Skyline Conference
Athletic conference in New York, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Skyline Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the NCAA's Division III.
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| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| Commissioner | Melissa Reiley |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
| Region | New York |
| Official website | skylineconference.org |
| Locations | |
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The league was originally chartered on May 16, 1989, as a men's basketball conference and now sponsors 17 sports (nine for men and 8 for women). The Skyline Conference sponsors baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's volleyball.
Primarily comprising schools from the New York metropolitan area, the Skyline Conference currently has 11 full-time member schools, as well as two part-time members that compete in men's volleyball only.
Prior to the 2007–08 academic year, the league introduced the Skyline Presidents Cup. St. Joseph's (LI) won the first three Presidents Cups (2007–10), followed by Farmingdale State winning in 2010–11. St. Joseph's (LI) collected its fourth Presidents Cup in 2011–12, with Farmingdale State regaining the title in both 2012–13 and 2013–14.
History
Recent events
In May 2018, Manhattanville College announced that they would leave the MAC Freedom Conference and return to the Skyline for the 2019–20 academic year. Manhattanville was a charter member of the Skyline before leaving to join the MAC in 2007.[1]
On April 22, 2025, New Jersey City University (NJCU) announced that it would leave the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball to join the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) for that sport after the 2025 spring season of the 2024–25 academic year (who would later join for all sports, beginning 2027–28).[2]
Chronological history
- 1989 – On May 16, 1989, the Skyline Conference was founded. Charter members included Manhattanville College, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, the State University of New York at Old Westbury, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Merchant Marine), beginning the 1989–90 academic year.
- 1993 – Mount Saint Mary College joined the Skyline in the 1993–94 academic year.
- 1994 – Stony Brook left the Skyline to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-II Independent after the 1993–94 academic year.
- 1996 – The State University of New York Maritime College joined the Skyline in the 1996–97 academic year.
- 1998 – Yeshiva University joined the Skyline in the 1998–99 academic year.
- 1999 – St. Joseph's College of New York at Long Island (now St. Joseph's University of New York at Long Island) joined the Skyline in the 1999–2000 academic year.
- 2000 – Stevens Institute of Technology joined the Skyline in the 2000–01 academic year.
- 2003 – Centenary College of New Jersey (now Centenary University) and the State University of New York of Farmingdale (also known as Farmingdale State College) joined the Skyline in the 2003–04 academic year.
- 2005 – Three institutions joined the Skyline as affiliate members, all effective in the 2006 spring season (2005–06 academic year):
- Kean University and Montclair State University for men's and women's lacrosse
- and Stockton University for men's lacrosse
- 2007:
- Four institutions had left the Skyline to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2006–07 academic year:
- Centenary (N.J.) to the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC; later the Colonial States Athletic Conference or CSAC)
- Manhattanville and Stevens to the MAC Freedom Conference
- and U.S. Merchant Marine to the Landmark Conference
- Bard College, Polytechnic Institute of New York (later the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, or NYU Poly), the State University of New York at Purchase and The Sage Colleges (women's college Russell Sage College and the co-ed Sage College of Albany) joined the Skyline in the 2007–08 academic year.
- Ramapo College joined the Skyline as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2007 spring season (2006–07 academic year).
- Four institutions had left the Skyline to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2006–07 academic year:
- 2011:
- Bard left the Skyline to join the Liberty League after the 2010–11 academic year.
- New Jersey City University (NJCU) joined the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball (with Kean and Ramapo adding for that sport), all effective in the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year):
- 2013 – Kean, Montclair State and Ramapo left the Skyline as affiliate members for women's lacrosse after the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
- 2014:
- NYU Poly left the Skyline to discontinue its athletics program as it was merged into New York University after the 2013–14 academic year.
- Sarah Lawrence College joined the Skyline in the 2014–15 academic year.
- 2015 – St. Joseph's College of New York at Brooklyn (now St. Joseph's University of New York at Brooklyn) joined the Skyline in the 2015–16 academic year.
- 2016 – U.S. Merchant Marine rejoined the Skyline in the 2016–17 academic year.
- 2017:
- The Sage Colleges (Russell Sage and Sage [or SCA]) left the Skyline to join the Empire 8 after the 2016–17 academic year.
- Five institutions left the Skyline as affiliate members, all effective after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year):
- Kean for men's and women's lacrosse and men's volleyball
- Montclair State for men's and women's lacrosse
- New Jersey City (NJCU) for men's volleyball
- Stockton for men's lacrosse
- and Ramapo for women's lacrosse
- 2019:
- Manhattanville rejoined the Skyline in the 2019–20 academic year.
- New Jersey City (NJCU) and Ramapo rejoined the Skyline as affiliate members for men's volleyball in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year).
- 2025 – New Jersey City (NJCU) left the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball to join the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) after the 2025 spring season (2024–25 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The Skyline currently has 12 full members, all but five are private schools:
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Also known as the State University of New York at Farmingdale.
- Part of the State University of New York System.
- Manhattanville had been a charter member in 1989, but left the Skyline after the 2006–07 school year to join the MAC Freedom Conference, before rejoining in 2019–20.
- Also known as the State University of New York at Purchase.
- Also known as the State University of New York Maritime College.
- Also known as the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
- Merchant Marine had been a charter member in 1989, but left the Skyline after the 2006–07 school year to join the Landmark Conference, before rejoining in 2016–17.
Affiliate members
The Skyline currently has one affiliate member, a public school.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Skyline sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramapo College[b][c] | Mahwah, New Jersey | 1969 | Public | 5,233 | Roadrunners | 2019[b] | Men's volleyball | New Jersey (NJAC) |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Ramapo competed in the Skyline as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse from the 2008 to 2013 spring seasons (2007–08 to 2012–13 school years).
Former members
The Skyline had seven former full members, all but one were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bard College | Annandale-on-Hudson, New York | 1860 | Episcopal | 1.958 | Raptors | 2007 | 2011 | Liberty (LL) |
| Centenary University | Hackettstown, New Jersey | 1867 | United Methodist | 1,597 | Cyclones | 2003 | 2007 | Atlantic East (AEC) |
| Polytechnic Institute of New York University | Brooklyn, New York | 1854 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Fighting Jays | 2007 | 2014 | N/A[c] |
| The Sage Colleges Sage College of Albany (coed) Russell Sage College (women's) |
Albany and Troy, New York | 1916 | Nonsectarian | 2,389 | Gators | 2007 | 2018 | Empire 8 (E8)[d] |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, New Jersey | 1870 | Nonsectarian | 5,260 | Ducks | 2000 | 2007 | MAC Freedom |
| Stony Brook University[e] | Stony Brook, New York | 1957 | Public[f] | 26,814 | Patriots[g] | 1989 | 1994 | Coastal (CAA)[h] |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- NYU Poly was merged into New York University in 2014.
- The Sage Colleges have merged into one, and used the name Russell Sage College since 2020.
- Also known as the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
- Part of the State University of New York System.
- Stony Brook adopted its current nickname of Seawolves, beginning the 1994–95 school year; immediately following the school's departure from the Skyline Conference.
- Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
Former affiliate members
The Skyline currently has five affiliate members, all were public schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Skyline sport(s) |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kean University | Union, New Jersey | 1855 | Public | 14,404 | Cougars | 2006 | 2017 | Men's lacrosse | New Jersey (NJAC) |
| 2005 | 2013 | Women's lacrosse | |||||||
| 2011 | 2017 | Men's volleyball | |||||||
| Montclair State University | Montclair, New Jersey | 1908 | Public | 19,464 | Red Hawks | 2006 | 2017 | Men's lacrosse | New Jersey (NJAC) |
| 2005 | 2013 | Women's lacrosse | |||||||
| New Jersey City University[c] | Jersey City, New Jersey | 1929 | Public | 8,443 | Gothic Knights | 2011 | 2017 | Men's volleyball | New Jersey (NJAC) |
| 2019 | 2025 | ||||||||
| Ramapo College[d] | Mahwah, New Jersey | 1969 | Public | 5,233 | Roadrunners | 2007 | 2013 | Women's lacrosse | New Jersey (NJAC) |
| Stockton University | Pomona, New Jersey | 1969 | Public | 8,458 | Ospreys | 2006 | 2017 | Men's lacrosse | New Jersey (NJAC) |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition end.
- Ramapo remains in the Skyline as an affiliate member for men's volleyball.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport) Other conference 1
- Summary
- Stony Brook left while reclassifying to Division I and the America East Conference (AmEast).
- NYU Poly became affiliated with New York University in 2008, but retained a separate athletic program until it completely merged into NYU in 2014. NYU competes in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
- The Kean and Ramapo men's volleyball programs left in 2017 for the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC). Kean remains a men's lacrosse affiliate, and Ramapo returned men's volleyball to the Skyline in 2019.
- New Jersey City men's volleyball left in 2017 for independent status, but returned to the Skyline in 2019. NJCU will leave the Skyline in 2025 to become a men's volleyball affiliate of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), which it will fully join in 2027.
- The Sage Colleges left in 2017 for the Empire 8. They merged in 2020 and kept the Russell Sage College name.
Sports
| A divisional format is used for baseball, basketball (M / W), softball, and volleyball (W). | |
Black
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Gold
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The Skyline sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in the following sports:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Yes | No |
| Basketball | Yes | Yes |
| Cross Country | Yes | Yes |
| Golf | Yes | No |
| Lacrosse | Yes | Yes |
| Soccer | Yes | Yes |
| Softball | No | Yes |
| Swimming & Diving | Yes | Yes |
| Tennis | Yes | Yes |
| Track and field | Yes | Yes |
| Volleyball | Yes | Yes |
