West Babylon, N.Y. - East Coast Conference Commissioner, Dr. Robert Dranoff, announced today that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) will join the conference as an associate member in eSports.

SNHU, located in Manchester, N.H., becomes the seventh member of the ECC in eSports. They join full-time league members Daemen College, LIU Post, Mercy College, Molloy College, New York Institute of Technology, and St. Thomas Aquinas. SNHU will compete with the other league members in the ECC's inaugural season of eSports competition, which begins in February and culminates with the conference's League of Legends Championship on March 30.

"We are very pleased to have our friends at Southern New Hampshire University coming on board as our first  Associate Members for eSports and look forward to working with Vice President Lorenz and eSports Director Fowler, " said Dranoff.  "Adding an institution with a great reputation as an innovative leader in academics and athletics is truly exciting for us."  

Dranoff continued by saying, "Our intent with ECC eSports is to provide a great experience for all the students participating beginning this spring when we roll out our first regular season in League of Legends. We believe that the opportunity for those young men and women to represent their schools in league play and to compete for an East Coast Conference title, will help solidify the ECC's spot in collegiate eSports."

“We are thrilled to join the East Coast Conference as an associate member in eSports. This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to compete on a greater stage and membership in the ECC will help bring SNHU's competitive eSports program to the next level," said Dr. Heather Lorenz, Southern New Hampshire's Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean. "I want to personally thank Dr. Robert Dranoff for granting us this opportunity. We are looking forward to growing our eSports program as an ECC member.”

SNHU's Director of eSports, Timothy Fowler, added, “We are very excited to join the East Coast Conference as an associate member for eSports and look forward to the competition this Spring. The ECC and its institutions have a long tradition of excellence-athletically, academically, and culturally. It is our hope at SNHU to help grow that tradition and support the success of the ECC.”