NAC Adds Anna Maria as Associate Member in Men’s Lacrosse
WATERVILLE, Maine – The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and Commissioner Marcella Zalot announced on Monday that the NAC has accepted Anna Maria College as an associate member for men’s lacrosse starting with the 2025-26 academic year.
The addition of the Anna Maria College AMCATS increases the conference’s men’s lacrosse sponsorship to eight institutions. Core NAC members SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Delhi, Husson University, Vermont State University Lyndon, Maine Maritime Academy, and Thomas College and associate member Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts comprise the current list of men’s lacrosse programs in the conference.
Anna Maria will be eligible to compete in the 2026 NAC Men's Lacrosse Championship and have an opportunity to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The AMCATS have been a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) since the 2011-12 academic year and will join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), which does not currently sponsor men's lacrosse, in 2025.
“I am pleased to welcome Anna Maria College into the North Atlantic Conference as an associate member for men’s lacrosse,” adds Commissioner Zalot. “The addition provides the league with an institution that aligns with the geographical footprint of the current NAC membership and further strengthens our NCAA automatic qualifier standing in the sport."
The AMCATS host their home contests on the Anna Maria campus in Paxton, Massachusetts. Caparso Field, a lighted turf field complex, seats over 1,000 spectators and features locker rooms and athletic training services on-site.
“We are extremely excited about joining the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) as an associate member,” says Anna Maria Head Coach Nate Mayo, who completed his 10th season at the helm for the AMCATS this spring. “We are extremely grateful that they welcomed us with open arms. While we will miss the many friends that we made in the GNAC and will always be thankful for being a part of such a tremendous league, we are excited about the new challenges that we will face in the NAC and the new relationships that we are about to forge.”
"I would like to thank Commissioner Marcella Zalot and the NAC presidents and athletic directors for the opportunity to join the conference as an associate member,” commented Anna Maria Director of Athletics Joseph Brady '96. "This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches and we are looking forward to starting to compete in the NAC in men's lacrosse in 2026."