UNE Women Join GNAC Swimming & Diving as Associate Member

The Nor'easters will join the GNAC swimming ranks beginning with the current 2021-22 academic year under head coach Rick Hayes.

August 24, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNE to compete for
GNAC title in February

WINTHROP, Mass. – The University of New England women's swimming & diving program is joining the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as an associate member in the sport, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

The move takes place immediately for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond.

The Nor'easters will become the 10th program competing for the GNAC Women's Swimming & Diving Championship this winter, as the conference will host its annual meet on Friday-Sunday, February 4-6, at the Wellesley Sports Center in Wellesley, Mass.

"It was fantastic news when we learned that the Great Northeast Athletic Conference had accepted our application to become an associate member in women's swimming," said UNE Director of Athletics Heather Davis. "I am thrilled about the opportunities this will present for our student-athletes and coaches."

UNE joins fellow associate member Roger Williams University, which has yet to appear in a GNAC Championship meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown this past academic year.

"The GNAC teams represent solid competition, good academics, and great sportsmanship," said UNE head coach Rick Hayes. "We have competed against all of them either in dual meets or the NEISDA Championships, and I have great respect for the coaches, programs, and schools. I am excited to see us take on this new challenge."

Coach Hayes is no stranger to the GNAC, having served as head coach at Saint Joseph's College of Maine, earning GNAC Coach of the Year accolades back in 2011-12. He has guided UNE to a 29-14 record over five seasons before a 3-1 mark in virtual meets during the abbreviated 2020-21 season.

"We are excited to have UNE joining our swimming ranks and look forward to providing their student-athletes a first-rate championship experience," added GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh.

On the women's side along with associate members UNE and Roger Williams, competing GNAC teams include Albertus Magnus College, Colby-Sawyer College, Elms College, Norwich University, Regis College, Universty of Saint Joseph (CT), Saint Joseph's (Maine), and longtime GNAC powerhouse Simmons University, which has won 18 of the last 19 GNAC crowns.

The men's side of the meet will feature seven programs: Colby-Sawyer, Elms, Norwich, Regis, Roger Williams, USJ, Saint Joseph's (Maine).

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

– #TheGNAC –