Updated May 2024

Founded in 1984, the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 10 full member and two associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.

The core membership consists of Curry College, Endicott College, Gordon College, Nichols College, Roger Williams University, Suffolk University, University of Hartford, University of New England, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Western New England University.

Formation of the CCC
The first meetings to discuss the formation of a new intercollegiate athletic conference took place in 1984 at Hellenic College. In May of that year, the Conference was formed with six schools becoming the league's charter members and unanimously adopting the name "Commonwealth Coast Conference". The initial membership consisted of Anna Maria College, Curry College, Emerson College, Hellenic College, Salve Regina College and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Hellenic Athletic Director Richard Dukeshire was elected to serve as the Conference Commissioner.

Competition began in 1984-85 as a men's basketball league with seven teams competing as the United States Coast Guard Academy was granted membership.

Early Membership Changes and NCAA Membership
There were many membership changes in the early years of the Conference starting with Hellenic College’s departure as it discontinued its athletic program in 1985.

Roger Williams College (1985-86), Gordon College (1987-88), Regis College (1988-89) and New England College (1989-90) were also granted membership at various points throughout the 1980s. Coast Guard (1987) and Emerson (1989) left the Conference during this period.

At this time, the league expanded its championship offerings to include women’s basketball, golf, baseball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country and softball.

A championship was determined by a tournament in which member schools could elect to participate in. Not every championship was held every year and some were considered “invitationals” that were not official conference events and therefore not included in conference records.

The Conference was granted NCAA Division III membership in 1986.

Continued Membership and Sports Sponsorship Expansion
The 1990s were a transformative time for the league as it started to establish its identity. The decade included a number of Conference benchmarks, including solidifying criteria for official championship sponsorship, establishing regular-season Conference competition to supplement the Tournaments and defining the league’s identity.

With the goals of the Conference in place, the CCC established criteria for new members. Three schools were added in the early part of the decade with Eastern Nazarene College accepted for the 1992-93 academic year, and Colby-Sawyer College and Nichols College joining in 1995-96.

Endicott College and the University of New England joined the Conference for the 1999-2000 school year, bringing membership to 13 schools.

By the mid-90s, the CCC had established men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and men’s and women’s tennis as its official championship sports. CCC Invitationals in men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey and women’s volleyball were also offered at this time.

By the end of the decade, field hockey, women’s volleyball and cross country would be elevated to championship status. The addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse to the sport sponsorship brought the CCC offerings to 14. The CCC Men’s Golf Invitational was also reintroduced in the late 90s.

Establishment of the Conference Office, Addition of WNE, Rebrand
As the Conference continued to grow, the need for an “independent” Commissioner increased. Up to this point, the Commissioner role was filled by one of the league’s athletic directors based on elections at Conference meetings. When Steve Washkevich left the position as the athletic director at Anna Maria in 1997, he was retained as the league’s first “outside” Commissioner. Washkevich stayed in that role until the 2007 when Gregg M. Kaye was hired as the league’s first full-time Commissioner.

Kaye’s hiring coincided with Western New England College joining the Conference as the CCC’s 14th member and the league office was established in Springfield, Mass. on the WNE campus. A second full-time position would be added to the Conference office in 2008. The league’s logo was also updated for the first time and invitational events for track and field and swimming and diving were introduced for both men and women.

Membership Contraction and Championship Expansion
The biggest shift in membership came in 2011 when four schools left to join other leagues (Anna Maria, Colby-Sawyer, New England College, Regis), leaving the membership at 10. Despite the reduction in membership, the Conference continued to grow in terms of sport sponsorship.

Expansion began in 2013 when men’s golf was elevated from invitational to championship status. Next came the process of consolidating single-sport conferences under the CCC umbrella. Men’s ice hockey was the first step in that process.

It was decided that starting in the 2016-17 season, CCC men’s ice hockey teams would leave their single-sport conferences and become the Conference’s 16th championship sport. The addition of men’s ice hockey also saw the league add its first-ever associate members (Becker College, Johnson and Wales University (Providence), Suffolk University).

At the same time, changes in the NCAA Division III football landscape left the single-sport New England Football Conference (NEFC) with only five remaining members, all CCC schools. The decision was made to bring the NEFC under the CCC umbrella, starting in the 2017-18 academic year and retaining the automatic qualifier. Football became the league’s 17th championship sport. Husson University joined the league as an associate member in football in 2019.

The addition of football also led to a collaboration with three other conferences – the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC), the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) and the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) – to stage a series of postseason bowl games. The series was dubbed the New England Bowl Series with the first game taking place in 2016.

Women’s outdoor track and field became the Conference’s 18th sport when it was elevated from invitational to championship status ahead of the 2018 season.

Visual Rebrand, More Membership Changes and Championship Offerings
Enhancements in the Conference continued as the end of the decade approached. The Conference underwent its first visual rebrand since 2007. Partnering with Skye Design Studios, the CCC unveiled its new look in June 2019. The rebranding included a refreshed website and an updated look for awards.

Eastern Nazarene’s departure after the 2017-18 left the Conference in search of a 10th full member. After an extensive search, Suffolk University was invited to join the league and began full competition in 2020-21.

The addition of Suffolk also provided a new sport sponsorship opportunity for the CCC. Similar to the NEFC situation, attrition had left the single-sport Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) with only CCC members (and associate member Becker) remaining. Adding the Rams and the creation of a new program at Western New England would get the CHC the seven members it needed to retain its NCAA AQ, but not enough “core” members to bring the sport fully “in-house” as part of the multi-sport conference. As a temporary solution, the CCC took over operation of the CHC for the 2020-21 season and rebranded the league Commonwealth Coast Women’s Ice Hockey, retaining Becker as an associate member. However the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Curry started varsity women's ice hockey in 2021-22, giving the conference the seven core members necessary for its own AQ. The league kept all the CHC records and women’s ice hockey became the CCC’s 19th championship sport.

The CCC added its 20th sport in 2021-22 with the elevation of men's outdoor track and field from invitational to championship status.

At the end of the 2022-23 academic year, charter member Salve Regina chose to depart the multi-sport conference, but was retained as an associate member in men’s and women’s ice hockey. Salve’s departure created an opening for the University of Hartford to join the league as the Hawks made the transition from Division I to Division III.

A Look Ahead
In 2024-25 – Hartford’s final year of divisional transition – all Hartford contests with CCC opponents will count towards Conference standings. Hartford student-athletes and coaches will be eligible for all athletic awards presented by the CCC.

The University of Hartford will be eligible to qualify for and win Conference Tournaments. However, per NCAA legislation, the Hawks will not be eligible to earn the CCC automatic qualifier in any sports. If Hartford wins a Conference Tournament, the Tournament runner-up will be named the Conference's automatic qualifier.

New Hartford programs for men's and women's tennis and field hockey are anticipated to be fully competitive for the 2025-26 season.

In January 2023, Maine Maritime Academy was announced as the CCC’s newest associate member in football. New England College will also be part of the league’s football offering as an associate member, it was announced in November 2023. Both programs will begin competition in the 2025 season.

In February 2024, the CCC added Colby-Sawyer College and University of Saint Joseph as associate members in men’s tennis, beginning Conference competition starting in the 2024-25 season.

Johnson and Wales will join the CCC as a full member for the 2025-26 season. The Wildcats will compete in men’s and women’s ice hockey as an associate member in 2024-25.