TIMELINE 1984-1985 The New England Women's 6 Athletic Conference (NEW6) was formed during the 1984-1985 academic year with its charter members being: Babson College, Brandeis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Smith College, Wheaton College, and Wellesley College. 1985-1986 First Year of Competition with regular season play and championships in Cross Country and Basketball. 1986-1987 NEW 8 volleyball competition began during the 1986-1987 regular season, but the Conference did not begin tournament play until 1987-1988. 1987-1988 Field Hockey, Soccer, Tennis, and Softball began as NEWS Conference sports in 1987-1988. The Conference's third year was one of tremendous growth. Not only did the Conference begin competition in soccer, volleyball, tennis and field hockey, but the name was changed to the New England Women's 8 (NEW8) with the acceptance of Mount Holyoke College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) into the Conference. 1988-1989 1989-1990 Season play and championship competition continued in cross country, basketball, volleyball, and softball. 1990-1991 The first year of Conference competition in the sport of lacrosse was 1989-1990. 1991-1992 Crew became an annual sport within the NEW8. 1992-1993 In 1993 the NEW8 featured its first championship tournament in lacrosse. 1993-1994 Track and Field became an annual sport within the NEW8 Conference in a Conference championship format. 1994-1995 Following the conclusion of the 1994-95 academic year, Brandeis University withdrew from the Conference and Clark University entered beginning with the 1995-96 academic year. 1995-1996 Swimming and diving was contested as a NEW8 sport for the first time in 1995-96. 1997-1998 1998-1999 In the spring of 1998, the NEW8, which stood for the New England Women's 8 Conference voted to expand its membership to include Springfield College and the United States Coast Guard Academy. The conference voted to change its name from NEW8 to NEWMAC, which stands for the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. NEWMAC began sponsoring conference play and championships for men in addition to its sponsorship for women. Emphasis on academic excellence always has been a defining criterion for membership, a similarity in athletic philosophy and sponsored sports was also considered. This philosophy, along with the inclusion of men's programs, is the basis for which the expanded conference has been formed.