Quinnipiac University officials announced on Friday that the school will change conferences, leaving the Northeast Conference and accepted an innovation to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The MAAC Council of Presidents approved Quinnipiac as a candidate to join the league in the upcoming academic year. Quinnipiac will join the league after being in the NEC for the first 14 years of it’s play in Division I. The move will be put into action on July 1, 2013, with play to begin at start of the 2013-14 school year.

The Bobcats were not the only school who joined on Friday, as fellow NEC school Monmouth accepted an invite as well. The two schools will join the established conference, both academically and athletically, with  nine current members.

A spot in the MAAC became open after the Loyola University of Maryland decided to leave the conference for the Patriot League.

The current members of the MAAC include Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Niagara University, Rider University, St. Peter’s College and Siena College. All schools are private institutions.

The move will leave the MAAC with 11 members and it is not know whether they will add a 12th school or stand put at 11 schools.