A Decade of Excellence: NE10 Success in the 2010's - Northeast 10 Athletics

Posted: Dec 20, 2019

MANSFIELD, Mass. – The 2010's was arguably the most successful decade in the history of the Northeast-10, featuring 42 national championships, hundreds of All-Americans and the highest Academic Success Rates of any Division II Conference in history. To celebrate all the enormous success we wanted to take a look at some of the most impressive numbers and most successful programs of the last decade.

NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: 15 TITLES IN THE 2010's
Over the past decade, NE10 programs have combined to capture 15 NCAA Championships for team sports – averaging more than one per school year as a conference. Among those 15, seven came from the sport of women's lacrosse, with Adelphi winning six titles since 2010. Four men's lacrosse titles were won, with Le Moyne and Merrimack splitting that total in the past 10 years. Additionally – national championships were also won in field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and women's basketball. Five teams went undefeated in the decade on their way to NCAA titles, including UMass Lowell field hockey (2010), Adelphi women's lacrosse (2011, 2014), Bentley women's basketball (2013-14) and Le Moyne men's lacrosse (2016).

Read about all the Championship performances by clicking on any of the NCAA Championship Teams below:

NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS: 27, INCLUDING THREE IN 2019
During the last decade, the NE10 has made its mark on the national stage by winning 27 NCAA Individual National Championships, with the majority coming in track and field. Carly Muscaro of Merrimack leads all NE10 athletes with six National Championships, while New Haven's Shannon Gagne won five in her career. View the complete list below.

Southern Connecticut - 9: Amanda Thomas, Swimming – 2011: 200 IM, 2012: 200 IM & 400 IM, 2013: 200 IM; Nick Lebron, Track & Field – 2012: Indoor Heptathlon, 2014 Indoor Heptathlon; Raymond Csweko, Swimming – 2014: 200 Fly; Destiny Howard, Track & Field – 2016: Indoor Weight Throw; Women's Track & Field – 2015: Indoor 4x400 Relay
Merrimack - 6: Carly Muscaro, Track & Field – 2016: Indoor 400m, 2017: Indoor 200m & 400m, Outdoor 200m & 400m
New Haven - 5: Shannon Gagne, Track & Field – 2011: Indoor 200m, 400m & Long Jump, Outdoor 200m & 400m
American International - 4: Men's Track & Field – 2016: Indoor DMR; Dominic Smith, Track & Field – 2012: Indoor 400m; Leakey Kiposgei – 2019 Outdoor Steeplechase; Ezra Mutai – 2019 Cross Country
Franklin Pierce - 1: CeCe Telfer, Track & Field – 2019: Outdoor 400m hurdles
Stonehill - 1: Corey Thomas, Track & Field – 2011: Indoor High Jump
UMass Lowell - 1: Jacqui Barrett, Track & Field – 2010: Outdoor shot put

ACADEMIC SUCCESS RATE: A NATIONAL LEADER
NE10 institutions remain committed to excellence in and out of the classroom, taking on the true meaning of the motto "Where Student Comes Before Athlete". Since 2010, the NE10 has been a perennial leader in NCAA Division II Academic Success Rate (ASR), which is a four-year compilation of the graduation rates of all institutions in each conference. Back in October, the NE10 set a new NCAA Division II record with an ASR of 88-percent, the highest of any conference since the four-year calculation started being measured 11 years ago for league purposes. It also far exceeds the national average of 73-percent.

Over the past 10 years, the NE10 has ranked either first or second among all Division II conferences in ASR – including six years either first or tied for first in the country. Six of the past seven years, the NE10 has been tops in Division II in ASR percentage, an unparalleled stretch in academic success this decade.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: 225 & COUNTING
In the past decade the NE10 has had 225 student-athletes named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. These honorees have represented nearly every sport and school in the conference. Bentley boasts the most Academic All-America honorees, while men's cross country and track & field has had the highest total of honorees among all the sports which award Academic All-America. Bentley's Lauren Battista '14 holds the honor of being a three-time Academic All-American and as a senior was the 2013-14 Women's Basketball Division II Academic All-American of the Year.

A DECADE OF PARITY IN MEN'S BASKETBALL:
The past decade of NE10 men's basketball has been remarkable from a parity perspective in the league, with nine different institutions claiming NE10 championships in the last 10 years on the hardwood. Southern New Hampshire (2013, 2016) is the only program to capture multiple league titles in that stretch of time. UMass Lowell, Adelphi, Stonehill, Southern Connecticut, American International, Saint Anselm, Le Moyne and Merrimack join SNHU on the list of NE10 champions since 2010 – emphasizing the league's run of widespread success. In that time, the NE10 has also captured eight East Region titles, with three of them won by the league champions (Stonehill, Southern Connecticut and Le Moyne).

PROGRAMS OF THE DECADE:
In the past decade a few programs have managed to set themselves apart from the rest. They make up a variety of sports but can claim multiple NE10 Championships, All-Americans and many also won National Championships. Below are our top 13 programs of the decade in no particular order.

- Adelphi Women's Lacrosse: The Panthers are the premier women's lacrosse program in all of Division II, and this past decade alone they captured six NCAA Championships. In addition to these impressive titles they won seven NE10 Championships, with two runner-up finishes in the decade. They've never lost more than three regular season games, boasting a 196-16 mark over the last ten years. In conference play, Adelphi has been even better, winning 96 percent of their conference regular season games with a 119-5 record.

- Southern Connecticut State Men's Track & Field: The Owls have dominated men's track & field over the last decade, winning 16 of a possible 20 NE10 Championships. They claimed nine of a possible ten titles during the outdoor season and seven indoor championships as well. SCSU has claimed at least two USTFCCCA All-Americans every year this decade, highlighted by two-time NCAA Champion Nick Lebron who won the NCAA Title in the heptathlon at the 2012 & 2014 Indoor Championships.

- Southern New Hampshire Men's Soccer: The Penmen were the most dominant NE10 men's soccer program of the past decade, winning four NE10 Titles and claiming the 2013 NCAA National Championship. From 2012-2015, SNHU went an impressive 61-5-1 against NE10 opponents, with four NE10 Titles and a pair of NCAA East Region Championships. They finished above .500 in conference play every year, while winning at least eight NE10 games each of the last nine seasons.

- Saint Rose Women's Soccer: After a decade of NE10 success, highlighted by five league championships, the Golden Knights top moment came in 2011 when they won the NCAA Championship over Grand Valley State – becoming the first and only women's soccer team to win a national title in league history. In the past 10 seasons, Saint Rose has racked up a league record of 112-19-11 (.827), nearly 100 games above 500. It includes a perfect 15-0 mark in the 2010 campaign. Head coach Laurie Darling Gutheil has been around for all of the success and she ranks in the top five among active Division II coaches in career victories.

- Merrimack Men's Lacrosse: Merrimack established itself as one of the premier lacrosse programs in the nation during the past ten years. This culminated with three consecutive appearances in the National Championship game and back-to-back NCAA Titles to close out the decade. Their 23-6 victory in the 2018 Championship over Saint Leo is the highest scoring title game and the largest margin of victory in Division II history. The program also won two NE10 Titles and finished as Runner-Up on four other occasions. Individually, Charlie Bertrand has been named USILA Player of the Year each the past two seasons.

- Stonehill Women's Cross Country, Track & Field: It's been an incredible run for the women's cross country and track & field program at Stonehill over the past decade. This group has won 11 consecutive NE10 Cross Country Titles, competing at the NCAA Championships every year and accumulating multiple All-America honors. In track & field, the Skyhawk women have won eight consecutive NE10 Titles between indoor & outdoor. Overall they claimed 11 NE10 Track & Field Championships this decade to go with all ten in cross country.

- Saint Anselm Ice Hockey: The Hawks have won six league titles since 2010, in addition to a pair of runner-up finishes. In a limited field of Division II competition, Saint Anselm has stood out as the team to beat over the past decade. The Hawks' league record in that time is 47-11-6 (.781), while earning five NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and five NE10 Goaltender of the Year honors – using defense as a big part of their winning formula.

- New Haven Volleyball: It has been an unbelievable run for New Haven on the volleyball court, as the Chargers accounted for five NE10 Championships, three East Region titles and three NCAA quarterfinal appearances since 2010 – standing out as the premiere volleyball program in the league. From 2010-13, the Chargers did not lose a single conference match (59-0) and once again were undefeated in league play in 2017 (14-0). Under head coach Robin Salters, New Haven hosted the East Regional on four occasions over the past decade.

- Assumption Football: The Greyhounds built a winning culture in Worcester over the past decade, particularly over the last five seasons with a pair of NE10 Championships to their name. It was the 2017 team, however, that made major headway for NE10 programs when it came to competing on the national scene. Assumption, led by head coach Bob Chesney, won the NE10 Title and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, becoming the league's first quarterfinalist since New Haven in 2011. A pair of All-Americans headlined that team in XFL kicker Cole Tracy and the New Orleans Saints' Deonte Harris.

- Southern Connecticut Swimming & Diving: SCSU Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving has won 13 of a possible 20 NE10 Championships between its men's and women's programs this decade. The women have claimed six NE10 Titles, with ten different swimmers earning All-America honors and Amada Thomas winning four NCAA Individual Championships. The men have won seven NE10 Championships with eight different athletes earning All-America recognition, including one NCAA Title by Raymond Cswerko.

- SNHU Men's Tennis: The Penmen became a league power over the past 10 years, winning five NE10 Championships in the past six years and recording a pair of runner-up placements. Following an NE10 title in the 2019 season, SNHU advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in program history – becoming the first NE10 tennis program to reach that stage since Assumption in 2002. Since the 2009-10 season, the Penmen have played in the NCAA Tournament eight times. Over the past four years, SNHU has not lost a single conference match – going an unbelievable 37-0 in that stretch.

- Bentley Women's Basketball: Headlined by head coach Barbara Stevens, this decade has been largely owned by Bentley women's basketball on the hardwood. The Falcons have captured a league-best six NE10 titles over the past decade, including the 2014 NCAA Championship – going a remarkable 35-0 that season. Since the 2009-10 season, Bentley is 177-37 (.827) in Northeast-10 Conference games, including a perfect 21-0 in its national title run in 2013-14. On January 17, 2018, Stevens became the only 1,000-game winner in Division II history with a victory over Adelphi.

- Le Moyne Men's Lacrosse: Dolphins men's lacrosse boasts the most all-time National Championships of any NE10 men's program, with five. They won two in the past decade while finishing as the national runner-up two other times. Le Moyne appeared in the NE10 Championship game seven times in the last ten years, claiming five NE10 Titles over that span. The program won an impressive 94 percent of its regular season conference games by going 101-6 in the 2010's.

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.