Austin Prep sports teams leaving MIAA to join Brooks, Phillips in NEPSAC

Bill Burt, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·2 min read

Jan. 20—READING — Austin Prep made some stunning sports news outside of the lines Thursday, announcing that its athletic programs will join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC), effective at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year.

Austin Prep will join local schools Phillips Academy in Andover and Brooks School in North Andover, both whom are members of NEPSAC.

The Reading will finish this year, its last, in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), and membership in the Catholic Central Conference. Through the early '80s, Austin Prep played in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

The school has middle school and high school for boys and girls.

The NEPSAC is an association of accredited independent and some faith-based schools across New England. With membership in the NEPSAC, school officials say it will advance its mission by aligning and building relationships with other like-minded institutions to support Austin Prep students in their academic, social, and athletic development.

In the first year of NEPSAC membership, Austin Prep's boys and girls athletic teams will compete against schools from several leagues within the NEPSAC.

"The decision to join the NEPSAC is an inflection point in the history of Austin Prep," said James Hickey, Ph.D, Head of School. "The school's membership in the NEPSAC creates opportunities to engage in athletic competition that maximizes the balance of academics and athletics, increasing visibility in the college athletics recruitment process, and competing at athletic facilities on par with our own."

As Austin Prep begins membership with the NEPSAC in 2022-2023, it will conclude its membership in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).

"We are extremely thankful to all the schools we have competed against over the years, especially our fellow Catholic schools and our friends in the Catholic Central League," Dr. Hickey noted in a recent message to the school community. "The long history we have shared with the CCL is inseparable from the solid foundation on which our athletic department was built."

Director of Athletics Patrick Driscoll said "We are excited to see what the future holds for Austin Prep as a member of the NEPSAC, and grateful to the leadership of the NEPSAC and all its member schools for welcoming us to this exceptional association. We are honored to have been extended this opportunity and look forward to working with all NEPSAC member schools to advance excellence."