Citing the need to ally with schools of similar size, athletic philosophies and level of competitiveness, three members of the Sunrise Conference (formerly the Maine Athletic Conference) have announced their intention to change their league affiliation.

Husson College of Bangor, the University of Maine-Farmington and Thomas College in Waterville have been accepted for membership in the North Atlantic Conference beginning in the fall of 2003.

Husson and UM-Farmington hold dual membership in the NAIA and the NCAA, while Thomas is an NAIA school and a provisional NCAA member. The NAC is affiliated with NCAA Division III.

“As people start to make decisions around you, you sort of come in line with them,” said Husson athletics director Pam Hennessey. “I think we’ve always kind of been a leader in athletics and we want to make sure we stay there and go with the very best.”

Husson, UMF and Thomas will join Maine Maritime Academy of Castine; Massachusetts colleges Bay Path, Becker, Lasell, Elms, Lesley, Mount Ida and Wheelock; and Vermont institutions Castleton State and Johnson State in what will become a 13-team conference.

UMF officials believe the North Atlantic Conference is the best fit for their programs.

“Because the NCAA Division III programs reflect more closely where UMF is academically, philosophically, financially and competitively, and where they intend to be in the future, the decision was made to break away from the NAIA,” UMF athletics director Julie A. Davis said in a press release.

Last December, after Saint Joseph’s College in Standish had announced its intention to leave the MAC, the league joined forces with three Mayflower Conference schools to form the Sunrise Conference.

Remaining Sunrise members UMaine-Machias, UM-Fort Kent and UM-Presque Isle, along with Fisher College of Boston and the College of Saint Joseph in Rutland, Vt., will continue to compete in the NAIA.

Hennessey said most NAC schools sponsor 10 sports, while some of the Sunrise schools field only a handful of teams.

“I think we probably match better [with the NAC] in terms of our broad-based activities,” she said.

Husson, Thomas and UM-Farmington will continue to compete in the NAIA for baseball, as the NAC doesn’t sponsor the sport. Husson is still seeking conference affiliation next season for its Division III football program.

Hennessey said she expects NAC competition to be comparable to that in the Sunrise, but said the strength and breadth of Division III postseason play could provide more challenges.

“I think the very best of competition at Division III is probably better than what you see at the NAIA level,” Hennessey said, pointing to the likes of Southern Maine, Bowdoin, Bates and Colby as Maine small colleges that have competed in the NCAA playoffs.

One major concern for UMF was the cost of postseason play, which often was halfway across the country. NCAA Division III events are usually regionalized, which would reduce travel. UFM’s Davis also pointed out many NAIA teams offer athletic scholarships, which put non-scholarship Sunrise schools at a disadvantage and posed a major philosophical difference.

NCAA Division III mandates that student-athletes receive financial assistance based solely on need and academic merit rather than on athletic abilities.

Thomas, UMF and Husson already had ties to the NAC as their field hockey teams are competing in the league this fall as associate members.

Hennessey said Husson and MMA, along with Thomas and UMF, could serve as travel partners to help build a MAC schedule, which would concentrate on weekend play when possible.

MMA begins volleyball

Maine Maritime Academy in Castine has embarked on its first season of varsity women’s volleyball this fall.

Kelly Thompson, a recent graduate of Springfield College (Mass.), will direct the Mariners’ fledgling program.

“I’m looking forward to starting off Lady Mariner volleyball on a good note,” Thompson said. “It is an honor to be coaching the first team at MMA.”

MMA, which debuted with a Tuesday evening match at UMaine-Machias, features only seven players. Among them are five Mainers, led by former Woodland High standout Julia Knights of Brookton.

The Mariners also are looking to seniors Sadie Alley of Bucksport and Alaina Hanlon of North Yarmouth, along with junior Alaina Wallace of Calais, sophomore Jessica French of Bethesda, Ohio, and freshmen Katie Clapham of Crawford and Lisa Alkaire of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“We are a small team, but I am fortunate enough to have players from strong high school programs who want to work hard to improve the program,” Thompson said. “It is my hope that this season will build the foundation for the future success of MMA volleyball.”