On June 28 the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) was renamed the Liberty League.
The conference decided the change would signify the values held by all school members and was garnered due to the league’s progression in geographic and demographics development.
“Our conference has evolved dramatically over the past ten years, and we felt the timing was appropriate for this change…” league president and St. Lawrence athletic director Margaret Strait said in a prepared statement. “…The name change and new marks will help us tell our success story and will better reflect who we are as a league. We have stood for tradition and excellence and we are proud of what we have established.”
The Liberty League will consist of the same nine teams as last year: Clarkson University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Skidmore College, Union College, and Vassar College.
However, since the aforementioned institutions do not participate in the Liberty League for all sports, some changes are forthcoming.
New members will be added in football as the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute will join the league to give it the eight teams necessary to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
The Liberty League, which declares a champion in 24 different sports, sent a total of 17 teams in 14 sports to NCAA championship tournaments or meets in 2003-2004.
