LATHAM, N.Y. – Following the initial announcement of an intent to merge in December, the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and the United East Conference will officially merge and begin operating as one entity, effective July 1, 2023.
 
In a critical and volatile time for higher education, conference leaders see a merger of the two conferences as a forward-thinking solution to the ongoing membership shuffle in NCAA Division III as well as a proactive step to address the challenges anticipated for institutions and conferences in the coming years.
 
CONFERENCE NAME AND BRAND
The merged conference will retain the United East Conference name and brand. The accelerated timeline of this endeavor led conference leaders to evaluate retaining one of the two current conference names to ensure completion of the merger by the desired deadline. With some reservations around the continued use of the term "colonial", moving forward with the United East Conference name and brand helps reflect a message of inclusivity throughout the league. This also allows the merged conference to capitalize on the United East's comprehensive rebrand in 2021, which includes a full suite of institutional and sport-specific championship marks.
 
Completion of the merger provides added stability and sustainability to both current leagues. With 10 institutions from the CSAC and seven from the United East, the conference will boast 17 full-member institutions. The new United East Conference will solidify competitive opportunities for its student-athletes, expand its sport sponsorship, and provide financial stability for the conference. As the conference completes its full integration, it is eager to work with its NCAA and Division III colleagues to find additional ways to support student-athletes during these challenging times.
 
CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
The conference will be led by Stephanie Dutton, who has served as the United East Commissioner since August 2019. Assistant Commissioners Jake Ayers, Sam Carges, and Tone Cockrell will round out the conference office staff.
 
Marie Stroman has decided to pursue other opportunities outside the CSAC/United East. Her last day with the conference will be July 31.
 
The United East Presidents' Council will be led by Dr. Todd Williams of Cairn University, who will begin serving as Chair on July 1 for a two-year term. He will be joined by Dr. Tommy Kiedis of Lancaster Bible College as Vice Chair. For the Board of Athletic Directors, Crystal Gibson from St. Mary's College of Maryland will step into the Chair role and Ashley Hodges from Notre Dame of Maryland University will serve as Vice Chair.
 
"The merger of these two athletic conferences has been a gratifying process," shared Williams. "All who have been a part of this process believe it will benefit our student-athletes and institutions tremendously. The spirit of cooperation and shared vision, as well as the wisdom and practical insight that has been brought to the table by both groups, can serve as an example for others to follow."
 
"We also want to acknowledge the service and leadership that Marie has provided CSAC members since joining the conference in 2021," added Williams. "We are supportive of her decision and wish her great success in the future."
 
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SPONSORSHIP
The conference will sponsor 20 sports in the 2023-24 academic year, which will serve as a transition year as the two current conferences work towards full integration. Conference leaders agreed to utilize previously approved league schedules for widely sponsored sports with the following sports playing in a divisional model: men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, and women's tennis. The aforementioned sports will play a regular-season schedule in divisions that are composed of former conference members before crowning a division champion. The division champions will meet in a crossover championship to determine the recipient of the conference's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.
 
The remaining sports will compete in a unified structure, playing all institutions that sponsor the sport during the regular season en route to a postseason tournament that determines the conference champion. These sports include field hockey, men's volleyball, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, and men's tennis. Men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track & field, and men's golf will all participate in a conference-wide championship at the end of their respective seasons.
 
The Seahawks field hockey team will compete in the Atlantic East Conference for the Fall 2023 season before transitioning to United East play the following fall.
 
With the assistance of the 3 Fold Group, a national consulting firm specializing in NCAA Division III planning, the conference will be developing its long-term scheduling philosophy and championship structures over the next academic year for 2024-25 and beyond.
 
Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president of St. Mary's College of Maryland, concluded, "Importantly for our student-athletes, this merger provides enhanced opportunities for both camaraderie and competition. For our college, it provides a single conference affiliation for the majority of our varsity sports, a sense of stability, and strong partnerships with institutions focused on providing balanced experiences for student-athletes. It is an all-out win-win situation."
 
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