The Sunrise Athletic Conference was a college athletic conference founded in 2002 and affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its member institutions were in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont.
History
The SAC was founded when both the Maine Athletic Conference and the Mayflower Conference disbanded in the spring of 2002. Both of these conferences were NAIA conferences of long standing.http://naia.cstv.com/member-services/conferences/profiles/NAIA_ConferenceProfile_Sunrise.pdf The conference formed with eight inaugural members: the College of St. Joseph, Fisher College, Lyndon State College, the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the University of Maine at Machias, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Paul Smith's College and Vermont Technical College.
Royal Goheen became the commissioner of the Sunrise Conference and continued to serve as the only commissioner in the history of the SAC until it disbanded. In 1997, Goheen took on the role as the commissioner of the Maine Athletic Conference before its disbandment. In 2010 he was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame.
In 2004, the Sunrise Conference added the State University of New York at Canton after the university joined the NAIA as part of a transition from two-year to four-year institution. The conference held steady with nine members until Paul Smith's College and Lyndon State College left in 2010, dropping SAC membership to seven.
The conference disbanded in 2011 when the College of St. Joseph, Vermont Technical College and the University of Maine at Machias left the conference and the NAIA for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC). The University of Maine at Fort Kent, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and the State University of New York at Canton then left with no regional NAIA competition to become independents in the USCAA.
In addition, Maine–Presque Isle is transitioning to an independent member of NCAA Division III, while SUNY Canton was accepted into the transition process to move from the NAIA to NCAA D-III. Fisher College joined the American Mideast Conference.
Chronological timeline 2002 – In the spring of 2002, the Sunrise Athletic Conference (a.k.a. the Sunrise) was founded due to dissolutions of the Maine Athletic Conference and the Mayflower Conference. Charter members included the College of St. Joseph, Fisher College, Lyndon State College (now Vermont State University at Lyndon), the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Machias (UMM), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI), Paul Smith's College and Vermont Technical College (now Vermont State University at Randolph), beginning the 2002–03 academic year. 2004 – The State University of New York at Canton (a.k.a. SUNY Canton) joined the Sunrise in the 2004–05 academic year. 2006 – Lyndon State (now Vermont State–Lyndon) left the Sunrise to join the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after the 2005–06 academic year. 2010 – Paul Smith's left the Sunrise and the NAIA to join the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) after the 2009–10 academic year. 2011 – The Sunrise would cease operations as an athletic conference after the 2010–11 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences, beginning the 2011–12 academic year: Fisher to join the American Mideast Conference, while the rest would leave the NAIA and join the USCAA: St. Joseph, Vermont Tech (now Vermont State–Lyndon), Maine–Machias to join the YSCC; and Maine–Fort Kent, Maine–Presque Isle and SUNY Canton to join as USCAA Independents (the latter two are either accepted or in the process into transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division III).
Member schools Final members The Sunrise had seven full members in the conference's final season, only two were private schools:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Subsequentconference Currentconference Fisher College Boston, Massachusetts 1903 Nonsectarian 1,121 Falcons 2002 2011 American Mideast(2011–12) Continental(2012–present) Fort Kent, Maine 1878 Public 1,339 Bengals 2002 2011 USCAA Independent(2011–present) Machias, Maine 1909 Public 1,200 Clippers 2002 2011 Yankee (YSCC)(2011–20) Suspended athletics Presque Isle, Maine 1903 Public 1,600 Owls 2002 2011 USCAA/D-III Independent(2011–17)American (ACAA)(2017–18) North Atlantic (NAC)(2018–present) Rutland, Vermont 1956 Catholic 500 Saints 2002 2011 Yankee (YSCC)(2011–19) Closed in 2019 Canton, New York 1906 Public 3,320 Kangaroos 2004 2011 various State U. of New York (SUNYAC)(2024–present) Vermont Technical College Randolph, Vermont 1866 Publictechnicalcollege 1,453 Knights 2002 2011 Yankee (YSCC)(2011–present)
Notes
Former members The Sunrise had two other full members during the conference's tenure, one was a private school:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Subsequentconference(s) Currentconference Lyndon State College Lyndon, Vermont 1911 Public 1,519 Hornets 2002 2006 D-III Independent(2006–08) North Atlantic (NAC)(2008–present) Paul Smith's College Paul Smiths, New York 1946 Nonsectarian 1,000 Falcons 2002 2010 Yankee (YSCC)(2010–present)
Notes
Membership timeline
Sports + Conference sportsSportMen'sWomen's Baseball Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Softball Volleyball
Conference championships
Women Volleyball 2010 UMaine Fort Kent 2009 UMaine Presque Isle 2008 UMaine Presque Isle 2007 SUNY Canton 2006 UMaine Machias 2005 UMaine Machias
Men Cross Country 2010 SUNY Canton
Women Cross Country 2010 UMaine Presque Isle
Men Soccer 2010 UMaine Fort Kent 2009 UMaine Fort Kent 2008 UMaine Fort Kent 2007 UMaine Fort Kent 2006 UMaine Fort Kent
Women Soccer 2010 UMaine Fort Kent 2009 UMaine Fort Kent 2008 UMaine Fort Kent 2007 SUNY Canton 2006 UMaine Fort Kent
Men Basketball 2011 Fisher College 2010 UMaine Fort Kent 2009 Fisher College 2008 College of St. Joseph 2007 Fisher College 2006 Fisher College
Women Basketball 2011 UMain Machias 2010 UMaine Fort Kent 2009 UMaine Fort Kent 2008 UMaine Fort Kent 2007 College of St. Joseph 2006 UMaine Fort Kent
Men Golf 2010 UMaine Presque Isle 2008 UMaine Presque Isle
Baseball 2011 Fisher College 2010 Fisher College 2009 Fisher College 2008 Fisher College 2007 Fisher College 2006 Fisher College
Softball 2011 SUNY Canton 2010 SUNY Canton 2009 UMaine Presque Isle 2008 College of St. Joseph 2007 College of St. Joseph
References
External links