America East Conference Membership Statement

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America East Commissioner Brad Walker issued the following the statement this morning regarding conference membership:

Stony Brook University officially notified the conference office last week of its decision to change its conference membership affiliation. Stony Brook has been a good conference member and partner for over 20 years and we wish it well. Led by our Board of Presidents, the conference and Stony Brook will finalize the specifics of its departure soon.

While we are disappointed with this outcome, America East remains well positioned for its future. The conference has withstood membership changes in the past and yet has built a stalwart reputation based on its member institutions’ collective academic profiles and the accomplishments of their student-athletes in the classroom. The schools’ broad-based approach to building and sustaining their athletics programs has led to a rich league history and great success in recent years as evidenced through multiple individual national champions and final four appearances by teams in several sports as well as the greatest upset in men’s college basketball history. The conference’s stature as an industry leader in leadership initiatives is undisputed.

As a result, the future of the conference is bright, and we will continue to pursue membership options that strengthen us even further.