Athletics have been a major part of college life for decades. The opportunity to play on a team at the collegiate level has given millions of students access to higher education, and in recent years, the world of college sports has seen significant change. An example of this shift is schools moving from one conference to another. The 16 teams at SUNY New Paltz have brought much success to the school, but soon, they will be experiencing an incredible new change. Once the 2026-27 academic year arrives, SUNY New Paltz is leaving the SUNY Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and will become a full-time, active member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
An official statement by the university said, “The move to NJAC positions SUNY New Paltz to improve the athletics and academic experience for all SUNY New Paltz students – including student-athletes on our 16 varsity teams and the thousands of students who take advantage of intramural sports, athletics facilities, group exercise classes and the many other wellness opportunities provided on our campus.”
The SUNYAC was founded in 1958 as the New York State Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSYIAC) and was later renamed in 1963. SUNY New Paltz has been a member of the SUNYAC for over 60 years and its transition to the NJAC makes it the conference’s first addition in years, since Rutgers University-Camden and Rutgers University-Newark were added in 1983. The expansion brings the number of schools that have membership under the NJAC to 11, making SUNY New Paltz the first member in the history of the conference to be located outside of New Jersey.
SUNY New Paltz had initially declared its intent to leave the SUNYAC in a formal announcement released on April 3. Soon after, the university sent the NJAC an official letter of intent declaring their interest. The athletic department then proceeded to showcase SUNY New Paltz as a worthy institution and visited other schools within the NJAC to become more familiar with the conference. For a school to become a member of the NJAC, they must receive a two-thirds majority vote from the conference’s administrator and presidents. At their end-of-year meeting in June, the President’s Council and Board of Athletic Administrators of the NJAC voted to accept SUNY New Paltz’s application to join the NJAC. On July 2, the university released the official statement announcing the major move.
“When the college shared its announcement that we were seeking membership in a new conference, we informed everyone that the exit process from the SUNYAC was a two-year process,” said Director of Athletics, Wellness, and Recreation Renee Bostic. “Our student-athletes and staff were excited about the new opportunity. It is important to note that our juniors and seniors would end their careers within the SUNYAC, and our sophomores and first-year student-athletes would have the experience of participation in both conferences.”
The four main reasons that SUNY New Paltz was looking to move from the SUNYAC were to improve student-athlete experience, increase competitiveness, add value for all SUNY New Paltz students and help the school stand out. Student-athletes will receive more opportunities to gain recognition through social media and other platforms. Even though the school will be the only member of the NJAC located outside of New Jersey, travel time to games will reduce significantly. The average travel time to SUNYAC schools is four hours, while the average travel time to NJAC schools is two hours and 20 minutes.
“This will provide our student-athletes with a better experience and less missed class time. The closeness also provides more opportunities for our fans to support away competitions,” said Bostic. “Many of our teams already play NJAC teams in out-of-conference competition and those games have been very competitive.”
Moving to a new conference like the NJAC is in stronger alignment with the Athletic Department’s priorities, as well as allowing for the attraction of new generations of athletes and the expansion of recruiting opportunities. A new cost-saving model for playoff competitions can be developed and varsity cost savings will occur with said lesser travel time and fewer overnights. The university will be able to capitalize its growth potential beyond its historical footprint and expand enrollment opportunities.
This exciting move not only benefits SUNY New Paltz, but the NJAC as well. Since the league’s women’s tennis sponsorship fell below the required minimum of six institutions, the NJAC was set to lose its automatic qualifying conference (AQ) for the sport in 2026. With the arrival of SUNY New Paltz, this will no longer happen. Additionally, men’s lacrosse in the NJAC will become a conference-sponsored sport because the SUNY New Paltz men’s lacrosse team brings the number of men’s lacrosse programs in the NJAC to four. Subsequently, the NJAC will name a men’s lacrosse champion starting in 2026 and add the following awards: men’s lacrosse all-conference team, player of the week selections, conference awards and academic honors. The addition of the SUNY New Paltz men’s volleyball program will also give the NJAC five teams in total, which brings the conference within one team of NCAA automatic qualification.
“We are excited to enter a new era of Hawks athletics and I am grateful to NJAC leadership for their support throughout this process,” said SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler. “I also want to thank the SUNY Athletic Conference, their members and their leadership for their stewardship of the DIII athletics experience in New York State and their support of our institution throughout our years as a member.”