FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2013
Following 13-year period
as member of
Northeast-10 Conference, River Hawks to join America
East
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Following 13 years as a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, the University of Massachusetts Lowell has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Division I America East Conference.
UMass Lowell and its 14 Division II varsity programs will join America East for the 2013-14 academic year, while the River Hawks men’s ice hockey team will continue to compete as a member of Hockey East.
“Even though UMass Lowell will begin a new era in athletics, I am mindful that membership in the Northeast-10 Conference helped us to advance our athletics program in ways that otherwise would not have been possible” said UMass Lowell director of athletics Dana Skinner. “Membership in the Northeast-10 meant everything to our campus and student-athletes.”
“I said it then and I still say it now, the Northeast-10 is the best Division II conference in the country,” Skinner added. “It was the right decision to join the conference in 2000 and it’s the right decision to join America East now.”
“While a conference never likes to lose a valued member, the Northeast-10 wishes UMass Lowell the best of luck as it enters this new phase of its athletics history with the impending reclassification into Division I,” said Northeast-10 commissioner Julie Ruppert.
UMass Lowell will begin competing at the Division I level this fall and will remain eligible to compete in Northeast-10 Championships this coming winter and spring.
“UMass Lowell’s forthright manner throughout this process has provided us an opportunity to be prepared for this news,” added Ruppert. “We have begun the necessary work to make adjustments on things such as Conference schedules, and we will work with our administrators to make this transition as smooth as we can for the 15 members that will comprise the NE-10 in 2013-14 and beyond.”
“They have been strong partners from the start and as they end their relationship with the Northeast-10 this spring, they do so with goodwill and the best of wishes,” said Ruppert. “In these days of conference realignment, that is not always the case and both sides have worked hard to ensure this transition will be amicable and smooth.”
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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