The Little East Conference officially began on April 28, 1986 as a playing conference for men's and women's basketball among six New England institutions: Eastern Connecticut State University, Plymouth State College, Rhode Island College, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University), the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Southern Maine. From the beginning the conference was officially recognized by the NCAA. The number of sports contested in the conference has grown to include men's and women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track, men's and women's outdoor track, men's lacrosse, softball, men's and women's tennis and volleyball, as well as the original men's and women's basketball. The number of participating institutions rose to seven with the addition of Western Connecticut State University in 1993-94 and then to eight for the 1997-98 year as Keene State College joined.