2026 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[Gregory Sager]

Former national powerhouse UW-Oshkosh is reviving its men's soccer program. The Titans, who made 14 D3 tourney appearances and reached the Final Four four times before deep-sixing the program after the 2015 season, will end their hiatus after a dozen years by returning to action in 2027.

This will bump up the WIAC to seven teams, with only UW-La Crosse failing to sponsor a varsity men's soccer program within that circuit.

[Mr_November]

Any word on who will take charge at the helm of Oshkosh?

[Ron Boerger]

Any word on who will take charge at the helm of Oshkosh?

They just announced they would start a "national search" two days ago ...

[Kuiper]

With the addition of so many men's soccer programs in the WIAC over the last decade (Eau Claire, Stevens Point, Stout, River Falls), you have to wonder how the return of Oshkosh is going to affect the recruiting landscape in the state.  Is there enough talent in Wisconsin soccer to supply all of the programs?  We've already seen some of the more successful programs going out of state, with Whitewater recruiting some internationally in the last two classes and Eau Claire recruiting throughout the Midwest and even into the Pacific Northwest, while Stevens Point has even gone into Texas for a few recruits and Platteville has twice as many kids from Illinois as Wisconsin (not surprising given its location).  It will be interesting to see if any of them regularly attract national recruits given the success of the programs.

[Gregory Sager]

These are the longest active winning-seasons streaks in D3 men's soccer:

Ohio Wesleyan	55
Messiah	44
Amherst	28
North Park	25

All of these programs took the COVID year off from playing soccer, so that's not included in the streaks.

When UW-Oshkosh starts play again in 2027 the Titans will cut in line ahead of Amherst and North Park, since UWO had a 31-season streak going when the school discontinued its men's soccer program in 2015.

[Kuiper]

Sounds like they are anticipating a new and larger conference of schools in and around NYC.  Possible other additions to the conference with Pratt might be schools currently in the Skyline that are in one of the boroughs (e.g., Yeshiva, St. Joseph's Brooklyn).

Pratt moving from Atlantic East to a new and expanded conference with CUNYAC members in 2027

Pratt Institute will become the first institution outside the current eight members of the CUNY Athletic Conference to help establish a newly expanded NCAA Division III conference set to begin competition in the 2027–28 academic year. This conference, which is currently in the naming, branding, and incorporation stages, focuses on institutions near New York City. Additional expansion is expected.

The Cannoneers will begin competition in the new conference in 2027-28.  Pratt will join Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, Medgar Evers College, and York College. Pratt is a current member of the Atlantic East Conference and will wrap up membership in that league following the 2026-27 academic year.

"As we look forward to the integration of Pratt, it allows for a more vibrant future and the potential for new and exciting directions for the conference," said Dr. Fernando Delgado, president of Lehman College and chair of the CUNY Athletic Conference Council of Presidents and the presidential leader for this group of schools forming this new conference.  "We welcome Pratt and look forward to their participation on and off the fields of competition."

"Pratt, as a future member of this new conference, is monumental for several reasons. First and foremost, they fit with our other institutions in many ways, including but not limited to geographical, sport sponsorship, and competitive levels," said CUNYAC Acting Commissioner Dr. Kurt Patberg. "In addition, they are a well-established, strong academic institution with specialized curricula, like many of our institutions. They are the first private institution of what will hopefully be several others that see this new conference as a great fit."

Pratt Institute, located in Brooklyn, sponsors 14 NCAA Division III sports, including equestrian, and enrolls approximately 5,100 students.  The Cannoneers will compete in the new conference in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and men's and women's volleyball.

Pratt enhances the new conference's presence in New York City as the eight current members reside in the five boroughs of New York City.  Pratt joins Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.  Manhattan (Baruch College, City College of New York, Hunter College, John Jay College, the Bronx (Lehman College) and Queens (York College) are also represented.
 
"We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, one that brings Pratt even closer to the heart of New York City and aligns our athletic program with institutions that value both academic creativity and competitive spirit," said Pratt Institute Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Delmy Lendof.  "This move to a vibrant, New York City-centered conference is a natural evolution for Pratt, strengthening our ties to the communities we serve across the boroughs,"
 
"We are thrilled to join this new conference that aligns with our commitment to providing a competitive, student-centered athletic experience in the heart of New York City," added Pratt Director of Athletics Walter Rickard. "This move strengthens our geographical fit, enhances rivalries within the boroughs, and opens exciting opportunities for our student-athletes to compete at a high level while pursuing their creative and academic passions. We look forward to building lasting relationships and contributing to the growth of this conference both on and off the field."

[Kuiper]

At the recent NCAA meetings, the membership committee approved the applications for reclassification of the following schools:

Azusa Pacific (from DII)

St. Francis University (from DI)

and approved an exploratory year for the following:

University of Maine at Augusta (from the USCAA)

Azusa Pacific will be playing in the SCIAC and St. Francis in the PAC

Presumably, University of Maine at Augusta will eventually play in the NAC, but I haven't seen an announcement on that yet

[Ron Boerger]

Heck, there's not anything on the UMA athletic or main site about the exploratory year.  Usually colleges treat this as a Big Thing which kind of makes you wonder how committed they are to the idea.

[Gregory Sager]

I think it's less an indicator of indifference and more likely a matter of UMA lacking a sports information director. The school's athletics page is link-free and totally useless. That's one thing that UMA will have to change if the school eventually join D3; in the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants USCAA, nobody thinks twice about schools being informational wastelands and you thus know nothing about an opponent prior to the opening whistle. And that's not the way it is in D3.

I do look forward to Maine-Augusta joining D3 eventually. The one thing that I did learn about UMA by looking at its website is that the school's teams are called the Moose. Doesn't matter, though, because if UMA joins D3 I shall henceforth be referring to its teams as the Thurmans.

[Kuiper]

One interesting note about the NCAA granting University of Maine at Augusta's petition for an exploratory year in DIII is that at the same Jan. 26, 2026 meeting that the University of Maine Board of Trustees authorized Augusta to apply for a DIII exploratory year, it also authorized the University of Maine Fort Kent to apply for a DIII exploratory year.  There is no indication, however, that such an application was filed or made it to the level that it could be considered by the NCAA's membership committee. 

If Maine Augusta and Fort Kent do end up in DIII, that would raise the number of DIII schools in Maine to 13, which is pretty large number for a state that doesn't have a huge population.  It already has more DIII schools than states like Michigan and California.

From a men's soccer perspective, Augusta is going to have to seriously increase its recruiting if it is going to compete in DIII.  Last season, it went 0-11 and lost twice to the only DIII team it played - Maine Presque-Isle, which had a 4-10-12 record - by 10-0 and 15-0 scores.