CSAC, United East to merge (updated)

The Colonial States Athletic Conference and United East Conference have agreed to merge. The merger is intended to occur ahead of the 2023-24 academic year.

The CSAC and UEC currently have 10 and nine members, respectively, with women’s volleyball programs. However, before the start of the 2023-24 season, the UEC is set to lose Morrisville State to the North Atlantic Conference and Wells to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, dropping its membership to seven.

The UEC, the former North Eastern Athletic Conference, went through a rebrand in August 2021.

The footprint of the CSAC’s and UEC’s new conference, which has not proceeded past the agreement phase, will span from Northeast Pennsylvania (Keystone) and North-central Pennsylvania (Penn College) to Southern Maryland (St. Mary’s) among the 17 institutions. Keystone to St. Mary’s (Md.) is 314 miles.

UPDATE (6/22/23): The new conference will compete under the UEC brand in a divisional model this season. The old CSAC and UEC will play previously formed schedules in 2023 with the winners meeting in a crossover championship that will determine the new league’s automatic qualifier.

-Ricky Nelson