Pratt to join Atlantic East

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.”

D-III champions get their day at the White House

The Carnegie Mellon men's golf, Emory men's swimming and diving, and University of Chicago men's soccer team all were among the close to 20 Division III sports teams in attendance at College Athlete Day at the White House.
Photo by Kim Kelly for the University Athletic Association
 

Each year there are 28 Division III teams crowned, give or take a pandemic, and usually they are not among the chosen few invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishments. That changed this year, however, when the White House announced College Athlete Day, bringing in student-athletes from across the country and across the NCAA.

"Congratulations to the over 1,000 student athletes here for this first-of-its-kind event at the White House," said Vice President Kamala Harris, who stepped in as President Joe Biden was out getting a root canal. She also noted that 47 teams were present, representing 19 sports and all three NCAA divisions.

"Truly an honor to be a part of something so special," said UW-La Crosse track student-athlete JT Zell, who along with Emma Lawrence, represented UWL on the stage at Monday's ceremony.  "These opportunities are once in a lifetime. We are super thankful to everyone involved for making it happen." 

"We were all very grateful for the opportunity to represent our university in a meeting of so many great champions," Griffin Wada said. Wada plays men's soccer for the Universiy of Chicago. "I think we all understand that very few people get invited to the White House, and to get that invitation based upon our play on the field makes it that much sweeter. It was awesome to have Vice President Harris speak to us, and hopefully this soccer program will have many more chances to visit over the coming years."

"It's an honor to be invited to the White House," Stevens men's volleyball head coach Dan Buehring said. "The team was excited to visit Washington D.C., hear the (vice) president's remarks, and reflect on their achievements this year. We are happy to also have the opportunity to be together again as a team during this special trip and honor."

Of those 47, 19 were Division III champions. These are the teams we were able to confirm were in attendance as of the time of publication. A full list was not included in White House documentation on the event.

Carnegie Mellon men's golf
Case Western Reserve men's tennis
Chicago men's soccer
Christopher Newport men's basketball
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis
Denison women's swimming
Emory men's swimming
Hobart ice hockey (men's)
Johns Hopkins women's cross country
Johns Hopkins women's soccer
MIT men's cross country
MIT men's track and field
North Central football
Salisbury men's lacrosse
Stevens men's volleyball
Transylvania women's basketball
UW-La Crosse men's indoor track
UW-La Crosse women's track and field
Wellesley rowing

 

 

 

Berea jumps to HCAC

 

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced today the addition of Berea into the league following a vote by the HCAC Council of Presidents. With the introduction of the Mountaineers beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the league will expand to 11 full-time member institutions.

“Berea College is a welcome addition to our conference. They have an outstanding academic reputation and will compete well athletically within our league.” said HCAC Commissioner Jay Jones. “The institution is a wonderful fit for the HCAC and we are excited to welcome them into our membership.”

The move leaves the Collegiate Conference of the South with eight members, but just six which sponsor men's sports. Located in Berea, Kentucky, the school is a little bit south of HCAC member Transylvania, but is 624 miles from Belhaven, a conference mate in the CCS. The CCS just began play this season after splitting from the USA South.
 
“I am delighted that the HCAC presidents have voted to invite Berea College to join their conference,” college president Lyle D. Roelofs said. “We look forward to competing with this group of quality institutions with which we share many important characteristics and values.”

"Joining the Heartland is an exciting move for our athletic programs and campus community, allowing Berea the opportunity to compete athletically against institutions with a shared academic philosophy and in close proximity to our campus," added Ryan Hess, Berea's director of athletics. "We look forward to developing connections and relationships amongst their conference administrators, coaches and student-athletes."
  
Berea will become the 11th member school and the first institution to join the HCAC since Earlham was added in 2010. 

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