Northeast-10 History Timeline

October 1, 1979 – Seven New England colleges and universities form a new athletic conference (as yet unnamed), to encompass several sports. The Colleges are American International, Assumption, Bentley, Bryant, the University of Hartford, Springfield and Stonehill. The new conference will initially encompass men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s soccer, softball and women’s tennis. The colleges selected for the conference are based on several criteria, including proximity to each other, sports offered, compatibility of athletic programs as well as the educational philosophies of the institutions. Al Shields, Athletic Director at Bentley , is also named the first conference commissioner. (The “founding fathers” of the NE-10 began with Shields, Tom Folliard of Stonehill, Leon Drury of Bryant and Andy Laska of Assumption. The four later convinced Ed Steitz of Springfield, Gordie McCullough of Hartford and Milt Piepul of American International to join them.)

June 10, 1980 – After a year of planning, New England’s newest athletic conference, the Northeast-7, is officially announced as a reality. The unveiling of the conference takes place at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Mass. by Al Shields. The conference is recognized by the NCAA as an allied member and will apply for automatic qualifying status to NCAA tournament as soon as the two-year probationary period ends. Dick Lipe, SID at Bentley, is named Assistant Commissioner and Director of Publicity for the conference.

September 16, 1980 – The first Northeast-7 Conference contest takes place when AIC visits Assumption in men’s soccer. Assumption wins the match, 2-1.

September 22, 1980 – Senior men’s soccer forward John Szymko of Springfield College is named the first ever Conference Player of the Week having scored four goals in a 6-0 shutout of Stonehill earlier that week.

November 10, 1980 – Hartford wins the inaugural Northeast-7 men’s soccer regular season title with a 6-0-0 record, part of a 15-0-2 mark overall. There is no post-season tournament.

December 11, 1980 – The first Northeast-7 basketball game takes place as host Bryant defeats Hartford, 76-69.

February 28, 1981 – Stonehill’s men’s basketball team tops Springfield 74-68 in the first conference tournament championship game.

March 1981 – The first baseball games takes place under the NE-7 banner. In a doubleheader, Assumption tops Stonehill 6-4, while Stonehill wins the second game, 16-6.

May 11, 1981 – Springfield wins the NE-7 regular season baseball championship. There is no post-season tournament.

June 16, 1981 – The Northeast-8 is born as the conference announces the addition of Saint Anselm College. Saint Anselm’s acceptance is immediate, but the Hawks do not begin conference competition until 1983-84 as schedules are set.

October 1981 – Springfield wins the first men’s cross country championship.

October 27, 1981 – The Northeast-8 is one of the four conferences awarded an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II women’s basketball championship, upon the completion of its season in 1981-82. The NE-8 joins the California Collegiate Athletic Association, Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in receiving “AQ” status.

December 7, 1981 – Springfield defeats AIC in the first NE-8 women’s basketball conference game.

February 21, 1981 – Bentley defeats Springfield 80-65 for the first women’s basketball tournament championship.

April 1982 – Bryant wins the inaugural NE-8 golf championship at the Woonsocket (RI) Country Club, edging runner-up Bentley by 24 strokes.

Summer, 1982 – The NE-8 is granted a NCAA Division II championship automatic qualifier to its tournament softball champion.

September 2, 1982 – The NE-8 is awarded an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division II Men’s basketball championship.

April 3, 1983 – Stonehill and Assumption split in a doubleheader in the first ever NE-8 softball games. Stonehill wins the opener 7-0. Assumption wins the nightcap, 8-1.

October 8, 1983 – The first women’s cross country championship race is run, with Springfield besting the five team field with a low of 31 points, edging Bryant by five points.

June 12, 1984 – Merrimack College accepts an invitation to join the NE-8. Merrimack replaces Hartford, which leaves the conference to join the Division I ECAC North Atlantic.

September, 1984 – Springfield captures the first NE-8 women’s tennis championship with 28 points.

November 11, 1984 – The first NE-8 men’s soccer tournament champion is crowned as Saint Anselm downs Springfield, 2-1 in overtime.

March 1985 – American International, led by future NBA standout Mario Elie, becomes the first NE-10 men’s basketball program to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II national championship tournament. The Yellow Jackets fall in the Elite Eight to Kentucky Wesleyan, 76-73.

September 12, 1985 - Women’s Soccer debuts as Stonehill shuts out host Saint Anselm, 2-0.

November 6, 1985 - Host and regular season champion Springfield shut out Bryant 4-0 for the first women’s soccer tournament championship.

June 23, 1986 – The conference announces it will expand to 10 for the first time with the additions of Quinnipiac College of Hamden, Conn. (from the NECC) and Saint Michael’s College of Colchester, Vt (from the old MidEast Conference). The name of the conference will soon be changed to the Northeast-10.

November 17, 1986 – The Northeast-8 is given permission to experiment with the three-point field goal in the sport of women’s basketball. The three pointer will be used in all conference games during the 1986-87 season.

July 1, 1987 – Quinnipiac and Saint Michael’s join the conference, which is renamed the Northeast-10.

January 1989 - Bob Burke, Director of Athletics at American International, is selected to serve as conference commissioner. Ed Markey, AD at Saint Michael’s, is appointed assistant commissioner.

August 23, 1989 – Gordie McCullough dies at age 53.

May 21, 1990 – Edward S. Steitz dies at the age of 69. Steitz served as AD at Springfield for 33 years, retiring in 1989. He was a key influence in helping usher in the three-point shot in college basketball.

March 21, 1994 – Men’s Lacrosse debuts as a Northeast-10 sport. Bentley tops Assumption 15-5.

April 24, 1994 – Bentley wins the first NE-10 men’s lacrosse championship with a perfect 6-0 regular season record.

May 1994 - Merrimack becomes the first conference school to win a national championship. The Lady Warriors softball team downs Humboldt State 6-2 for the Division II title.

June 1995 – The Northeast-10 shrinks to nine when Springfield College resigns and changes its NCAA status to Division III and joins the Constitution Athletic Conference.

May 2, 1995 - F. Paul Bogan is selected as the third all time and first full-time commissioner of the conference. Bogan assumes duties July 1.

June 1996 – Le Moyne College of Syracuse, NY is accepted to the conference after resigning from the NECC.

July 1996 - The Eastern Football Conference is formed. The 12-team league begins in 1997 and includes five NE-10 members.

September 7, 1996 - Field Hockey debuts as Saint Michael’s downs host Assumption, 2-0.

October 14, 1996 – Quinnipiac announces it will resign from the NE-10 and shift it’s programs to NCAA Division I status as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Braves join the NEC July 1, 1998.

November 3, 1996 - Bentley wins the inaugural NE-10 field hockey championship over Saint Michael’s 1-0. The game is decided in a second round of penalty strokes which Bentley wins, 2-1.

July 29, 1997- F. Paul Bogan passes away from sudden illness at the age of 62.

August 7, 1997 – Bob Burke, Director of Athletics at American International, is named interim commissioner until a permanent successor is found.

January 1997 – Pace University of Pleasantville, NY resigns from the NYCAC and is accepted into the NE-10 for the 1997-98 academic year, bringing the conference member total to 11.

July 1998 - David R. Brunk is selected as the fourth commissioner in the history of the Northeast-10. Brunk assumes duties October 12, 1998.

December 1, 1998 - Julie Smalley is named the first full-time Director of Media Relations. Smalley replaces Dick Lipe, SID at Bentley College, who had served since the conference’s first year of publicity in 1980-81.

March 25, 1999 - Women’s Lacrosse debuts with Bentley downing AIC 13-8 and Saint Michael’s topping Assumption 16-7.

May 2, 1999 - Visiting Saint Michael’s topples Stonehill 10-9 in the first NE-10 women’s lacrosse championship game.

September 22, 1999 – The NE-10 announces it will expand by five institutions beginning with the 2000-01 academic year. Four institutions are accepted from the now defunct NECC – Franklin Pierce College, New Hampshire College, the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Southern Connecticut State University. The College of Saint Rose, from the NYCAC, is also accepted. The expansion makes the NE-10 the second largest Division II conference in the nation.

November 5, 1999 - The NE-10 goes on-line at www.northeast10.org.

September 21, 2000 - The NE-10 announces it will add another four championship sports to its offerings with the additions of men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field for the 2001-2002 academic year. The additions bring the total number of NE-10 championships to 19.

October 18, 2000 - Stonehill College is named the inaugural recipient of the Northeast-10 Academic Achievement Award.

January 2001 - The Northeast-10 Conference announces it will absorb the Eastern Football Conference beginning with the 2001 season to create its 20th sport.

August 31, 2001 – The First NE-10 football game takes place as host Bentley edges Saint Anselm, 27-24.

September 28, 2001 – Tom Folliard passes away at 61 in his hometown of Washington, D.C.

November 17, 2001 – LIU/C.W. Post wins the first NE-10 football championship game over Bentley, 43-6.

November 4, 2001 – Bentley College becomes the second conference school to win a national title. The Falcons topple East Stroudsburg 4-2 in the NCAA Division II field hockey championship game.

February 16, 2002 - UMass Lowell’s men’s and women’s track & field teams sweep the inaugural indoor championships held at Southern Connecticut.

May 5, 2002 - Southern Connecticut sweeps the men’s and women’s inaugural outdoor track & field championships held at Bryant College.

May 25, 2002 - Southern Connecticut’s Kateema Riettie wins the individual national championship in javelin at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

August 7, 2002 - The Northeast-10 Dick Lipe Media Award is established and announced at the conference’s first football media day in Waltham, Mass.

May 11, 2003 - Stonehill College becomes the third national champion under the NE-10 banner, winning the Women’s Lacrosse National Championship, 9-8 over Longwood (Va.).

June 3, 2003 - The NE-10 announces it will sponsor men’s women’s swimming and diving as its 21st and 22nd championship sports for the 2003-2004 season. The two sports will initially have six members.

June 9, 2003 - The NE-10 announces it will sponsor men’s ice hockey as its 23rd championship sport beginning in 2003-2004. The sport gives the conference 23 championships, the most of any NCAA Division II conference in the nation. The sport includes six sponsoring schools.

November 12, 2003 - The first men’s ice hockey game takes place under the NE-10 banner as Southern New Hampshire downs Franklin Pierce, 6-2.

December 6, 2003 - Southern Connecticut wins both the men’s and women’s inaugural Northeast-10 swimming and diving championships held at the Southern Connecticut natatorium.

March 6, 2004 - Saint Michael’s edges Saint Anselm 5-4 in the inaugural NE-10 men’s ice hockey championship game.

May 30, 2004 - Le Moyne wins the men’s lacrosse national championship, 11-10 in overtime over Limestone. It is the first men’s national championship for the NE-10 and fourth team title overall.

March 26, 2005 - Bryant men’s basketball team becomes the first conference school to appear in the Elite Eight game, falling to Virginia Union, 63-58.

May 15, 2005 - Stonehill wins its second national championship in women’s lacrosse, topping West Chester, 16-10.

October 22, 2005 - Bentley Volleyball Coach Sandy Hoffman wins victory #600 with a three-game sweep of Saint Rose.

November 13, 2005 - UMass Lowell claims the national championship in field hockey with a 2-1 win over Bloomsburg.

January 5, 2006 - Bentley Women's Basketball Coach Barbara Stevens claims 700th career victory with a 85-69 win over Bryant.

May 2, 2006 - Le Moyne wins its second national championship in men's lacrosse, defeating Dowling 12-5.

June 5, 2006 - The NE-10 celebrates it's 25th Anniversary and announces it's inaugural Hall of Fame class at the Harvard Club in Boston. The inaugural class includes 25 inductees.

March 15, 2007 - Saint Rose's Brandon Birchak won the National Championship in the three-meter diving event becoming the first student-athlete in school history to capture a National Championship.

March 24, 2007 - Southern Connecticut wins its first NCAA Championship in women's basketball, defeating Florida Gulf Coast 61-45.

May 25, 2007 - UMass Lowell's Nicole Plante won the National Championship in the 10,000-meters with a time of 35:23.49.

May 27, 2007 - Le Moyne College wins its second straight NCAA Championship, and third in four years in Men's Lacrosse, defeating Mercyhurst 6-5.

June 4, 2007 - The Northeast-10 inducts 16 new members and the 1994 Merrimack Softball team into the Hall of Fame at the second annual Hall of Fame Induction and Award Ceremony at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston, Mass.

October 19, 2007 - Bryant University, a charter member of the Northeast-10, announces it will leave the conference at the conclusion of the 2007-2008 academic year to begin it's journey to Division I as part of the Northeast Conference.

November 13, 2007 - Dr. George Hagerty, Chair of the Northeast-10 Council of President’s, announced that the University of New Haven accepted an offer to join the Northeast-10 Conference as a full-time member beginning the 2008-2009 academic year. New Haven will compete as a member of the Northeast-10 in all the sports it currently sponsors, except men's volleyball, beginning in the fall of 2008. The Chargers currently field 17 varsity athletic teams. Football will become its 18th sport when it begins play in 2009.

December 2, 2007 - Franklin Pierce University Claims the 2007 Men's Soccer National Championship with a 1-0 victory over Lincoln Memorial University. This marks the first ever men's soccer National Championship in Northeast-10 history.

December 17, 2007 - Dr. George Hagerty, Chair of the Northeast-10 Council of President’s, announced that Adelphi University accepted an offer to join the Northeast-10 Conference as a full-time member beginning the 2009-2010 academic year. Adelphi will compete as a member of the Northeast-10 in all sports it currently sponsors, except women’s bowling and men's soccer, beginning in the fall of 2009. The Panthers currently field 20 varsity athletic teams.

March 15, 2008 - Le Moyne's Alison Lesher and Southern Connecticut's Kristen Frost become the Northeast-10's first student-athletes to capture individual National Championships in the sport of swimming. Lesher captured the National Championship in the 200-yard butterfly event, while Frost claimed four National Championships in the 1650, 1000, 500 and 200-yard freestyle events.

March 26, 2008 - Franklin Pierce's Johannah Leedham was named the State Farm Division II Women’s Player of the Year. Leedham is the first women’s basketball player from the Northeast-10 Conference to win the award. She joins former University of Massachusetts Lowell standout Elad Inbar as basketball players of the year in either men’s or women’s basketball from the NE-10.

May 1, 2008 - Julie Ruppert is named the fifth full time commissioner in the history of the Northeast-10 Conference. Ruppert assumes duties June 1, 2008.