Northeast Conference: Difference between revisions

Northeast Conference
Formerly	Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro (1981–1988)
Association	NCAA
Founded	1981
Commissioner	Noreen Morris (since 2010)
Sports fielded	25 men's: 12; women's: 13; ;
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
No. of teams	9
Headquarters	Bridgewater, New Jersey
Region	Northeast, Midwest
Official website	northeastconference.org
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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). Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States, from which the conference derives its name.

History

North Carolina Central

NEC Member locations

– Full member

– Associate member

– Future associate member

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) (left in 2023), 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 admitted new members ten times since 1981. The expansions and additions from the original charter members were: in 1985 (Monmouth University, which left in 2013), in 1989 (Mount St. Mary's University, which left in 2022), in 1992 (Rider University, which left in 1997), in 1997 (Central Connecticut State University), in 1998 (Quinnipiac University which left in 2013, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County which left in 2003), in 1999 (Sacred Heart University, which is left in 2024), in 2008 (Bryant University, which also left in 2022), in 2019 (Merrimack College, which also left in 2024), in 2022 (Stonehill College), in 2023 (Le Moyne College), and in 2024 (Chicago State University and Mercyhurst University). The Northeast Conference's full membership was its largest at 12 in 2008 with the addition of Bryant University.^[4] It then dropped to 10 in 2013 with the departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (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. The conference dropped to 9 members in 2022 with the departure of Bryant and Mount St. Mary's, respectively for the America East Conference and the MAAC, plus the addition of Stonehill. On March 20, 2023, St. Francis Brooklyn announced that all intercollegiate sports would be dropped effective at the end of the 2022-23 season, dropping the NEC down to 8 full members. This was followed on May 10, 2023 by the announcement that Le Moyne College would begin a transition from Division II and join the NEC on July 1.^[5]

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.^[6] 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,^[7] maintains LIU Brooklyn's previous memberships in Division I and the NEC.^[8] Another recent change took place on July 1, 2020, when charter member Robert Morris left to join the Horizon League. The next changes in membership were on July 1, 2022, with Bryant leaving for the America East Conference,^[9] Mount St. Mary's leaving for the MAAC,^[10] and Stonehill arriving from NCAA Division II.^[11]

The Northeast Conference has a total of 9 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 men's and women's volleyball.

Men's lacrosse became the league's 23rd sport for the 2011 season.^[12] 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,^[13] 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.^[14] Saint Francis (PA) rejoined the NEC in field hockey during the 2021-22 season. A more recent addition to the NEC's sports roster was men's swimming & diving, added for 2020–21 with full members Bryant, LIU, Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Wagner plus incoming associate member Howard.^[15]

In 2022–23, the NEC added one sport and dropped another. On September 30, 2021, the NEC announced that it would begin sponsoring men's volleyball in 2022–23 with six members.^[16] Before the end of the 2021–22 school year, the NEC announced that two Division II schools from the Buffalo, New York area, Daemen and D'Youville, would also become part of the new men's volleyball league.^[17] In a May 9, 2022 Twitter post, NEC commissioner Noreen Morris indicated that the NEC would shut down its men's lacrosse league after the then-ongoing 2022 season. The NEC had already lost two full members that sponsored the sport, and would eventually lose its two affiliate members in that sport when the Atlantic 10 Conference announced it would launch a men's lacrosse league in the 2023 season.^[18] Three of the remaining four NEC men's lacrosse programs became affiliate members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The other program, Merrimack, was in talks with several lacrosse-sponsoring conferences for affiliate membership,^[19] and eventually joined the America East in time for the 2023 season.^[20]

In July 2022, the Northeast Conference announced a partnership with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in which MEAC schools sponsoring baseball and men's and women's golf would become affiliate members in their respective sports beginning in the 2022-23 season.^[21] That September, the NEC announced that MEAC member Delaware State, which had just joined NEC baseball and women's golf, would add women's lacrosse and women's soccer to its NEC membership in 2023–24.^[22]

In March 2023, St. Francis College (Brooklyn) announced that it would discontinue its athletic programs at the end of the spring 2023 schedule.^[23] Le Moyne was announced as SFC's replacement that May.

The NEC added two affiliate members in 2023–24—Binghamton University in men's golf plus men's and women's tennis,^[24] and Niagara University in bowling. Niagara added that sport for 2023–24 by effectively absorbing the bowling program of Medaille University, a nearby Division III school that closed at the end of the 2022–23 school year.^[25]

In October 2023, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced that Merrimack and Sacred Heart were going to join the conference for the 2024-25 season.^[26] This announcement came on the heels of the announcement that the NEC was going to support men's lacrosse as a conference sponsored sport for the 2024–25 academic year, after having to discontinue it two years earlier due to the lack of sponsoring members. The original plan was for full members Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, and Wagner to be joined by two new associate members, the University of Detroit Mercy and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).^[27] The departure of Merrimack and Sacred Heart left the number of men's lacrosse programs in the conference with less than the 6 member minimum required for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament. The NEC announced in November 2023 that Cleveland State University and former full member Robert Morris were going to join the league as men's lacrosse associates.^[28] In November 2023, Robert Morris also announced that it was going to return to the NEC in football.^[29] Shortly after this, Maryland Eastern Shore announced that it was going to add men's volleyball in the 2026 season (2025–26 school year) as an NEC associate member, increasing the number of its NEC teams to four. It became the first historically African-American Division I member to announce the addition of that sport.^[30] In April 2024, Sacred Heart announced that it was going to leave NEC men's volleyballd, and that it was going to return to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, where it had played that sport before the NEC established its own league.^[31] Also in 2024–25, former full member Monmouth returned to the NEC as an associate member in bowling.^[32] Soon after the start of the 2024–25 academic year, Manhattan University announced that it was going to add men's volleyball and become an NEC affiliate in 2025–26.^[33]

In response to the departure of Merrimack and Sacred Heart, the NEC announced first in December 2023 that D-I independent Chicago State University was going to join the NEC.^[34] A few months later, in April 2024, Mercyhurst University announced that it was going to transition from Division II and join the NEC, bringing the league to 9 members again, for the 2024-25 season.^[35]

Currently, a total of 20 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, women's bowling, field hockey, and men's volleyball.

Member schools

Full members

Current full members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (2022)	Nickname
Central Connecticut State University	New Britain, Connecticut	1849	1997–98	Public	9,546	$63,000,000	Blue Devils
Chicago State University	Chicago, Illinois	1867	2024–25	Public (TMCF)	2,620^[36]	$9,700,000	Cougars
Fairleigh Dickinson University	Teaneck, New Jersey	1942	1981–82	Private (Nonsectarian)	8,590	$88,300,000	Knights
Le Moyne College	Syracuse, New York^[a]	1946	2023–24	Private (Catholic, Jesuit)	3,409	$180,400,000	Dolphins
Long Island University^[b]	Brooklyn and Brookville, New York^[c]	1926	1981–82	Private (Nonsectarian)	16,958^[d]	$367,000,000	Sharks
Mercyhurst University	Erie, Pennsylvania	1926	2024–25	Private (Catholic, Sisters of Mercy)	2,759	$31,800,000	Lakers
Saint Francis University	Loretto, Pennsylvania	1847	1981–82	Private (Catholic, Franciscan)	2,111	$63,000,000	Red Flash
Stonehill College	Easton, Massachusetts	1948	2022–23	Private (Catholic, Holy Cross)	2,479	$295,259,814	Skyhawks
Wagner College	Staten Island, New York	1883	1981–82	Private (Lutheran)	1,762	$112,000,000	Seahawks

Notes

^ The campus has a Syracuse mailing address, but almost entirely lies within the adjacent town of DeWitt.
^ 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.^[37]
^ 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	1981–82	1982–83	Public	Super Bees	none^[a]
Bryant University	Smithfield, Rhode Island	1863	2008–09	2021–22	Private	Bulldogs	America East
Loyola College	Baltimore, Maryland	1852	1981–82	1988–89		Greyhounds	Patriot
Marist College	Poughkeepsie, New York	1929	1981–82	1996–97		Red Foxes	MAAC
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Catonsville, Maryland^[b]	1966	1998–99	2002–03	Public	Retrievers	America East
Merrimack College^[c]	North Andover, Massachusetts	1947	2019–20	2023–24	Private	Warriors	MAAC
Monmouth University^[d]	West Long Branch, New Jersey	1933	1985–86	2012–13		Hawks	CAA
Mount St. Mary's University	Emmitsburg, Maryland^[e]	1808	1989–90	2021–22		Mountaineers	MAAC
Quinnipiac University	Hamden, Connecticut	1929	1998–99	2012–13		Bobcats
Rider University^[f]	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	1865	1992–93	1996–97		Broncs
Robert Morris University^[g]	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921	1981–82	2019–20		Colonials	Horizon
Sacred Heart University^[c]	Fairfield, Connecticut	1963	1999–00	2023–24		Pioneers	MAAC
St. Francis College	Brooklyn, New York	1858	1981–82	2022–23		Terriers	none^[h]
Siena College	Loudonville, New York	1937		1983–84		Saints	MAAC
Towson University	Towson, Maryland	1866		1981–82	Public	Tigers	CAA

Notes

^ The University of Baltimore dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 1982–83 academic year.
^ Mailing address is Baltimore.
^ ^a ^b Merrimack and Sacred Heart remain NEC affiliates in field hockey.
^ Monmouth returned to the NEC in 2024–25 as an affiliate member in bowling.
^ The Mount St. Mary's campus has an Emmitsburg mailing address, but is located in unincorporated Frederick County.
^ Rider returned to the NEC in 2019–20 as an affiliate member in Field Hockey.
^ Robert Morris returned to the NEC in 2024–25 as an affiliate member in football and men's lacrosse.
^ St. Francis Brooklyn dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 2022–23 academic year.

Affiliate members

Current affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	NEC sport(s)	Primary conference
Binghamton University	Binghamton, New York^[a]	1946	2023–24	Public	16,098	Bearcats	Men's golf	America East
							Men's tennis
							Women's tennis
Cleveland State University	Cleveland, Ohio	1964	2024–25	Public	16,418	Vikings	Men's lacrosse	Horizon
Coppin State University	Baltimore, Maryland	1900	2022–23	Public (HBCU)	2,348	Eagles	Baseball	MEAC
Daemen University	Amherst, New York	1947		Private	2,156	Wildcats	Men's volleyball	ECC^[b]
Delaware State University	Dover, Delaware	1891		Public^[c] (HBCU)	4,768	Hornets	Baseball	MEAC
							Women's golf
			2023–24				Women's lacrosse
			2023–24				Women's soccer
University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, Michigan	1877	2024–25	Private	5,700	Titans	Men’s Lacrosse	Horizon
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1878	2008–09		10,184	Dukes	Football	Atlantic 10
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	1878	2016–17		10,184	Dukes	Bowling	Atlantic 10
D'Youville University	Buffalo, New York	1946	2022–23		1,475	Saints	Men's volleyball	ECC^[b]
Fairfield University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1942	2019–20^[d]		4,991	Stags	Field hockey	MAAC
Howard University	Washington, D.C.	1867	2020–21	Private (HBCU)	10,000	Bison/Lady Bison	Men's swimming & diving	MEAC
			2020–21				Women's swimming & diving
			2021–22				Women's golf
							Women's lacrosse
							Men's soccer
							Women's soccer
			2022–23				Men's golf
University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Princess Anne, Maryland^[e]	1886		Public (HBCU)	2,888	Hawks	Baseball
							Men's golf
							Women's golf
Merrimack College	North Andover, Massachusetts	1947	2024–25^[f]	Private	3,726	Warriors	Field hockey	MAAC
Monmouth University	West Long Branch, New Jersey	1933	2024–25^[g]		5,675	Hawks	Bowling	CAA
Niagara University	Niagara University, New York^[h]	1856	2023–24		3,765	Purple Eagles	Bowling	MAAC
Norfolk State University	Norfolk, Virginia	1935	2022–23	Public (HBCU)	5,601	Spartans	Baseball	MEAC
North Carolina Central University	Durham, North Carolina	1910			8,011	Eagles	Men's golf
North Carolina Central University	Durham, North Carolina	1910			8,011	Eagles	Women's golf
Rider University	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	1865	2019–20^[i]	Private	5,790	Broncs	Field hockey	MAAC
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921	2024–25^[j]		4,895	Colonials	Football	Horizon
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921	2024–25^[j]		4,895	Colonials	Men's lacrosse	Horizon
Sacred Heart University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1963	2024–25^[k]		5,974	Pioneers	Field hockey	MAAC
Virginia Military Institute (VMI)	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2024–25	Public (Senior Military College)	1,772	Keydets	Men's lacrosse	SoCon

Notes

^ The BU campus has a Binghamton mailing address, but mostly lies in the adjacent town of Vestal.
^ ^a ^b Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
^ Delaware State is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
^ Fairfield field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 2004 to 2006 fall seasons (2004–05 to 2006–07 school years).
^ The UMES campus has a Princess Anne mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Somerset County.
^ Merrimack had been a full NEC member from 2019–2024.
^ Monmouth had been a full NEC member from 1985–2013.
^ The Niagara campus is its own census-designated place and postal entity within the town of Lewiston.
^ Rider was previously a full member from 1992 - 97 while field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 1998 to 2012 fall seasons (1998–99 to 2012–13 school years).
^ Robert Morris had been a full NEC member from 1981-2020.
^ Sacred Heart had been a full NEC member from 1999–2024.

Future affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	NEC sport(s)	Primary conference	Current conference in affiliate sport
Manhattan University	Riverdale, New York	1853	2025–26	Private	4,132	Jaspers		Men's volleyball	MAAC	—
University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Princess Anne, Maryland^[a]	1888	2025–26	Public (HBCU)	2,888	Hawks		Men's volleyball	MEAC	—

^ The UMES campus has a Princess Anne mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Somerset County.

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	2008–09	2014–15	Private	Panthers	Bowling	Northeast-10^[a]	ECC^[a]
University at Albany	Albany, New York	1844	1999–00	2012–13	Public	Great Danes	Football	America East	CAA Football^[b]
Caldwell University	Caldwell, New Jersey	1939	2014–15	2017–18	Private	Cougars	Bowling	CACC^[a]	ECC^[a]
Hobart College	Geneva, New York	1822	2013–14	2021–22	Private	Statesmen	Men's lacrosse	Liberty^[c]	Atlantic 10
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	Kutztown, Pennsylvania	1866	2008–09	2014–15	Public	Golden Bears	Bowling	PSAC^[a]	ECC^[a]
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania	1942	2004–05	2009–10		Bald Eagles	Field hockey	PSAC^[a]	Atlantic 10
New Jersey City University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1929	2009–10	2012–13		Gothic Knights	Bowling	NJAC^[c]	Allegheny Mountain^[c]^[38]
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Newark, New Jersey	1881	2019–20^[39]			Highlanders	Women's lacrosse	America East^[d]
St. John's University	Queens, New York	1870	2000–01	2002–03	Private	Red Storm	Football	Big East	none^[e]
Saint Joseph's University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1851	2013–14	2021–22		Hawks	Men's lacrosse	Atlantic 10
Saint Peter's University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1872	2008–09	2012–13		Peahens^[f]	Bowling	MAAC	none^[g]
Siena College	Loudonville, New York	1937	1998–99	2012–13		Saints	Field hockey	MAAC	none^[h]
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	1957	1999–00	2006–07	Public	Seawolves	Football	CAA	CAA Football^[b]
Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2003–04^[i]		Public Senior Military College	Keydets	Men's swimming & diving	SoCon	America East^[j]
Virginia Military Institute	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2003–04^[i]		Public Senior Military College	Keydets	Women's swimming & diving	SoCon	America East^[j]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
^ ^a ^b CAA Football is technically a separate entity from the all-sports Coastal Athletic Association, though both share the same administration.
^ ^a ^b ^c Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
^ 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.^[40]
^ St. John's dropped football after the 2002 fall season (2002–03 school year).
^ When Saint Peter's was an NEC associate, its men's teams used the nickname Peacocks, with women's teams using Peahens. The university has since adopted Peacocks for all teams.
^ Saint Peter's dropped bowling after the 2017–18 school year.
^ Siena dropped field hockey after the 2017 fall season (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 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.^[41] Twelve schools are associate members in 14 of those sports.

The most recent change to the NEC sports lineup is the reinstatement of men's lacrosse in 2024–25 after it had been eliminated in 2022. At the same time men's lacrosse was dropped, the NEC added men's volleyball.^[19]

Teams in Northeast Conference competition
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	11	–
Basketball	9	9
Bowling	–	8
Cross country	9	9
Field hockey	–	9
Football	8	–
Golf	11	12
Lacrosse	8	10
Soccer	9	11
Softball	–	8
Swimming & Diving	4	7
Tennis	9	9
Track and Field (Indoor)	8	8
Track and Field (Outdoor)	8	8
Volleyball	5	8

Notes

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total NEC Sports
Central Connecticut	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	7
Chicago State	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No^[a]	Yes	Yes	No	6
Fairleigh Dickinson	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Le Moyne	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	10
LIU	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	12
Mercyhurst	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	8
Saint Francis	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Stonehill	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8
Wagner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	10
Totals	7+4^[b]	9	9	6+2^[c]	7+4^[d]	4+4^[e]	8+1^[f]	3+1^[f]	7+1^[g]	8	8	3+2^[h]	76+19

Notes

^ Chicago State men's tennis is playing in the Horizon League in the 2024–25 season before moving to the NEC in 2025.^[42]
^ Affiliate members Coppin State, Delaware State, UMES, and Norfolk State
^ Affiliate member Duquesne and Robert Morris
^ Affiliate members Binghamton, Howard, UMES, and North Carolina Central
^ Affiliate members Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and VMI
^ ^a ^b Affiliate member Howard
^ Affiliate member Binghamton
^ Affiliate members Daemen and D'Youville. Manhattan and UMES to join as men's volleyball associates in 2025.

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

School	Fencing^[a]	Ice Hockey	Water Polo	Wrestling
LIU	IND	Independent	—	EIWA
Mercyhurst	—	AHA	CWPA	IND
Stonehill	–	Independent	–	–
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 LIU and Sacred Heart field both men's and women's squads, though Wagner will add a men's squad in 2023–24.

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
Central Connecticut	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Chicago State	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No^[a]	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Fairleigh Dickinson	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	11
Le Moyne	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	11
LIU	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	13
Mercyhurst	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	10
Saint Francis	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	12
Stonehill	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	12
Wagner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	12
Totals	9	5+3^[b]	9	5+4^[c]	8+4^[d]	8+2^[e]	9+2^[e]	8	6+1^[f]	7+1^[g]	8	8	8	97+17

Notes

^ Chicago State women's tennis is playing in the Horizon League in the 2024–25 season before moving to the NEC in 2025.^[42]
^ Affiliate members Duquesne, Monmouth, and Niagara
^ Affiliate members Fairfield, Merrimack, Rider, and Sacred Heart
^ Affiliate members Delaware State, Howard, UMES, and North Carolina Central
^ ^a ^b Affiliate members Delaware State and Howard
^ Affiliate member Howard
^ Affiliate member Binghamton

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

School	Acrobatics & Tumbling^[a]	Equestrian^[a]	Fencing^[b]	Gymnastics	Ice Hockey	Rowing	Rugby^[a]	Stunt^[a]	Triathlon^[a]	Water Polo
Fairleigh Dickinson	—	—	NIWFA	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
LIU	IND^[c]	—	IND	EAGL	NEWHA	—	—	—	—	MAAC
Mercyhurst	—	—	—	—	AHA	IND	—	IND	—	CWPA
Saint Francis	—	—	-	—	—	—	—	—	—	CWPA
Stonehill	—	IND^[d]	—	—	NEWHA	—	—	—	—	—
Wagner	—	—	NIWFA	—	—	—	—	—	IND^[e]	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 ^d ^e 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, LIU and Sacred Heart have both men's and women's squads (with LIU having added men's fencing in 2022–23), and Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner field only women's squads. Wagner will add a men's squad to its existing women's squad in 2023–24.
^ The NCAA considers all acrobatics & tumbling 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
2021	Wagner (13–5)	Mount St. Mary's
2022	Bryant (16–2)	Bryant
2023	Merrimack (12–4)	Merrimack^[b]
2024	Central Connecticut St.† and Merrimack (13–3)	Wagner

^ Merrimack was ineligible for the NEC tournament due to being in its first transitional year (of four) from NCAA Division II.
^ Starting with the 2023 edition, NEC tournament eligibility was extended to transitional D-I members effective with the third year of the transition, making fourth-year transitional member Merrimack tournament-eligible. However, it remained ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Merrimack's opponent in the NEC final, Fairleigh Dickinson, received the NEC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

† No. 1 seed in NEC tournament

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
2020-21	Mount St. Mary’s	Mount St. Mary’s
2021-22	Fairleigh Dickinson	Mount St. Mary’s
2022-23	Fairleigh Dickinson	Sacred Heart
2023-24	Sacred Heart	Sacred Heart

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
2022 - Saint Francis (PA)
2023 - Duquesne

Most conference championships

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

Non-conference

Constitution State Rivalry: Central Connecticut vs. Sacred Heart (non-conference starting in 2024–25)
Garden State Rivalry: Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Monmouth (non-conference since 2013–14)
Governor's Cup: Sacred Heart vs. Quinnipiac (non-conference since 2013–14, MAAC rivalry in 2024–25)
Keystone Clash: Saint Francis (PA) vs. Robert Morris (non-conference since 2020–21)
NY–MD Showdown: Wagner vs. Mount St. Mary's (non-conference since 2022–23)

Discontinued

Battle of Brooklyn: LIU vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (St. Francis Brooklyn dropped athletics after the 2022–23 academic year.)

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
2022-23	Sacred Heart	Merrimack	Sacred Heart
2021-22	LIU	LIU	LIU
2020-21	LIU	Bryant	LIU
2019-20	Not Awarded	Not Awarded	Not Awarded
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
Central Connecticut	Arute Field	5,500	William H. Detrick Gymnasium	3,200	CCSU Baseball Field	—
Chicago State	Non-football school		Jones Convocation Center	7,000	Non-baseball school
Duquesne	Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field	2,200	Football (and bowling)-only member
Fairleigh Dickinson	Non-football school		Bogota Savings Bank Center	5,000	Naimoli Family Baseball Complex	500
Le Moyne	Non-football school		Ted Grant Court	2,637	Dick Rockwell Field	—
LIU	Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium	6,000	Steinberg Wellness Center	3,000	LIU Baseball Stadium	—
Mercyhurst	Saxon Stadium	2,300	Mercyhurst Athletic Center	1,800	Mercyhurst Baseball Field	1,000
Robert Morris	Joe Walton Stadium	3,000	Football (and men's lacrosse)-only member
Saint Francis	DeGol Field	3,450	DeGol Arena	3,500	Non-baseball school
Stonehill	W.B. Mason Stadium	2,400	Merkert Gymnasium	1,560	Lou Gorman Field	—
Wagner	Wagner College Stadium	3,500	Spiro Sports Center	2,500	SIUH Community Park	7,171

Baseball affiliates
School	Stadium	Capacity
Coppin State	Joe Cannon Stadium	1,500
Delaware State	Soldier Field	500
Maryland Eastern Shore	Hawk Stadium	1,000^[43]
Norfolk State	Marty L. Miller Field	1,500^[44]

Notes

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.
^ "Le Moyne College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
^ "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.
^ "Bryant University to Join America East Conference as Newest Member Institution" (Press release). America East Conference. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
^ "MAAC Welcomes Mount St. Mary's University as Newest Member Institution" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
^ "Stonehill Announces Transition to NCAA Division I for 2022-23 Academic Year" (Press release). Stonehill Skyhawks. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
^ "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.
^ "Northeast Conference Re-Establishes Field Hockey Championship" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
^ "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.
^ "NEC Welcomes Daemen & D'Youville as Men's Volleyball Associate Members" (Press release). Northeast Conference. May 19, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
^ "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference !date=May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b DaSilva, Matt (May 9, 2022). "NEC Won't Sponsor Men's Lacrosse in 2023; MAAC Absorbs Three Teams". USA Lacrosse Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^ "Merrimack Added as Associate Member in Men's Lacrosse" (Press release). America East Conference. July 20, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
^ "NEC & MEAC Announce Three-Sport Associate Member Partnership". Northeast Conference (Press release). July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
^ "Delaware State To Extend NEC Associate Membership Partnership to Women's Soccer & Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
^ "St. Francis College Restructures to Further Advance SFC Forward; COO Tim Cecere Appointed Acting President". St. Francis College. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
^ "NEC Welcomes Binghamton as Associate Member in Men's Golf and Men's & Women's Tennis" (Press release). Northeast Conference. June 12, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
^ "NEC Welcomes Niagara as Women's Bowling Associate Member" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
^ "MAAC Welcomes Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University as Newest Full Members". maacsports.com. 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
^ "NEC Men's Lax is Back! Sport To Return In 2024-25 With Detroit Mercy & VMI Joining As Associate Members" (Press release). October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^ "NEC Men's Lacrosse Adds Cleveland State and Robert Morris As Associates Ahead of 2024-25 Return" (Press release). November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
^ "Return Engagement: Robert Morris Rejoins NEC As Football Associate Member". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
^ "University of Maryland Eastern Shore announces the addition of men's volleyball" (Press release). UMES Hawks. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^ "Sacred Heart returning to EIVA family in 2025" (Press release). Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
^ "NEC Welcomes Monmouth as Women's Bowling Associate Member" (Press release). Northeast Conference. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
^ "Manhattan Adds Three Sports for 2025-2026" (Press release). Manhattan Jaspers. July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
^ "Windy City Welcome: Chicago State Roars Into NEC" (Press release). Northeast Conference. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
^ "Welcome To The Lake Show: Mercyhurst University Accepts Northeast Conference Membership Invite" (Press release). Northeast Conference. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ "CSU Graduate Enrollment Increases 5%". Chicago State University. September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 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".
^ ^a ^b "Chicago State Officially Enters the Northeast Conference" (Press release). Chicago State Cougars Athletics. July 1, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024. The full NEC conference membership will be for 13 of CSU's men's and women's sports while men's and women's tennis will remain in the Horizon League for one more season.
^ "2012 Baseball Quick Facts" (PDF). grfx.CSTV.com. UMES Sports Information Department. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
^ "Marty L. Miller Field". NSUSpartans.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.

External links

Official website

[37] The campus has a Syracuse mailing address, but almost entirely lies within the adjacent town of DeWitt.

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

[40] The merged LIU athletic program bases some sports at the Brooklyn campus and others at the Post campus in Brookville, New York.^[37]

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

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

[43] Mailing address is Baltimore.

[mcsh-44] Merrimack and Sacred Heart remain NEC affiliates in field hockey.

[45] Monmouth returned to the NEC in 2024–25 as an affiliate member in bowling.

[46] The Mount St. Mary's campus has an Emmitsburg mailing address, but is located in unincorporated Frederick County.

[47] Rider returned to the NEC in 2019–20 as an affiliate member in Field Hockey.

[48] Robert Morris returned to the NEC in 2024–25 as an affiliate member in football and men's lacrosse.

[49] St. Francis Brooklyn dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 2022–23 academic year.

[50] The BU campus has a Binghamton mailing address, but mostly lies in the adjacent town of Vestal.

[D2-51] Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

[52] Delaware State is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

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

[54] The UMES campus has a Princess Anne mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Somerset County.

[55] Merrimack had been a full NEC member from 2019–2024.

[56] Monmouth had been a full NEC member from 1985–2013.

[57] The Niagara campus is its own census-designated place and postal entity within the town of Lewiston.

[58] Rider was previously a full member from 1992 - 97 while field hockey had previously competed in the NEC from the 1998 to 2012 fall seasons (1998–99 to 2012–13 school years).

[59] Robert Morris had been a full NEC member from 1981-2020.

[60] Sacred Heart had been a full NEC member from 1999–2024.

[61] The UMES campus has a Princess Anne mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Somerset County.

[D2-62] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

[CAAFB-63] CAA Football is technically a separate entity from the all-sports Coastal Athletic Association, though both share the same administration.

[D3-64] Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.

[68] 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.^[40]

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

[70] When Saint Peter's was an NEC associate, its men's teams used the nickname Peacocks, with women's teams using Peahens. The university has since adopted Peacocks for all teams.

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

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

[73] 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.

[74] 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 competed in the America East Conference since the 2017–18 school year.

[77] Chicago State men's tennis is playing in the Horizon League in the 2024–25 season before moving to the NEC in 2025.^[42]

[78] Affiliate members Coppin State, Delaware State, UMES, and Norfolk State

[79] Affiliate member Duquesne and Robert Morris

[80] Affiliate members Binghamton, Howard, UMES, and North Carolina Central

[81] Affiliate members Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and VMI

[hu-82] Affiliate member Howard

[83] Affiliate member Binghamton

[84] Affiliate members Daemen and D'Youville. Manhattan and UMES to join as men's volleyball associates in 2025.

[85] 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 LIU and Sacred Heart field both men's and women's squads, though Wagner will add a men's squad in 2023–24.

[86] Chicago State women's tennis is playing in the Horizon League in the 2024–25 season before moving to the NEC in 2025.^[42]

[87] Affiliate members Duquesne, Monmouth, and Niagara

[88] Affiliate members Fairfield, Merrimack, Rider, and Sacred Heart

[89] Affiliate members Delaware State, Howard, UMES, and North Carolina Central

[dh-90] Affiliate members Delaware State and Howard

[91] Affiliate member Howard

[92] Affiliate member Binghamton

[Emerging-93] Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.

[94] 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, LIU and Sacred Heart have both men's and women's squads (with LIU having added men's fencing in 2022–23), and Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner field only women's squads. Wagner will add a men's squad to its existing women's squad in 2023–24.

[95] The NCAA considers all acrobatics & tumbling schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

[Weq-96] The NCAA considers all equestrian schools that do not compete in the sport within a recognized NCAA conference to be independents.

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

[98] Merrimack was ineligible for the NEC tournament due to being in its first transitional year (of four) from NCAA Division II.

[99] Starting with the 2023 edition, NEC tournament eligibility was extended to transitional D-I members effective with the third year of the transition, making fourth-year transitional member Merrimack tournament-eligible. However, it remained ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Merrimack's opponent in the NEC final, Fairleigh Dickinson, received the NEC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

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v t e Northeast Conference
Full members	Central Connecticut Blue Devils Chicago State Cougars Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Le Moyne Dolphins LIU Sharks Mercyhurst Lakers Saint Francis Red Flash Stonehill Skyhawks Wagner Seahawks
Baseball associates	Coppin State Eagles Delaware State Hornets Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks Norfolk State Spartans
Bowling associates	Duquesne Dukes Monmouth Hawks Niagara Purple Eagles
Field hockey associates	Fairfield Stags Merrimack Warriors Rider Broncs Sacred Heart Pioneers
Football associates	Duquesne Dukes Robert Morris Colonials
Golf associates	Binghamton Bearcats (men) Delaware State Hornets (women) Howard Bison (men and women) Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (men and women) North Carolina Central Eagles (men and women)
Men's lacrosse associates	Cleveland State Vikings Detroit Mercy Titans Robert Morris Colonials VMI Keydets
Women's lacrosse associates	Delaware State Hornets Howard Bison
Soccer associates	Delaware State Hornets (women) Howard Bison (men and women)
Swimming & diving associate	Howard Bison (men and women)
Tennis associate	Binghamton Bearcats (men and women)
Men's volleyball associates	Daemen Wildcats D'Youville Saints Manhattan Jaspers (joining in 2025) Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (joining in 2025)
Championships and awards	Baseball Men's basketball Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year Rookie of the Year Women's basketball Player of the Year Coach of the Year Men's soccer Coach of the Year Women's soccer

v t e NCAA Division I all-sports conferences
FBS	The American Atlantic Coast Big 12 Big Ten CUSA Mid-American Mountain West Pac-12 Southeastern Sun Belt
FCS - Full	Big Sky Ivy MEAC Northeast Patriot SoCon Southland SWAC
FCS - Alliance	BSOVC (Big South / Ohio Valley) CAA FB (CAA / Atlantic 10 / America East) Missouri Valley FB (Missouri Valley / Summit) United (ASUN / WAC)
Non-Football	Big East Big West Horizon MAAC West Coast

v t e NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conferences
Current conferences	Big Sky Big South–OVC CAA Ivy MEAC MVFC NEC Patriot Pioneer SoCon Southland SWAC UAC
Previous conferences	American West (defunct 1996) ASUN (alliance with WAC as UAC 2023) Atlantic 10 (alliance with CAA 2007) Big South (alliance with OVC 2023) Great West (non-football 2012; defunct 2013) Gulf Star (defunct 1987) MAAC (non-football 2008) Mid-Continent (now Summit, alliance with MVC 1985 currently as MVFC) OVC (alliance with Big South 2023) WAC (alliance with ASUN as UAC 2023) Yankee (became A10 1997, alliance with CAA 2007)
Independents