LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference is excited to announce associate membership and a new championship format for Men’s Tennis. Starting in the 2023-24 academic year the Atlantic East will work towards an automatic qualifying spot for men’s tennis with the addition of associate members. Current Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference members Mount Aloysius College, Penn St. Altoona, Penn St. Behrend, and Pitt-Greensburg will join forces with Atlantic East members Immaculata, Marywood, Marymount, and Neumann. In 2024-25 they will be joined by Pratt Institute as they join the Atlantic East.
 
“We are excited to provide this opportunity for our men’s tennis student athletes. We look forward to working with the schools from the AMCC and continuing to build our tennis tournament, “said Atlantic East Commissioner Jessica Huntley. 
 
“The AMCC is always looking for ways to collaborate with other Division III conferences in our region," explained Commissioner Donna Ledwin.  "Facilitating affiliate membership with the Atlantic East for our institutions who sponsor men's tennis is a perfect example of that.  We want to do everything we can to be sure our student-athletes have a post-season championship opportunity.  This agreement also serves to bolster the sport of tennis in Division III.  It's win-win all the way around.”

“We are excited to join forces with the Atlantic East,” stated Penn State Behrend head tennis coach Jeff Barger. “I feel this is a great opportunity for our players to see what’s out there for men’s tennis. We look forward to the challenge.”
 
“As we continue to work towards improving the student-athlete experience at Marywood, said head coach Dana Ciccotti. “This announcement emboldens that effort by significantly increasing the motivation for our teams to win an Atlantic East championship and give them a chance to compete at the national stage. We welcome the new affiliate members into the conference.” 

The format for the 2023-24 year will be a spring tournament with each conference working as a division and their champion competing for the Atlantic East Crown. The divisional round will occur at the end of April at two sites. Neumann will host one pod on April 26-27,  while Westwood Racquet Club will host the remaining four teams on April 20-21. The winners of those matches will travel to the Atlantic East Title match on Sunday, May 5th at Hershey Racquet Club in Hershey, Pa. on their indoor courts.
 
ABOUT ATLANTIC EAST
The Atlantic East Conference is a member of NCAA Division III comprising seven institutions in a three-state area - Cabrini, Gwynedd Mercy, Immaculata, Marywood and Neumann Universities in Pennsylvania; Centenary University in New Jersey, and Marymount University in Virginia. 

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