
Championships[]
References[]
- ↑ "MAC Welcomes Stevens Institute of Technology Back in 2019-20" (Press release). Middle Atlantic Conferences. August 15, 2018. http://www.gomacsports.com/news/2018/8/13/general-mac-welcomes-stevens-institute-of-technology-back-in-2019-20.aspx. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Keuka College to Join the Empire 8 Conference Beginning in the Fall of 2020" (Press release). Empire 8 Conference. January 30, 2019. https://empire8.com/news/2019/1/30/general-keuka-college-to-join-the-empire-8-conference-beginning-in-the-fall-of-2020.aspx. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ↑ Springfield College To Join The Liberty League As Associate Member in Football Archived 2010-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
Template:Empire 8 navbox Template:NCAA Division III conference navbox