NE10 LANDING PAGE - DII 50th ANNIVERSARY

New Haven was a Founding Member of Division II.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - The University of New Haven has produced a National League Cy Young Award recipient, a Harlon Hill Trophy winner and a five-time NCAA champion since beginning its affiliation with NCAA Division II, of which it is a founding member. 

Steve Bedrosian won the Cy Young Award as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1987, Roger Graham ran his way to the Harlon Hill Trophy in 1993, and Shannon Gagne took home an unprecedented five NCAA track & field titles in 2011 - and all of them competed as Division II student-athletes at New Haven. 

Throughout its Division II tenure, New Haven has been a part of three playing conferences: the New England Collegiate Conference, the East Coast Conference and the Northeast-10 Conference. Regardless of its conference membership, however, New Haven's identity has always been uniquely linked to Division II, which was officially formed in 1973. Most recently, New Haven joined the NE10 in the 2008-09 academic year. 

It wasn't until the 1981-82 academic year that New Haven joined its first Division II conference in the NECC. The following year, all of its sports except football started being scheduled as NECC members. For women's sports, New Haven was in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) until the NCAA began sponsoring women's athletics in 1981. Football remained an independent until New Haven joined the NE10 for the 2009 season. 

The NECC dissolved in the late 1990s, leaving its members with the option of trying their luck in Division I or staying in Division II. New Haven was one of many to remain with Division II, as it became a member of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) - which would later be renamed as the East Coast Conference (ECC). New Haven was a member of the ECC from 2002 to 2008. 

From the period of 2004 to 2008, New Haven did not sponsor a football team. It wasn't until New Haven joined the NE10 that the football program, a longtime staple of the athletics department, would return to action in the 2009 season for the first time with a conference affiliation. Since becoming an NE10 member, the Chargers have won five league championships and earned six appearances in the NCAA Championship. 

Joe Machnik was one of the most influential figures in the history of New Haven athletics. Machnik, a head coach for men's soccer, women's soccer and men's ice hockey during his time at New Haven, remains recognized mostly for his contributions as Director of Athletics. He served in the position during the introduction of women's athletics to New Haven and was instrumental in elevating New Haven's department from NAIA to NCAA status. The New Haven football program also upgraded to the varsity level with Machnik at the helm. 

For more than four decades, Debbie Chin served in leadership roles at New Haven - most notably during her 24-year tenure as Director of Athletics frm 1993 to 2017. Chin was the primary architect in building New Haven's athletics program into a national power within NCAA Division II. Under her leadership, New Haven teams made more than 70 NCAA postseason appearances and claimed dozens of league championships. It was also due to Chin's efforts that the football program was reinstated. Beginning her career as the coordinator of women's athletics in 1975, Chin went on to start the women's athletics program at New Haven and coached a multitude of women's sports - including volleyball, where she would win over 500 matches and become an AVCA Hall of Fame inductee in 2006. 

New Haven continues to make a Division II impact to this day, with the help of the remarkable administrators and student-athletes that made it all possible over the past five decades.  

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• On March 21, 1987, the New Haven women's basketball team won the NCAA Division II National Championship with a 77-75 upset victory over California Poly-Pomona, the two-time reigning national champion. It was the first national championship in the history of New Haven athletics. Joy Jeter, Carolyn Bell and Sonja Beamon each recorded double-doubles for the Chargers in the title game. New Haven finished with a 29-2 record that season, including a stretch of 28-consecutive victories, under head coach Jan Rossman. Jeter was also recognized that season as an All-American, the ECAC Player of the Year and the NECC Player of the Year. 
• In its Division II history, the New Haven baseball program has advanced to 28 NCAA Regionals, 16 World Series, and finished as the Division II runner-up in both 1980 and 1989. Under the guidance of legendary head coach Frank "Porky" Viera, New Haven went 1,127-324-6 (.776) in his 44 seasons at the helm - including a stretch of 42-straight winning seasons.
• Volleyball has a robust Division II history at New Haven. The program has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 36 times, as well as the Sweet 16 on 22 occasions, the Final Eight 14 times and won 13 conference championships. Chin and Robin Salters combined to lead the program for well over 40 years as head coach, respectively.
• Gagne is the most decorated individual student-athlete in New Haven history, winning five national championships and being named a nine-time All-American. Her first three NCAA titles came in the long jump, 200m and 400m events in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in 2011. Just two months later, she would add titles in the 200m and 400m at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship. 
• Graham won the Harlon Trophy behind 1,687 rushing yards in 1993, while guiding New Haven to the NCAA Tournament. He capped his career as the runner-up for the Harlon Trophy in 1994 with 1,607 rushing yards. Graham was a three-time All-American and was twice chosen as the Sports Illustrated Small College Player of the Year. His record-breaking career consisted of 5,953 rushing yards and 66 touchdowns - both New Haven records.
• Bedrosian won the National League Cy Young Award in 1987 as a relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies after posting a league-leading 40 saves and earning votes in the MVP race. A First Team All-American at New Haven, Bedrosian went 13-3 with three saves to help lead the Chargers to a third-place finish at the 1978 College World Series. After his one season of playing under Porky Viera, Bedrosian was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 1978 MLB Draft. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DIVISION II

Debbie Chin, Former Director of Athletics

"Division II is how New Haven saw itself right from the beginning. It was who we wanted to be. We wanted to offer scholarships. We wanted to compete athletically and academically with the best of the best in our region. It gave both our men's and women's programs the chance to compete for championships and to achieve at the highest levels in and out of the classroom. Division II has always been a part of New Haven's identity."

Division II 50th Anniversary - University of New Haven

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.