NEW PALTZ, NY - A new era of SUNY New Paltz Athletics officially hits competition Tuesday night, as the Hawks prepare to begin their inaugural season of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. 

After officially joining the NJAC ahead of the 2026-27 academic year, SUNY New Paltz will compete for an NJAC Championship for the first time this fall, with women's volleyball becoming the first Hawks program to take the court in conference competition Tuesday night on the road against Ramapo College. 

The move marks a historic shift for SUNY New Paltz Athletics after more than six decades competing as a member of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The Hawks became the first institution outside the state of New Jersey to earn full membership in the NJAC and the conference's first new full-time member in more than four decades. 

Women's volleyball will officially open the new chapter Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Mahwah, N.J., taking on the Roadrunners in the first NJAC matchup in SUNY New Paltz history. 

The Hawks were selected sixth in the NJAC Preseason Poll while also earning the conference's Dark Horse distinction entering their inaugural season. SUNY New Paltz will compete through an eight-match NJAC slate, with the top six teams advancing to the conference tournament. 

Following Tuesday's historic opener, the remainder of the Hawks' fall programs will begin their respective NJAC schedules over the coming weeks. 

Women's tennis will follow volleyball as the next SUNY New Paltz program to make its NJAC debut, traveling to Stockton University Saturday for its first conference matchup. 

Men's and women's soccer will enter conference competition Sept. 30, while field hockey makes its NJAC debut Oct. 3. Cross country will get its first taste of NJAC Championship competition later this fall as SUNY New Paltz continues its first season in its new conference home. 

The move brings a new collection of opponents, rivalries and postseason opportunities for the Hawks as they look to establish themselves within one of the region's most competitive Division III conferences.

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