AMCC ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF ALFRED STATE AS 3 SPORT MEMBER

Alfred State University will join the AMCC as an affiliate member in the sports of men's and women's swimming and diving and men's lacrosse, effective for the 2016-17 season.

June 29, 2016

Alfred State will join the AMCC as an affiliate member in the sports of men's and women's swimming and diving and men's lacrosse, effective for the 2016-17 season. The Pioneers' baseball program will officially join the AMCC in the spring of 2018.

The Alfred St. men's and women's swimming and diving program is led by third year head coach RC Weston. Last season, junior Alison Sell became the first Pioneer swimmer in program history to qualify for the ECAC championships. The Pioneers will be a familiar face to AMCC member Pitt-Bradford, as the two schools competed against each other last season.

Men's lacrosse head coach Jonathan Hoover is entering his second season at the helm. The Pioneers have increased their win total in each of the program’s three years competing as an NCAA Division III provisional member. They have faced off against AMCC members Franciscan, Hilbert, La Roche and Medaille in the past.

Baseball head coach Jason Cronin is entering his sixth season and has led the Pioneers to 14 wins the past two seasons. The Alfred St. baseball program competed against the majority of AMCC baseball teams last season, including Hilbert, D’Youville, Medaille, Pitt Bradford, and Penn State Behrend.

"Alfred State is a welcome addition to our affiliate membership," said AMCC commissioner Donna Ledwin. "It is a win-win for both sides."

She noted that Alfred State is working hard to complete their NCAA Division III membership transition. "Athletic Director Kelly Higgins and his staff continue to move their program forward, and conference membership is an important aspect of that. Celebrating 20 years in 2016-17, the AMCC is in a very different place with our growth, but just as importantly we continue to look for ways to strengthen our programs as well.

"Baseball is well established, but adding a tenth team puts us at full capacity. Swimming and diving is growing as a conference sport, and adding Alfred State has enabled us to finally establish a stand-alone championship this coming season. And together with D'Youville on the women's side, they help men's lacrosse take a foothold in our championship portfolio as well."

Alfred State athletic director Dr. Kelly Higgins looks forward to a long and strong relationship with the AMCC. “My thanks to the AMCC for their efforts in this process. Commissioner Ledwin and the league leadership have been great to work with. The AMCC is a great fit for us competitively, philosophically and geographically. It gives our student-athletes an immediate opportunity to be recognized for their athletic, academic and personal achievements on the conference level, to make a run for conference championships, and we hope to build upon this relationship in the future. It also gives us the opportunity to participate in NCAA Championships starting in 2018.”