Two Massachusetts Colleges Announce Closure

It was the worst of times for higher education in the state of Massachusetts, as two local institutions announced that they were closing within days of each other. Anna Maria College, located in Paxton, and Hampshire College, located in Amherst, both announced that they would be shuttering their doors. How will this affect the local sports scene? Let’s take a look. And read all the way to the end for a possible surprise happy ending.

Anna Maria College is a private Catholic college founded in 1946. Originally a women’s college, the school has been coeducational since 1973. The school boasted an enrollment of about 1,500 students. On April 23, college leaders announced the school would cease operations at the end of the spring semester, citing financial challenges and declining enrollment. Several Worcester-area schools have since offered Anna Maria students seamless transfer into their programs for the upcoming school year.

Anna Maria has thirteen athletic teams, all of which compete in Division Three. The teams are known as the AMCATS, a most unique nickname which is an acronym for Anna Maria College Athletic Team Sports. A longtime member of the Great Northeastern Athletic Conference (GNAC), Anna Maria was the first private college to be offered membership into the Massachusetts Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). They began play in the 2025-26 season. Over their history, the AMCATS qualified for one NCAA D-3 football tournament, one men’s basketball tournament, and one men’s hockey tournament.

(Hampshire College Athletics photos courtesy of Hampshire College)

Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college with an enrollment of fewer than 750 students. Opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, it was a member of the Five College Consortium along with other schools in the Amherst area. With its emphasis on progressive pedagogy and self-directed curricula, the school focused on portfolios and narrative evaluations rather than GPAs. The college’s leaders announced the school’s closing on April 14, citing mounting financial and accreditation pressures and dwindling enrollment.

Hampshire College has a modest athletic program. They have only four varsity sports: men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and coed cross country and track and field. The Black Sheep compete in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and the Yankee Small College Conference alongside other small two- and four-year schools across the country.

As you would expect, the closure of the schools ignited a frenzy of activity among student-athletes in the transfer portal. With the Anna Maria baseball, football, and men's hockey teams all finishing at or near the top of the MASCAC last year, many athletes will be in high demand. Unsubstantiated rumors are floating around that both AMCAT hockey teams are notably absent from the portal, as a mystery school is about to announce the formation of its own varsity hockey program. We don't want to get too far into the conjecture, but these rumors are just a little too perfect to be ignored. But another Massachusetts school, in the same conference - it just can't be real! Should these rumors become reality, you’ll read all about it here first, right here on Stadium Journey!