History
The Little East Conference officially began on April 28, 1986 as a playing conference for men's and women's basketball among six New England institutions: Eastern Connecticut State University, Plymouth State College (now Plymouth State University), Rhode Island College, Southeastern Massachusetts University (now University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the University of Southern Maine. From the beginning, the conference was officially recognized by the NCAA.
The number of sports contested in the conference has grown to include men's and women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track, men's and women's outdoor track, men's lacrosse, softball, swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis and volleyball, as well as the original men's and women's basketball. The number of participating institutions rose to seven with the addition of Western Connecticut State University in 1993-94 and then to eight for the 1997-98 year as Keene State College joined.
Since the inception of the Little East Conference, baseball has been the conference's most recognizable sport. Two conference teams, Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Southern Maine, have won a combined six Division III National Titles. Each year various conference teams are generally recognized in National top 25 polls as well as New England regional polls.
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