University of New Haven Announces Move to Division One

The University of New Haven announced today that it has accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference. The school, which currently competes in Division Two, will begin their transition on July 1.

Northeast Conference Commissioner Noreen Morris and University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen announced Tuesday that New Haven would become the conference's 10th full member. The Chargers will become full Division I members in 2028-29.

"Making the move to Division I is a bold step, and we're honored that New Haven chose to take that step with us," Morris said. "From the start, it was clear that they share our values -- putting academics, competitive excellence and the student-athlete experience at the forefront."

The University of New Haven, whose teams are known as the Chargers, sponsors 20 sports and will be integrated into NEC schedules beginning this year, with the exception of football. Football's addition to the conference schedule is still to be determined. UNH’s home field, Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium, is best known for its blue turf field.

Photo courtesy of University of New Haven Athletics

The University of New Haven, which is located in West Haven, Connecticut, has all of its athletic facilities in a compact complex across Boston Post Road (Route 1) from its main campus. Yale's athletic facilities, including the Yale Bowl, Yale Field and Reese Stadium, are about two miles away.

During its transition, New Haven will immediately be able to participate in conference championships in sports that do not have automatic qualifiers for NCAA championships. The Chargers will become eligible for NCAA championship competition in 2028-29.

The Northeast Conference now contains three teams who are in transition to Division One from lower levels. Stonehill College began their transition period in 2022 and Le Moyne College began theirs in 2023.