Northeast Conference

Northeast Conference
Northeast Conference
NEC
Established	1981
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
Members	10
Sports fielded	24 men's: 11; women's: 13; ;
Region	Northeast
Headquarters	Somerset, New Jersey
Commissioner	Noreen Morris (since 2010)
Website	northeastconference.org
Locations

The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA. Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States, from which the conference derives its name.

History[]

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Locations of NEC members, 2021-2022

full and

associate

The conference was named the ECAC Metro Conference when it was established in 1981. The original eleven member schools were Fairleigh Dickinson University, the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University (whose athletic program has now merged with that of LIU's Post campus into a single athletic program), Loyola College in Maryland (left in 1989), Marist College (left in 1997), Robert Morris University (left in 2020), St. Francis College (NY), Saint Francis College (PA), Siena College (left in 1984), Towson State University (left in 1982), the University of Baltimore (left in 1983) and Wagner College.^[1]

The conference's name was changed to its present form on August 1, 1988.^[2] Other names considered were Big North, Great North, North Shore, Northern, Northeastern, Eastern and Eastern Private Intercollegiate.^[3]

The Northeast Conference has expanded eight times since 1981. The expansions and additions from the original charter members were in 1985 (Monmouth University, which left in 2013), 1989 (Mount St. Mary's University), 1992 (Rider University, which left in 1997), 1997 (Central Connecticut State University), 1998 (Quinnipiac University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County which respectively left in 2013 and 2003), 1999 (Sacred Heart University), 2008 (Bryant University), and 2019 (Merrimack College). The Northeast Conference's rank was largest at 12 in 2008 with the addition of Bryant University;^[4] it dropped to 10 in 2013 with the departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac for the MAAC, returned to 11 with the 2019 addition of Merrimack, and again dropped to 10 in 2020 with the departure of Robert Morris for the Horizon League.

Additional changes were announced in 2018 and took effect with the 2019–20 school year. First, on September 10, the NEC announced it would add Merrimack.^[5] Then, on October 3, Long Island University announced that it would combine its two existing athletic programs—NEC member LIU Brooklyn and the Division II program at LIU Post—into a single Division I program under the LIU name. The new LIU program, nicknamed Sharks,^[6] maintains LIU Brooklyn's previous memberships in Division I and the NEC.^[7] The most recent change took place on July 1, 2020, when charter member Robert Morris left to join the Horizon League.

The Northeast Conference has a total of 10 full members in 24 championship sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's indoor track & field, women's lacrosse, men's and women's outdoor track & field, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball.

Men's lacrosse became the league's 23rd sport for the 2011 season.^[8] The number of sports dropped to 22 after the 2012–13 school year, when the conference dropped field hockey. The departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac to become all-sports members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in July 2013 gave the MAAC four full members that sponsored the sport; the other two were NEC single-sport affiliates Rider and Siena. The MAAC then decided to add field hockey as a sponsored sport for the 2013 season,^[9] and all of the NEC's remaining field hockey programs eventually joined the MAAC except for Saint Francis (PA), which joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. The NEC reinstated field hockey as a sponsored sport for the 2019 season with seven members—full members Bryant, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, and Wagner, plus associate members Fairfield and Rider.^[10] The most recent addition to the NEC's sports roster is men's swimming & diving, added for 2020–21 with full members Bryant, LIU, Mount St. Mary's, and St. Francis Brooklyn plus incoming associate member Howard.^[11] The next addition to the NEC sports roster comes in 2022–23 with the addition of men's volleyball.^[12]

Currently, a total of seven affiliate members compete in football, women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, and women's bowling.

Member schools[]

Full members[]

Current full members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (2018)	Nickname
Bryant University	Smithfield, Rhode Island	1863	2008	Private (Nonsectarian)	3,499	$174,200,000	Bulldogs
Central Connecticut State University	New Britain, Connecticut	1849	1997	Public	9,546	$63,000,000	Blue Devils
Fairleigh Dickinson University	Teaneck, New Jersey	1942	1981	Private (Nonsectarian)	8,590	$100,000,000	Knights
Long Island University^[a]	Brooklyn and Brookville, New York^[b]	1926	1981	Private (Nonsectarian)	16,958^[c]	$96,987,000	Sharks
Merrimack College	North Andover, Massachusetts	1947	2019	Private (Catholic)	3,726	$50,568,000	Warriors
Mount St. Mary's University	Emmitsburg, Maryland	1808	1989	Private (Catholic)	1,889	$47,605,000	Mountaineers
Sacred Heart University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1963	1999	Private (Catholic)	5,974	$137,027,000	Pioneers
St. Francis College	Brooklyn, New York	1858	1981	Private (Catholic)	2,363	$77,536,000	Terriers
Saint Francis University	Loretto, Pennsylvania	1847		Private (Catholic)	2,111	$44,863,000	Red Flash
Wagner College	Staten Island, New York	1883		Private (Lutheran)	1,762	$82,141,000	Seahawks

Notes

^ Prior to 2019–20, LIU operated two separate athletic programs, with only that of the school's Brooklyn campus being an NEC member.
^ The merged LIU athletic program bases some sports at the Brooklyn campus and others at the Post campus in Brookville, New York.^[13]
^ Combined enrollment of the Brooklyn and Post campuses. All LIU varsity sports are open to undergraduates at either campus who meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

Former full members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	Current conference
University of Baltimore	Baltimore, Maryland	1925	1981	1983	Public	Super Bees	none^[a]
Loyola College	Baltimore, Maryland	1852		1989	Private	Greyhounds	Patriot
Marist College	Poughkeepsie, New York	1929		1997	Private	Red Foxes	MAAC
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Catonsville, Maryland	1966	1998	2003	Public	Retrievers	America East
Monmouth University	West Long Branch, New Jersey	1933	1985	2013	Private	Hawks	MAAC
Quinnipiac University	Hamden, Connecticut	1929	1998	2013	Private	Bobcats
Rider University	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	1865	1992	1997		Broncs
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921	1981	2020		Colonials	Horizon
Siena College	Loudonville, New York	1937		1994		Saints	MAAC
Towson University	Towson, Maryland	1866		1982	Public	Tigers	CAA

Notes

^ University of Baltimore dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 1982–83 academic year.

Affiliate members[]

Current affiliate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	NEC sport	Primary conference
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1878	2008	Private	10,184	Dukes	football	Atlantic 10
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1878	2016		10,184	Dukes	bowling (w)	Atlantic 10
Fairfield University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1942	2019^[a]		4,991	Stags	field hockey	MAAC
Hobart College	Geneva, New York	1822	2013		2,105	Statesmen	lacrosse (m)	Liberty (NCAA D-III)
Howard University	Washington, D.C.	1867	2020		10,000	Bison/Lady Bison	swimming & diving (m)	MEAC
			2020				swimming & diving (w)
			2021				golf (w)
							lacrosse (w)
							soccer (m)
							soccer (w)
Rider University	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	1865	2019^[b]		5,790	Broncs	field hockey	MAAC
Saint Joseph's University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1851	2013		7,900	Hawks	lacrosse (m)	Atlantic 10

Notes

^ Fairfield field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 2004 to 2006 fall seasons (2004–05 to 2006–07 school years).
^ Rider field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 1998 to 2012 fall seasons (1998–99 to 2012–13 school years).

Former affiliate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	NEC sport	Primary conference	Conference in former NEC sport
Adelphi University	Garden City, New York	1896	2008	2015	Private	Panthers	bowling (w)	Northeast-10 (NCAA D-II)	ECC (NCAA D-II)
University at Albany	Albany, New York	1844	1999	2013	Public	Great Danes	football	America East	CAA
Caldwell University	Caldwell, New Jersey	1939	2014	2018	Private	Cougars	bowling (w)	CACC (NCAA D-II)	ECC (NCAA D-II)
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	Kutztown, Pennsylvania	1866	2008	2015	Public	Golden Bears	bowling (w)	PSAC (NCAA D-II)	ECC (NCAA D-II)
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania	1942	2004	2010		Bald Eagles	field hockey	PSAC (NCAA D-II)	Atlantic 10
New Jersey City University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1929	2009	2013		Gothic Knights	bowling (w)	NJAC (NCAA D-III)	Allegheny Mountain (NCAA D-III)^[14]
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Newark, New Jersey	1881	2019^[15]	2020		Highlanders	lacrosse (m)	America East^[a]
Siena College	Loudonville, New York	1937	1998	2013	Private	Saints	field hockey	MAAC	none^[b]
St. John's University	New York City, New York	1870	2000	2003		Red Storm	football	Big East	none^[c]
Saint Peter's University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1872	2008	2013		Peahens	bowling (w)	MAAC	none^[d]
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	1957	1999	2007	Public	Seawolves	football	America East	CAA
Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2003^[e]		Public Senior Military College	Keydets	swimming & diving (m)	SoCon	America East^[f]
Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2003^[e]		Public Senior Military College	Keydets	swimming & diving (w)	SoCon	America East^[f]

Notes

^ NJIT left NEC men's lacrosse after only one season when it became a full member of the America East Conference, which sponsors that sport.^[16]
^ Siena dropped field hockey after the 2017 fall season (2017–18 school year).
^ St. John's dropped football after the 2002 fall season (2002–03 school year).
^ Saint Peter's dropped bowling after the 2017–18 school year.
^ The VMI men's swimming program joined the NEC for the 2003–04 school year. The women's swimming team became a varsity program during the 2005–06 school year.
^ At the time of their membership in the Northeast Conference, VMI was a member of the Big South. In 2014, they became full members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). In swimming, the Keydets left the NEC to join the league now known as the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, and have currently competed in the America East Conference since the 2017–18 school year.

Membership timeline[]

Full members Full members (non-football) Football Affiliate Affiliate member (other sports) Other Conference Other Conference

Sports[]

The Northeast Conference currently sponsors championship competition in 11 men's and 13 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.^[17] Seven schools are associate members in five of those sports.

The most recent additions to the NEC sports lineup came in 2019 and 2020. First, the NEC reinstated field hockey as a sponsored sport for the 2019 season (2019–20 school year) after having dropped the sport following the 2012 season. Bryant, LIU, Sacred Heart, and Wagner were joined by incoming full member Merrimack and incoming associates Fairfield and Rider.^[10] Men's swimming & diving was added the following year, with full members Bryant, LIU, Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis Brooklyn joined by incoming associate Howard.^[11] The next sport to be added will be men's volleyball in 2022–23 with full members Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Saint Francis (PA).

Teams in Northeast Conference competition
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	8	–
Basketball	10	10
Bowling	–	8
Cross country	10	10
Field hockey	–	7
Football	8	–
Golf	8	9
Lacrosse	8	9
Soccer	10	11
Softball	–	9
Swimming & Diving	5	10
Tennis	8	9
Track and Field (Indoor)	9	10
Track and Field (Outdoor)	9	10
Volleyball	^[a]	8

Notes

^ Men's volleyball begins play in the 2023 season (2022–23 school year) with 6 teams.

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total NEC Sports
Bryant	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Central Connecticut	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	7
Fairleigh Dickinson	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
LIU	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Merrimack	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Mount St. Mary's	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Sacred Heart	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
St. Francis Brooklyn	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	6
Saint Francis (PA)	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Wagner	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Totals	8	10	10	7+1^[a]	8	6+2^[b]	9+1^[c]	5+1^[d]	8	9	9	88+5

Notes

^ Football associate Duquesne.
^ Men's lacrosse associates Hobart and Saint Joseph's.
^ Men's soccer associate Howard.
^ Swimming & diving associate Howard.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Northeast Conference which are played by NEC schools:

School	Fencing^[a]	Ice Hockey	Volleyball	Water Polo	Wrestling
Fairleigh Dickinson	—	—	Independent ^[b]	—	—
LIU	—	Independent^[c]	Independent^[b]	—	EIWA
Merrimack	—	Hockey East	^[d]	—	—
Sacred Heart	NEIFC	Atlantic Hockey	EIVA^[b]	—	EIWA
St. Francis Brooklyn	—	—	EIVA^[19]^[b]	CWPA	—
Saint Francis (PA)	—	—	EIVA^[b]	—	—
Wagner	—	—	—	CWPA	—

Notes

^ Fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools having men's and women's squads and all individual matches involving members of the same sex. While four NEC members sponsor fencing, only Sacred Heart fields both men's and women's squads.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Men's volleyball moves to the NEC in July 2022.
^ LIU added men's ice hockey in 2020. It has yet to join a conference in that sport, but has entered into a scheduling partnership with Atlantic Hockey.^[18]
^ Merrimack will add men's volleyball in 2022–23.

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Basketball	Bowling	Cross Country	Field Hockey	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total NEC Sports
Bryant	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Central Connecticut	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Fairleigh Dickinson	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N^[a]	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
LIU	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	13
Merrimack	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Mount St. Mary's	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	11
Sacred Heart	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	13
St. Francis Brooklyn	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Saint Francis (PA)	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Wagner	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	12
Totals	10	7+1^[b]	10	5+2^[c]	8+1^[d]	8+1^[d]	10+1^[d]	9	9+1^[e]	9	10	10	8	113+7

Notes

^ Fairleigh Dickinson will add women's lacrosse in 2022 (2023 season).^[20]
^ Bowling associates Duquesne.
^ Field hockey associates Fairfield and Rider.
^ ^a ^b ^c Golf, lacrosse, and soccer associate Howard.
^ Swimming & diving associate Howard.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Northeast Conference which are played by NEC schools:

School	Equestrian^[a]	Fencing^[b]	Gymnastics	Ice Hockey	Rowing	Rugby^[a]	Triathlon^[a]	Water Polo
Fairleigh Dickinson	—	NIWFA	—	—	—	—	—	—
LIU	—	IND	EAGL	NEWHA	—	—	—	MAAC
Merrimack	—	—	—	Hockey East	IND^[c]	—	—	—
Mount St. Mary's	—	—	—	—	—	IND^[d]	—	—
Sacred Heart	IND^[e]	NEIFC	—	NEWHA	MAAC	IND^[d]	—	—
St. Francis Brooklyn	—		——	—	—	—	—	MAAC
Saint Francis (PA)	—	A-10	—	—	—	—	—	CWPA
Wagner	—	NIWFA	—	—	—	—	IND^[f]	MAAC

In addition to the above, Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart count their female cheerleaders (but not male cheerleaders) as varsity athletes.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
^ Fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools having men's and women's squads and all individual matches involving members of the same sex. Of the four NEC members that sponsor the sport, Sacred Heart has both men's and women's squads, and Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU and Wagner field only women's squads.
^ Merrimack has not yet announced a women's rowing affiliation.
^ ^a ^b The NCAA considers all rugby schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.
^ The NCAA considers all equestrian schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.
^ The NCAA considers all triathlon schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

Basketball champions[]

Men's basketball champions[]

Season	Regular Season Champion	Tournament Champion
1982	Fairleigh Dickinson (12–3)	Robert Morris
1983	Robert Morris (12–2)	Robert Morris
1984	Long Island (11–5)	Long Island
1985	Marist (11–3)	Fairleigh Dickinson
1986	Fairleigh Dickinson (13–3)	Marist
1987	Marist (15–1)	Marist
1988	Fairleigh Dickinson (13–3)	Fairleigh Dickinson
1989	Robert Morris (12–4)	Robert Morris
1990	Robert Morris (12–4)	Robert Morris
1991	Saint Francis (PA) (13–3)	Saint Francis (PA)
1992	Robert Morris (12–4)	Robert Morris
1993	Rider (14–4)	Rider
1994	Rider (14–4)	Rider
1995	Rider (13–5)	Mount Saint Mary's
1996	Mount Saint Mary's (16–2)	Monmouth
1997	Long Island (15–3)	Long Island
1998	Long Island (14–2)	Fairleigh Dickinson
1999	UMBC (17–3)	Mount Saint Mary's
2000	Central Connecticut St. (15–3)	Central Connecticut St.
2001	St. Francis (NY) (16–4)	Monmouth
2002	Central Connecticut St. (19–1)	Central Connecticut St.
2003	Wagner (14–4)	Wagner
2004	Monmouth and St. Francis (NY) (12–6)	Monmouth
2005	Monmouth (14–4)	Fairleigh Dickinson
2006	Fairleigh Dickinson (14–4)	Monmouth
2007	Central Connecticut St. (16–2)	Central Connecticut St.
2008	Robert Morris (16–2)	Mount Saint Mary's
2009	Robert Morris (15–3)	Robert Morris
2010	Quinnipiac (15–3)	Robert Morris
2011	Long Island (16–2)	Long Island
2012	Long Island (16–2)	Long Island
2013	Robert Morris (14–4)	Long Island
2014	Robert Morris (14–2)	Mount Saint Mary's
2015	St. Francis Brooklyn (15–3)	Robert Morris
2016	Wagner (13-5)	Fairleigh Dickinson
2017	Mount Saint Mary's (14-4)	Mount Saint Mary's
2018	Wagner (14-4)	LIU Brooklyn
2019	Saint Francis (PA) and Fairleigh Dickinson (12–6)	Fairleigh Dickinson
2020	Merrimack (14–4)^[a]	Robert Morris

^ Merrimack was ineligible for the NEC tournament due to being in its first transitional year from NCAA Division II.

Women's basketball champions[]

Year	Regular Season Champions	Tournament Champions
1986-87	Monmouth	Monmouth
1987-88	Monmouth	Robert Morris
1988-89	Wagner	Wagner
1989-90	Mount St. Mary's	Fairleigh Dickinson
1990-91	Mount St. Mary's	Robert Morris
1991-92	Mount St. Mary's	Fairleigh Dickinson
1992-93	Fairleigh Dickinson/Mount St. Mary's	Mount St. Mary's
1993-94	Mount St. Mary's	Mount St. Mary's
1994-95	Mount St. Mary's	Mount St. Mary's
1995-96	Mount St. Mary's	Saint Francis (PA)
1996-97	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
1997-98	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
1998-99	Mount St. Mary's	Saint Francis (PA)
1999-00	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2000-01	Mount St. Mary's	Long Island
2001-02	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2002-03	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2003-04	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2004-05	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2005-06	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart
2006-07	Long Island, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart	Robert Morris
2007-08	Quinnipiac and Robert Morris	Robert Morris
2008-09	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart
2009-10	Robert Morris	Saint Francis (PA)
2010-11	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2011-12	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart
2012-13	Quinnipiac	Quinnipiac
2013-14	Robert Morris	Robert Morris
2014-15	Bryant/Central Connecticut	St. Francis Brooklyn
2015-16	Sacred Heart	Robert Morris
2016-17	Robert Morris	Robert Morris
2017-18	Saint Francis (PA)	Saint Francis (PA)
2018–19	Robert Morris	Robert Morris
2019–20	Robert Morris	None; tournament canceled in progress due to COVID-19

Football champions[]

1996 – Robert Morris/Monmouth
1997 – Robert Morris
1998 – Monmouth/Robert Morris
1999 – Robert Morris
2000 – Robert Morris
2001 – Sacred Heart
2002 – Albany
2003 – Monmouth/Albany
2004 – Monmouth/Central Connecticut
2005 – Stony Brook/Central Connecticut
2006 – Monmouth
2007 – Albany
2008 – Albany
2009 – Central Connecticut
2010 – Robert Morris/Central Connecticut
2011 – Albany/Duquesne
2012 – Wagner/Albany
2013 – Sacred Heart/Duquesne
2014 – Sacred Heart/Wagner
2015 – Duquesne
2016 – Saint Francis (PA)/Duquesne
2017 – Central Connecticut
2018 – Duquesne/Sacred Heart
2019 - Central Connecticut
2020 - Sacred Heart
2021 - Sacred Heart

Most conference championships[]

6 – Albany (3 shared)
6 – Robert Morris (3 shared)
6 – Central Connecticut (3 shared)
5 – Sacred Heart (3 shared)
5 – Duquesne (4 shared)
5 – Monmouth (4 shared)
2 – Wagner (2 shared)
1 – Saint Francis (PA) (1 shared)
1 – Stony Brook (1 shared)

NEC Rivalries[]

Before the 2013 departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac, the NEC had 6 rivalry matchups in the conference; which is most prevalent during NEC's men's and women's basketball "Rivalry Week." The concept of playing back-to-back games against a local rival the same week is the only one of its kind among the nation's 31 NCAA Division I conferences. The pre-2013 NEC rivalries are as follows (with the current NEC team listed first in the matchups that are now non-conference):

Currently in-conference

Battle of Brooklyn: LIU vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Constitution State Rivalry: Central Connecticut vs. Sacred Heart
NY–MD Showdown: Mount St. Mary's vs. Wagner

Non-conference

Garden State Rivalry: Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Monmouth (non-conference since 2013–14)
Governor's Cup: Sacred Heart vs. Quinnipiac (non-conference since 2013–14)
Keystone Clash: Saint Francis (PA) vs. Robert Morris (non-conference from 2020–21)

Brenda Weare Commissioner's Cup[]

The NEC Commissioner's Cup was instituted during the 1986-87 season with Long Island winning the inaugural award. Cup points are awarded in each NEC sponsored sport. For men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, football, women's bowling, softball, men's and women's lacrosse, and baseball, the final regular season standings are used to determine Cup points. Starting with the 2012-13 season, the Conference began awarding three bonus points to the NEC Tournament champion in those sports. In all other sports, points are awarded based on the finish at NEC Championship events.

Year	Overall	Men's	Women's
2018-19	Sacred Heart	Bryant	Sacred Heart
2017-18	Saint Francis (PA)	Bryant	Saint Francis (PA)
2016-17	Sacred Heart	Bryant	Sacred Heart
2015-16	Sacred Heart	Bryant	Sacred Heart
2014-15	Bryant	Bryant	Sacred Heart
2013-14	Bryant	Bryant	Saint Francis (PA)
2012-13	Monmouth	Monmouth	Saint Francis (PA)
2011-12	Sacred Heart	Monmouth	Sacred Heart
2010-11	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart
2009-10	Sacred Heart	Monmouth	Sacred Heart
2008-09	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart
2007-08	Sacred Heart	Monmouth	Sacred Heart
2006-07	Monmouth	Monmouth	Sacred Heart
2005-06	Monmouth	Monmouth	Long Island
2004-05	Monmouth	Monmouth	Saint Francis (PA)
2003-04	Monmouth	Monmouth	Sacred Heart
2002-03	UMBC	Monmouth	UMBC
2001-02	UMBC	Monmouth	UMBC
2000-01	UMBC	UMBC	UMBC
1999-2000	UMBC	UMBC	UMBC
1998-99	UMBC	Monmouth	UMBC
1997-98	Monmouth
1996-97	Mount St. Mary's
1995-96	Mount St. Mary's
1994-95	Mount St. Mary's
1993-94	Fairleigh Dickinson
1992-93	Fairleigh Dickinson
1991-92	Fairleigh Dickinson
1990-91	Monmouth
1989-90	Fairleigh Dickinson
1988-89	Fairleigh Dickinson
1987-88	Fairleigh Dickinson
1986-87	Long Island

Facilities[]

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball stadium	Capacity
Bryant	Beirne Stadium	5,500	Chace Athletic Center	2,700	Conaty Park	500
Central Connecticut	Arute Field	5,500	William H. Detrick Gymnasium	3,200	CCSU Baseball Field	N/A
Duquesne	Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field	2,200	Football (and bowling)-only member
Fairleigh Dickinson	Non-football school		Rothman Center	5,000	Naimoli Family Baseball Complex	500
LIU	Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium	6,000	Steinberg Wellness Center	3,000	LIU Post Baseball Field	N/A
Merrimack	Duane Stadium	3,500	Merrimack Athletics Complex	1,200	Warrior Baseball Diamond^[a]	N/A
Mount St. Mary's	Non-football school		Knott Arena	3,121	Straw Family Stadium	N/A
Sacred Heart	Campus Field	3,334	William H. Pitt Center	2,100	The Ballpark at Harbor Yard	5,300
St. Francis Brooklyn	Non-football school		Generoso Pope Athletic Complex	1,200	Non-baseball school
Saint Francis (PA)	DeGol Field	3,450	DeGol Arena	3,500	Non-baseball school
Wagner	Wagner College Stadium	3,500	Spiro Sports Center	2,500	Richmond County Bank Ballpark	7,171

Notes

^ Although Merrimack has an on-campus baseball venue, the school more regularly uses off-campus venues, among them Holman Stadium in Nashua, New Hampshire and the campus of St. John's Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts.

References[]

^ Ventre, Ralph. "Back to the Beginning: NEC Celebrates 30 Years," Northeast Conference, Thursday, March 3, 2011.
^ Official press release issued Tuesday, August 2, 1988 (Announcement of name change from ECAC-Metro Conference to Northeast Conference).
^ "Northeast Conference - 2012-13 NEC Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). www.northeastconference.org. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
^ "BRYANT UNIVERSITY ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JOIN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE". 18 October 2007.
^ "Northeast Conference - Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
^ "Welcome to the Shark Tank: Long Island University Chooses the Shark as New Mascot" (Press release). Long Island University. May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
^ "Long Island University Announces Unification Into One LIU Division I Program" (Press release). LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
^ "Northeast Conference - We Are The Northeast Conference".
^ "MAAC to Add Field Hockey" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. April 19, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Northeast Conference Re-Establishes Field Hockey Championship" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Six Howard University Athletics Programs Join the Northeast Conference As Associate Members" (Press release). Northeast Conference. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
^ "Northeast Conference Announces Men's Volleyball as 25th Championship Sport" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ "One LIU: Frequently Asked Questions". Long Island University. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
^ "New Jersey City University Joins AMCC as Affiliate Member in Women's Bowling" (Press release). Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. May 27, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ "NEC Welcomes NJIT as Men's Lacrosse Associate Member" (Press release). Northeast Conference. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
^ "NJIT to Join America East Conference as 10th Member Institution" (Press release). NJIT Highlanders. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
^ "The Official Site of the Northeast Conference".
^ "Men's Hockey Announced as Atlantic Hockey Scheduling Partner" (Press release). LIU Sharks. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
^ "St. Francis College Brooklyn Men's Volleyball Accepted into EIVA" (Press release). St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
^ "FDU Adds Women's Lacrosse as Its 21st Sport" (Press release). Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. January 19, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.

External links[]

Official website

[13] Prior to 2019–20, LIU operated two separate athletic programs, with only that of the school's Brooklyn campus being an NEC member.

[15] The merged LIU athletic program bases some sports at the Brooklyn campus and others at the Post campus in Brookville, New York.^[13]

[16] Combined enrollment of the Brooklyn and Post campuses. All LIU varsity sports are open to undergraduates at either campus who meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

[17] University of Baltimore dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 1982–83 academic year.

[18] Fairfield field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 2004 to 2006 fall seasons (2004–05 to 2006–07 school years).

[19] Rider field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 1998 to 2012 fall seasons (1998–99 to 2012–13 school years).

[23] NJIT left NEC men's lacrosse after only one season when it became a full member of the America East Conference, which sponsors that sport.^[16]

[24] Siena dropped field hockey after the 2017 fall season (2017–18 school year).

[25] St. John's dropped football after the 2002 fall season (2002–03 school year).

[26] Saint Peter's dropped bowling after the 2017–18 school year.

[27] The VMI men's swimming program joined the NEC for the 2003–04 school year. The women's swimming team became a varsity program during the 2005–06 school year.

[28] At the time of their membership in the Northeast Conference, VMI was a member of the Big South. In 2014, they became full members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). In swimming, the Keydets left the NEC to join the league now known as the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, and have currently competed in the America East Conference since the 2017–18 school year.

[30] Men's volleyball begins play in the 2023 season (2022–23 school year) with 6 teams.

[31] Football associate Duquesne.

[32] Men's lacrosse associates Hobart and Saint Joseph's.

[33] Men's soccer associate Howard.

[34] Swimming & diving associate Howard.

[35] Fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools having men's and women's squads and all individual matches involving members of the same sex. While four NEC members sponsor fencing, only Sacred Heart fields both men's and women's squads.

[MVBcurrent-36] Men's volleyball moves to the NEC in July 2022.

[38] LIU added men's ice hockey in 2020. It has yet to join a conference in that sport, but has entered into a scheduling partnership with Atlantic Hockey.^[18]

[39] Merrimack will add men's volleyball in 2022–23.

[42] Fairleigh Dickinson will add women's lacrosse in 2022 (2023 season).^[20]

[43] Bowling associates Duquesne.

[44] Field hockey associates Fairfield and Rider.

[Howard-45] Golf, lacrosse, and soccer associate Howard.

[46] Swimming & diving associate Howard.

[Emerging-47] Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.

[48] Fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools having men's and women's squads and all individual matches involving members of the same sex. Of the four NEC members that sponsor the sport, Sacred Heart has both men's and women's squads, and Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU and Wagner field only women's squads.

[49] Merrimack has not yet announced a women's rowing affiliation.

[Rugby-50] The NCAA considers all rugby schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

[51] The NCAA considers all equestrian schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

[52] The NCAA considers all triathlon schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

[53] Merrimack was ineligible for the NEC tournament due to being in its first transitional year from NCAA Division II.

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v t Northeast Conference
Full members	Bryant Bulldogs Central Connecticut Blue Devils Fairleigh Dickinson Knights LIU Sharks Merrimack Warriors Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers Sacred Heart Pioneers St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers Saint Francis Red Flash Wagner Seahawks
Associate members	Duquesne Dukes (bowling and football) Fairfield Stags (field hockey) Hobart Statesmen (men's lacrosse) Howard Bison (women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming & diving) Rider Broncs (field hockey) Saint Joseph's Hawks (men's lacrosse)

v t NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conferences
ASUN Conference (effective 2022) Big Sky Conference Big South Conference Colonial Athletic Association Ivy League Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference Northeast Conference Ohio Valley Conference Patriot League Pioneer Football League Southern Conference Southland Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Athletic Conference
Independents