NE10 LANDING PAGE - DII 50th ANNIVERSARY

Saint Anselm is a Founding Member of Division II.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Saint Anselm College, a founding member of NCAA Division II, began competing in the Northeast-10 Conference in the early 1980s - making it the longest-running NE10 member in league history among institutions not part of the conference's founding. During its long, illustrious tenure in Division II and the NE10, Saint Anselm has built itself as a regional power. 

Originally a member of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), Saint Anselm ushered in a new era when it joined the Northeast-7 Conference - which was the league's inaugural name with its seven founding members. The Hawks joined the NE-7 in June of 1981, with their acceptance being immediate, but did not begin conference competition until the 1983-84 season. As a result of the membership expansion, the league changed its named to the Northeast-8 Conference, which is what it would remain until the permanent move to Northeast-10 in 1987. 

Before joining Division II, Saint Anselm men's basketball played in the North-East Collegiate Basketball League from 1967-72. Women's basketball would join the New Hampshire Women's Athletic Conference in 1976 and stay until 1982, when it prepared to merge with the NE10. Overall, Saint Anselm was an ECAC member - which was a non-playing conference. 

Through 40 years in the NE10 and 50 years in Division II, one of the most influential figures in Saint Anselm history remains Ted Paulauskas, the former Director of Athletics and men's basketball head coach. He served dual roles as administrator and coach upon his arrival to Saint Anselm in 1974. Upon stepping down from his coaching role in 1981, Paulauskas focused solely on his administrative duties and helped grow the athletic department in both varsity sports and staff, while securing a place for Saint Anselm in the Northeast-8. At the time, he described the move to the NE-8 as, "the most positive thing we've done for our intercollegiate athletic program in many years." Paulauskas served as AD at Saint Anselm for 25 years and then returned to his alma mater Assumption to serve in the same role from 2003-11. 

Ed Cannon - a member of the NE10 Hall of Fame Class of 2008 - followed Paulauskas as AD at Saint Anselm and served in the role until 2009. Prior to his administrative position, Cannon had a remarkable coaching career with the Hawks and their men's soccer program. Joining the team as an assistant in 1974, he assumed the head coaching job the next season and earned a 272-204-41 (.566) record in his near 30-year career. He went on to win six NE10 regular season titles, six NE10 Championship titles and six NE10 Coach of the Year awards.  

Saint Anselm earned a reputation as a basketball powerhouse due in large part to the contributions of Donna Guimont and Keith Dickson leading the way. Guimont, a member of the NE10 Hall of Fame Class of 2007, was Saint Anselm's first female coach in any sport. She came to the College at the same time that the women's basketball program began in 1976 and remained in the department for 36 years. She eventually would serve as Associate Director of Athletics. Guimont stands as one of the winningest coaches in Division II basketball, owning a 336-165 (.671) record. She won 20 games on seven occasions and produced 17 winning seasons during her tenure, while making four NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Dickson, who recently announced his retirement after 37 seasons at the helm of Saint Anselm men's basketball, tallied a record of 719-376 (.657) and made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances - which included two regional championships and a Final Four appearance (2019). He credited both Paulauskas and Cannon with giving him the opportunity to serve as head coach beginning in 1986. From there, Dickson helped the Hawks win 10 NE10 Championship titles, while he won five NE10 Coach of the Year honors. Upon winning his 700th game in February of 2023, Dickson was one of just five active NCAA head coaches across any division with 700 victories at one institution. 

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• In 2019, Saint Anselm became the first East Region institution to win regional titles in both men's and women's basketball - with the two programs advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in the same season. The women's program entered the regional as the No. 7 seed and won three-straight games, including a win over Le Moyne in the East Region final behind Peyton Steinman and Shannon Ryan scoring 19 points each. The men's team was the top seed in the East Regional and won the title on its home floor with a dominant 74-49 win over St. Thomas Aquinas - the program's largest margin of victory in an NCAA postseason game. Tim Guers was named East Region Most Outstanding Player after averaging 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds in the regional. 
• In 2018, the Saint Anselm softball program became the first team in school history to play for a national championship. After claiming the team's first East Region title, the Hawks made it all the way to the best-of-three series against Southern Indiana. The softball team became the first athletics program in Saint Anselm history to finish as national runner-up. The Hawks finished the season with a 44-13-1 overall record - with the 44 wins being a school record. Head coach Jill Gagnon was named NE10 Coach of the Year, while her staff earned NFCA East Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 
• Saint Anselm field hockey has won two NE10 Championship titles over the last five seasons (2019, 2023) - with the first one in program history coming by way of a 2-0 victory over Southern New Hampshire in 2019. Since the 2015 season, Saint Anselm has dominated in conference play - earning an 86-20 record. The Hawks hosted the 2023 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship on campus and have qualified for six of the past seven NCAA Tournaments. Saint Anselm played for the National Championship in 2019, falling to West Chester by a narrow 2-1 margin. 
• Saint Anselm ice hockey has been a powerhouse in the NE10, racking-up a league-high 11 NE10 Championship titles with seven runner-up finishes since the conference began sponsoring the sport in the 1999-2000 season. The Hawks have the highest winning percentage in NE10 postseason history at .698 (30-13) and won four-straight titles from 2009 to 2013. Saint Anselm has also earned, either outright or a share, of 15 NE10 regular season titles. 
• Men's soccer has a long history of success, especially under former head coach and NE10 Hall of Fame inductee Ed Cannon. Saint Anselm has won six NE10 Championship titles, including a "three-peat" from 1984 (inaugural season of men's soccer in the NE10) to 1986. The Hawks own a .605 winning percentage in NE10 postseason play and have advanced to the NE10 semifinals on 16 occasions - second-most only to Franklin Pierce (17). The program has had three NSCAA First Team All-Americans: Chris Bagley (2000), Tim Karalexis (2001) and Kevin Nylen (2002). 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DIVISION II

Daron Montgomery, Vice President for Athletics

"During my time (eight years) at Saint Anselm, it has been rewarding to see Hawks student-athletes' keen commitment to academic excellence, while also dedicating the time, effort and energy needed to succeed athletically at a championship level. I believe the NCAA Division II model fosters an environment in which coaches not only 'coach', but also teach, mentor and inspire college student-athletes each day." 

Division II 50th Anniversary - Saint Anselm College

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.