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| The women's soccer team at Pratt finished .500 this past season and was one of the department's most successful programs. Pratt athletics photo |
Pratt Institute, a school in Brooklyn which is relatively new to Division III, will be joining the Atlantic East Conference in the fall of 2024.
Deanne Horner D’Emilio, the chair of the Atlantic East's Presidents' Council and president of member school Gwynedd Mercy University, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Pratt Institute into the Atlantic East Conference. Their history, location, unique academic offerings, and growing athletic programs make them an ideal member for the Atlantic East.”
Adding Pratt extends the footprint of the conference, from the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., to New York City. It also provides the AEC some insurance against schools closing or leaving, as the conference will have eight full-time members, if nothing else changes in the interim.
Founded in 1887 and located in Brooklyn, New York, Pratt is one of the newest members of NCAA Division III. The Cannoneers attained full membership in 2022 after a four-year exploratory and provisional process. A world-class and internationally ranked college with programs in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt is one of the very few Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design institutions to sponsor athletics at the NCAA level. The school has 3,767 full-time undergraduates as of its most recent filing with the U.S. Department of Education.
Pratt has been a member of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference.
“We are delighted to be part of the Atlantic East Conference, an important organization that fosters athletic competition among academically selective, private colleges,” said Pratt president Frances Bronet. “Athletics are an important part of the college experience and Pratt’s program has expanded greatly over the last four years. Pratt students challenge themselves in the classroom, studio, and on the field - all engaged and interconnected arenas for powerful independent and team-based learning practices.”
The Cannoneers have a history of athletics that includes the 1959 NAIA men’s soccer national championship and 18 conference titles in the Hudson Valley Athletic Conference, their former conference prior to commencing the NCAA process. As a growing athletic program with approximately 160 student-athletes that combine for a cumulative grade point average over 3.5, they embrace the Division III model and will be a great addition to the conference.
As a former member of the NCAA Division III Membership Committee, Atlantic East Commissioner Jessica Huntley was fortunate enough to become familiar with Pratt Institute during their application process into the NCAA. “I took a campus visit in 2019 and I was impressed with their staff, students, facilities, and academic profile as one of the best art, design, and architecture schools in the world. They have made tremendous strides in athletics over the past few years since starting the NCAA process and we are thrilled to welcome them as a full member of the Atlantic East.”
Pratt will bring 14 varsity sports to the Atlantic East Conference starting in 2024–25. The Cannoneers will compete in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Pratt also has a co-ed equestrian team that competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association.
“Joining the Atlantic East is a great opportunity for Pratt and this is the perfect time to make the move as we continue to grow and elevate our department,” added Pratt athletic director Walter Rickard. “The institutions in the conference have the academic and athletic profiles we’ve been looking for and adding a regular conference schedule will enhance our student-athlete experience greatly. I’d like to extend a big thanks to Commissioner Huntley and the Atlantic East athletic directors and presidents for extending the invitation to join.”