Today, the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) is excited to announce that it will be working with The Sun Conference to oversee and manage the conference’s esports sponsorship.
The 2026–27 academic year will mark the fourth consecutive year that The Sun Conference has offered esports as part of its athletic programming, alongside the additional 23 sports currently sponsored by the conference.
“We’re excited to partner with the NECC as we continue to grow esports in The Sun Conference,’ said Dustin Wilke, Commissioner.
“Our schools have put a lot into building their programs, and this partnership gives them additional support and expertise to take the next step. Most importantly, it will help us create a better experience for our student-athletes and a stronger championship each spring.”
The Sun Conference is one of 20 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) conferences nationwide. The Sun becomes the seventh conference that the NECC is proud to be working with to support and promote a healthy esports ecosystem. It is the first NAIA Conference to partner with the NECC.
The NECC will also work with The Sun Conference to help manage the conference’s championship each spring.
The Sun Conference currently sponsors three titles - Overwatch2, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - and will crown a conference champion in each at the end of the year.
"We’re very excited to be working with The Sun Conference to help support their esports sponsorship” said Jacob VanRyn, Commissioner and CEO of the NECC.
“We’ve worked with a handful of their programs in the NECC previously, but getting to know Commissioner Wilke throughout this process has been extremely rewarding for me. I know I speak for our entire team when I say we are very excited about this partnership and working with the membership of The Sun Conference. I’d also like to personally thank Nathan Cunningham (Director of Esports at New College of Florida) and John Merritt (Esports Director at Warner University) for their help and guidance throughout this process.”
I am very excited for NECC to be the new home of SUN Conference Esports and collaborating with our specific needs as a league, said Nathan Cunningham, Director of Esports at New College of Florida.
“The NECC also is giving us a place to compete during our Fall off-season as we prepare for SUN in the Spring.”
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now in its 36th year, The Sun Conference - a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1990 - is a leading member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its ten full-member institutions across Florida and Georgia compete in 24 championship sports. Under the leadership of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, The Sun Conference continues to raise the standard in collegiate athletics, offering student-athletes the opportunity to compete at a high level while pursuing academic and personal excellence.
MEMBER INSTITUTIONS
Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, Fla.)
College of Coastal Georgia (Brunswick, Ga.)
Florida Memorial University (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Keiser University (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
New College of Florida (Sarasota, Fla.)
SCAD Savannah (Savannah, Ga.)
Southeastern University (Lakeland, Fla.)
St. Thomas University (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Warner University (Lake Wales, Fla.)
Webber International University (Babson Park, Fla.)
For more information about the conference and its members, The Sun Conference website can be found at https://thesunconference.com/index.aspx
ABOUT THE NECC
The NECC fosters innovative competition experiences, provides quality broadcasting services, and works to support an inclusive community within collegiate esports. The NECC was started to provide the collegiate gaming community with the respect it warranted and deserved. The conference prides itself on responding to the needs of its schools, directors, coaches, and most importantly - its players.
With more than 500 colleges and universities currently competing, the NECC strives to be a positive home for the collegiate gaming community.
For more information about the NECC, their schools, games, and community, visit their website at https://necc.gg/
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