PITMAN, NJ & LANCASTER, PA – The New Jersey Athletic Conference and the Centennial Conference have announced the formation of the Centennial vs. NJAC Football Challenge, a football scheduling agreement between the two conferences. The challenge will begin with a two-year agreement in 2023-24 with the potential for renewal in future seasons.

The scheduling alliance will see institutions from both conferences fill available non-conference dates with a focus on travel distances and competitive balance. In addition to providing quality non-conference matchups, the collaboration will ensure that every team in each conference will be able to complete a full 10-game regular season schedule.

Both conferences will have seven football members in 2023, making a non-conference scheduling agreement between the neighboring conferences a natural fit.

More specific details, including game matchups in 2023 and 2024, will be announced at a later date.

“We are beyond excited to enter into an agreement with the NJAC to not only fill our football schedule, but to affiliate with a league with an established football tradition,” said Centennial Conference Executive Director Portia Hoeg. “As one of the strongest football conferences in Division III, the Centennial Conference looks forward to new competitive challenges, while introducing our league to new areas of the country.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for our seven NJAC football programs, and we’re thrilled to be able to partner with the outstanding member institutions of the Centennial Conference,” said Terry Small, NJAC Commissioner. “Collectively we think this Challenge will bring schedule stability for both conferences while providing unique competition opportunities for the student-athletes in both leagues.”

Over the past 20 years, the Centennial and NJAC have combined for 46 NCAA playoff wins including four Final Four appearances and eight trips to the quarterfinal round.

Centennial football members include Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA), Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA), Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD), McDaniel College (Westminster, MD), Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA), and Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA).

NJAC football members include Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA), Kean University (Union, NJ), Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ), Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ), Salisbury University (Salisbury, MD), The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ), and William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ).