What is #NECPride
 
#NECPride is about having pride in your team, your school and the will to succeed both on and off the field.
 
#NECPride is about achievement, ambition, perseverance, community, passion, respect, determination, unity and teamwork.

Northeast Conference History
Now entering its 36th year as an NCAA Division I athletic entity, the Northeast Conference mission remains unchanged: to provide opportunities for student-athletes to achieve their fullest potential in the classroom, in athletic competition and in the community. 
 
Focusing on the areas of student-athlete achievement, academic excellence, integrity, sportsmanship, equity and diversity, innovation, community partnership and national engagement, the NEC has made significant strides in recent years under the leadership of Commissioner Noreen Morris.  As the Conference builds around the theme of #NECPride, the 2016-17 academic year presents new opportunities for the NEC to stand out among its peers, while fostering a sense of pride amongst its student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans.

When the Northeast Conference (NEC) was first established as the ECAC-Metro Conference back in 1981, the league’s founders had one goal in mind: to create a competitive NCAA Division I men’s basketball conference for unaffiliated schools on the Eastern seaboard.  A single-sport entity at its inception, the NEC has grown far beyond expectations over the past three plus decades, having transformed itself into a 10-member, 22-sport conference.
 
The remarkable success story of the Conference began to unfold in 1985, when the league began sponsoring additional sports. Three years later, a change of name was in order and the Northeast Conference as we know it today was born.  With membership and sport sponsorship continuing to grow over the years, the NEC now enjoys qualification or play-in access to 14 different NCAA Championships (baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s golf, men's and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball).
 
Though the NEC has featured various incarnations since its inception, charter members Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner remain part of the current 10-school alignment.  They are joined by Mount St. Mary’s (admitted in 1989), Central Connecticut (1997), Sacred Heart (1999) and Bryant (2012).  The NEC's six-state geographic footprint includes access to such major media markets as New York City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Hartford and Providence.
 
NEC member institutions now compete in 22 championship sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
       
An Innovative Leader
The #NECPride movement took on a different twist during the 2015-16 academic year.
 
The NEC enthusiastically launched the #conNECt Campaign as a means of showcasing the five key parts of the student-athlete life that exist outside the lines:
 
• Classroom Achievement
• Community Involvement
• Campus Life
• Career Aspirations
• Conference Camaraderie
 
Through the initiative, which was derived from the #NECPride mantra and rests upon the five aforementioned ‘Cs,’ the Northeast Conference emphasized the overarching idea that being a NEC student-athlete is about more than wins and losses; it is about educating and developing the whole person.

The NEC continues to embrace social media to attract and convey its message to a growing fan base.  The Conference has built a loyal following on its Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and YouTube pages, and the NEC Overtime! blog remains a popular destination spot for fans of the league.
 
One of the landmark moments in Northeast Conference history came back in August, 2012 with the launch of NEC Front Row.
 
The NEC’s state-of-the-art digital network debuted to rave reviews and in the three years since has attracted a loyal following for its rich set of content, which includes live regular season and NEC Championship events, on-demand video, highlight packages, coaches shows, features, original programming and access to league’s extensive digital library, all free of charge to users. The network gives fans inside access to the NEC and its student-athletes on the field, in the classroom, across campus, and in the community.
 
By the conclusion of the 2015-16 academic year, over 2,900 live events had been broadcast on NEC Front Row with more than 1.1 million viewers tuning in to the network.
 
NEC Front Row saw viewership increase for the third consecutive year in 2015-16, with an increase in ratings in nearly every NEC sponsored sport. 
 
A companion NEC on the Run iOS mobile app provides free, one-click access to live events and on-demand content from NEC Front Row.   Fans can also join the conversation through the app’s social media integration.  The NEC on the Run app can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
 
For the fourth year in a row, the NEC hosted a Basketball “Social” Media Day at the state-of-the-art Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn.  The program, which ceremoniously tipped off the 2015-16 hoops season, aired live on NEC Front Row and ESPN3.  The Front Row broadcast was an interactive one during which fans were encouraged to tweet comments and questions with the best making it on air. 
 
NEC Front Row was there when the basketball season tipped off at NEC “Social” Media Day, and returned for the climax as well via NEC Front Row Live! The online digital network was on the scene at the men’s and women’s title games, providing live pre- and post-game coverage wrapped around the ESPN broadcasts.
 
The 2015-16 season saw the NEC host numerous GEICO Google+ Hangouts on Air, featuring one-on-one interviews with NEC student-athletes, coaches and media members.  The Google+ Hangouts aired on a variety of social platforms, including NEC Front Row, Google+ and YouTube.
 
As part of the NEC’s partnership with SnappyTV, the NEC was able to rapidly create and distribute in-game highlights from NEC Front Row broadcasts via the league’s social media channels. By year’s end, SnappyTV clips generated nearly 500,000 views, including a number of clips that went viral and were picked up by national outlets such as ESPN and CBS.
 
Having provided an alternate take on the world of NEC sports since 2011, the NEC Overtime! Blog continued to be a favorite destination for fans of the Conference and its members. The blog showcases top news and the best of social media content from around the NEC, and served as a home for numerous fan-based promotions during the 2015-16 academic calendar, including the #NECSelfie contest as part of the NEC Basketball Tournament.
 
The NEC launched its most comprehensive radio advertising campaign to date last winter.  The NEC maintained a season-long radio presence in every market it serves, including New York (WFAN Sports Radio 66 & 101.9 FM), Pittsburgh (93.7 FM “The Fan”), Baltimore (CBS Radio/ESPN Radio), Hartford (ESPN Radio/Fox Sports Radio), Altoona (ESPN Radio) and Providence (WPRO).
 
The NEC televised a league-record 34 basketball games in 2014-15. Every televised men’s basketball game aired nationally in some form on ESPNU, ESPN3, CBS College Sports or Fox College Sports (FCS), while women’s games aired exclusively on ESPN3.  ESPN2 broadcast the NEC men’s basketball championship game for the 29th straight year, while ESPNU carried the women’s championship for the ninth year in a row.  MSG has been the NEC’s flagship regional network for 16 years, and was joined by Root Pittsburgh, MASN and Comcast in airing an assortment of hoops games last season.  As part of its long-term agreement with ESPN, the NEC televised a record eight football games exclusively on ESPN3 last season.

Success in the Classroom
It was yet another record-setting year for NEC’s 4,000+ student-athletes in the classroom.
 
NEC student-athletes averaged a record 3.20 GPA for the 2015-16 academic year and 84 percent of NEC teams finished with a 3.0 GPA or better. Over 2,000 student-athletes were named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll in 2015-16, and more than 500 were tabbed to the Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll with GPAs of 3.75 or higher. 
 
The NCAA honored 34 NEC teams with public recognition awards for exceptional academic performance with respect to their latest Academic Progress Rate scores.  NEC institutions also ranked among the nation’s elite in Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released by the NCAA with 36 teams achieving a perfect 100 percent GSR in their respective sports and 50 percent earning a GSR of over 90 percent.  Student-athletes at Sacred Heart posted a combined 3.33 GPAs to set a new NEC record and earn the 2015-16 NEC Institutional Academic Award.

Athletic Achievement
To have #NECPride is to live it, and NEC student-athletes did just that on the field of play during the 2015-16 season, a year that yielded 18 All-American selections and seven teams which earned national rankings in their respective sports. 
 
Sacred Heart won its first Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup since a five-year run at the top from 2007-12. The Pioneers also repeated as the Joan Martin Women’s Cup winner, marking the ninth such honor for SHU, the most in NEC history. Bryant won its third consecutive Men’s Cup.

The NEC hosted its first-ever NCAA Championship this past April when the 2016 NCAA Bowling Championship came to Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, NJ. The four-day, eight-team event concluded with Stephen F. Austin winning the national title live on ESPNU.

It was another strong season for NEC women’s bowling. Remarkably, five of the NEC’s six bowling members were ranked among America’s best in NTCA Top-20 polls that were released during the 2015-16 season. Perennial national power Fairleigh Dickinson ranked as high as second in the country, and was joined by LIU Brooklyn (as high as 12th), Saint Francis U (12th), Sacred Heart (15th) and St. Francis Brooklyn (18th) this past season. Fairleigh Dickinson had a pair of women’s bowlers recognized by the NTCA as All-Americans. Melanie Hannon and Nicolette Sarin were tabbed Second Team All-Americans for the second straight year.

Playing on the road before a packed house at the Spiro Center in Staten Island, second seeded Fairleigh Dickinson won its fifth NEC men’s basketball championship with an 87-79 victory over top-seeded Wagner.  With the nation tuned in on ESPN2, head coach Greg Herenda and the Knights defied expectations after being picked ninth in the NEC preseason poll.

This past season marked the fifth straight in which an NEC men’s basketball team has won a postseason game as Wagner went on the road to knock off top-seeded St. Bonaventure in the opening round of the Postseason NIT. The victory marked the third time in the last four years that an NEC team seeded eighth has knocked off a No. 1 in the NIT. Robert Morris ousted top-seeded St. John’s in 2014 and the Colonials defeated No. 1 Kentucky the year prior in perhaps the most memorable game in NEC history.

In a fitting conclusion to a storied coaching career, RMU’s Sal Buscaglia guided the third-seeded Colonials to the NEC women’s basketball championship with a 56-51 win over Sacred Heart before a coast-to-coast audience on ESPNU. The title was the fourth for RMU under Buscaglia, who retired after 38 years on the sidelines. He spent 13 of those years at RMU, guiding his squads to a school record 224 victories.

NEC women’s basketball sported the nation’s top point producer as well as the top freshman scorer in DI. Wagner’s Jasmine Nwajei averaged an NEC record-setting 29.0 ppg to finish atop the NCAA scoring list, while Saint Francis U freshman Jessica Kovatch contributed 20.9 ppg en-route to NEC Rookie of the Year honors. 

The Brendon Rodney era at LIU Brooklyn came to a close last spring, but what a ride he took us all on. For the sixth and seventh times in his storied career, Rodney earned first team All-American accolades following a fourth place finish in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March and a third place showing at NCAA Outdoors in June. Rodney went on to win the 200 at the Canadian National Championships to earn a spot in the Rio Olympics. LIU teammate Mica-Jonathan Petit-Homme (400h) earned the third All-America honor of his career after finishing seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
NEC football produced six All-Americans, including a first teamer in Duquesne linebacker Christian Kuntz. The Dukes represented the conference in the FCS playoffs for the first time, dropping a 52-49 decision to #13 William & Mary in a first round shootout.
 
NEC men’s soccer sported three NSCAA All-Americans this past season. Robert Morris striker Neco Brett, Saint Francis U defender Francis de Vries and St. Francis Brooklyn midfielder Vincent Bezecourt were all tabbed to the NSCAA All-America third team. It marked back-to-back All-America nods for de Vries, who was also named the ECAC Defender of the Year.

The CCSU men’s cross country dynasty extended to seven as the Blue Devils delivered yet another dominant performance in winning the NEC title. CCSU is one of just three NEC sports programs to win seven straight conference championships, and the only men’s cross country program to do so. The string of seven straight titles matches Mount St. Mary’s women’s tennis (1989-95) and trails only Quinnipiac women’s cross country (eight straight, 2005-12).
 
For the second straight year Sacred Heart completed the rare NEC “Triple Crown,” winning the women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field championships.  The Pioneers are the only school since 1997, and just fourth team overall, to win all three titles in the same academic year.

It was a landmark year for Bryant baseball as the Bulldogs joined the national rankings for the first time and won a league record 47 games during the regular season en-route to the program’s third NEC title. At 47-10, the Bulldogs entered NCAA play with the highest win percentage in the country and tied for the most wins in DI. Bryant ranked as high as 15th nationally and earned a spot in four national polls. Bryant senior first baseman Robby Rinn and sophomore hurler James Karinchak were both named Louisville Slugger Second Team All-Americans. Karinchak (second team) and junior outfielder Matt Albanese (third team) were tabbed ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans.
 
Bryant men’s lacrosse returned to the national rankings for the first time since 2014, reaching #20 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll. The Bulldogs handed NCAA Final Four participant Brown its lone regular season loss.
 
A pair of NEC women’s lacrosse players found themselves in the national spotlight based on their career accomplishments.  RMU senior Jessica Karwacki established a new NCAA career record for draw controls with 645 and Wagner senior Shea Gegan broke the NCAA career record for caused turnovers, finishing with 228 over her four years.

Robert Morris senior April Krivoniak earned the unique distinction of being named NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in two distinct sports - the first such honoree in conference history - earning accolades in volleyball and indoor track and field.

Mount St. Mary’s junior Kelly Yanucil claimed second team All-America honors following a ninth place finish in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, OR.

On Campus & In The Community
The NEC welcomed the class of 2019 to campus last summer as part of its annual outreach program designed to raise awareness and develop the league’s growing fan base.  Over 8,000 students across the Conference were provided with NEC-logo drawstring bags.  Among the contents in the bag were promotional products and coupons donated by a number of the league’s corporate partners and contributing sponsors.
 
The NEC, its member institutions and student-athletes have made community involvement an important piece of its mission.  In 2015-16, the NEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) spent time at the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation in Harrisburg, PA during its annual meeting.  The SAAC hand-delivered a $11,587 check to the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation and also volunteered time to preparing care packages that went to children around the nation. The monetary donation to the Foundation, which assists children under age 18 and their families who are facing the hardships of a cancer diagnosis, was comprised of funds raised from the NEC SAAC’s annual Money Wars.
 
For the fifth time in six years, Sacred Heart was the recipient of the NEC Building Communities award, presented by Bayer. The award recognizes the institution that demonstrates the highest dedication to making an impact in the community through the efforts of its student-athletes, coaches and administrators. SHU logged 7,771 hours and conference members logged nearly 28,000 hours of community service over the course of the 2015-16 academic year.

Bryant tennis player Max Vogt and Wagner swimmer Amanda Lucia were named the 2015-16 NEC Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively, as presented by Provident Bank. The award recognizes individual excellence in both the academic and athletic realms as well as leadership and contributions to one’s community.

Commitment to Sportsmanship
The NEC continued its long-running participation in the NCAA’s Respect Campaign, an effort to promote an environment of respect and integrity at Conference events. 
 
The NEC Team Sportsmanship Award program recognized those teams and student-athletes who adhere to the principles of sportsmanship and pursue victory with honor.  The NEC honored 22 teams for their commitment to sportsmanship during the 2015-16 academic year with Sacred Heart being honored a conference-best five times.
 
Since the NEC Team Sportsmanship program was instituted in 2008-09, Saint Francis U has won a conference-best 32 awards.  The Red Flash led the NEC in team sportsmanship honors each year from 2008-13.

Enhancements & The Future
In recent years, the NEC has taken aim at elevating the brand awareness of the league, improving the caliber of its championship events and enhancing the opportunities and experiences for student-athletes that compete in the Conference.
 
Over the last five years, the NEC has raised its commitment to basketball through a host of strategic initiatives, most notably via a Brand and Basketball Enhancement fund and the implementation of state-of-the-art Daktronics LED signage at all arenas.  This coming season, the Conference will utilize the Enhancement fund in part to provide NEC schools with additional national television exposures.
 
The NEC will once again provide its members with a basketball marketing grant to help promote the sport at a grass-roots level and continue the upward growth in attendance since the grant’s inception during the 2011-12 academic year.
 
The NEC relaunched its official website last fall with a streamlined look to better connect fans to the Conference and their favorite teams.
 
Last summer the NEC built on the success of its annual NEC Social Media Day event at Barclays Center by hosting the first-ever NEC Football Social Media Day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The conference will be returning to both venues this year to ceremoniously kickoff and tipoff the respective seasons.
 
The Conference listened to its fans two years ago and launched a series of upgrades to NEC Front Row. First and foremost, the digital network started broadcasting in true 720p HD, providing fans with an optimal viewing experience. Last year, the NEC provided camera upgrades for each institution and introduced a revamped, standardized graphics package for webcasts. The Conference plans to upgrade the Front Row backbone this year, providing an even smoother navigational experience for viewers.

With the art of storytelling continuing to evolve and new distribution channels emerging, the NEC has bolstered its communications staff by hiring a Digital Media intern for the 2016-17 academic year.