Sacred Heart, Merrimack moving to MAAC next fall

Sacred Heart University and Merrimack College are moving from the Northeast Conference (NEC) to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) next September. The two schools will begin play in the MAAC for the 2024-25 school year.

Sacred Heart has been a member of the NEC since 1999.

The move won’t impact Sacred Heart’s men’s or women’s wrestling programs. The men’s wrestling team has been in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association since 2012 and the third-year women’s wrestling team, one of four varsity programs competing at the Division I level, is an independent.

However, since the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football, men’s volleyball, field hockey or bowling, four Sacred Heart programs need to find new conference affiliations. The teams could remain in the NEC as associate members or find new conferences.

Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University are members of the MAAC along with Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Mount St. Mary’s, Niagara, Rider, St. Peter’s and Siena. With 13 members, the MAAC has never been larger.

The MAAC currently sponsors 23 NCAA Division I sports and championships with the MAAC champions earning automatic berths to the NCAA championship in 15 sports.

Sacred Heart has 33 varsity sports and more than 1,000 student athletes. Sacred Heart, which recently opened the Martire Family Arena, its $75 million hockey, skating and entertainment venue, has renovation plans in place for the nucleus of SHU athletics, the William H. Pitt Center.