History of the NE10

The Northeast-10 Conference is an NCAA Division II conference that was established in 1979.  The conference consists of 12 member institutions located throughout the Northeast in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. With the addition of women’s golf in 2014-15, the NE10 now sponsors a total of 24 sports.

The institutions that make up the NE10 are Adelphi University (Garden City, N.Y.), American International College (Springfield, Mass.), Assumption University (Worcester, Mass.), Bentley University (Waltham, Mass.), Franklin Pierce University (Rindge, N.H.), University of New Haven (West Haven, Conn.), Pace University (Pleasantville, N.Y.), Saint Anselm College (Manchester, N.H.), Saint Michael’s College (Colchester, Vt.), The College of Saint Rose (Albany, N.Y.), Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, Conn.) and Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, N.H.).

The conference’s 12 member institutions are spread geographically from Colchester, Vt. to Garden City, N.Y.  Many of the members are located in or around the metropolitan areas of Albany, Boston, Manchester, New Haven, Worcester and New York City. The Northeast-10 was proud to welcome the New Haven and Adelphi in the conference’s latest expansion, adding to the powerful union of strong academic and athletic institutions. In addition, Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), Molloy College (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.) are associate members of the NE10 in field hockey, while Post University (Waterbury, Conn.) is an associate member in ice hockey. Recently announced in May of 2023 was the addition of Post as an associate member in football (effective for 2024 season) and the College of State Island in the sport of swimming & diving (effective for the 2023-24 season). 

The NE10 began with just seven New England colleges and universities in 1979: American International, Assumption, Bentley, Bryant, Hartford, Springfield and Stonehill. The new conference encompassed men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's soccer and women's tennis. Al Shields, the Director of Athletics at Bentley, was named the first conference commissioner. The 'founding fathers' of the league 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. 

After a year of planning, New England's newest athletic conference - the Northeast-7 - is officially announced and recognized by the NCAA as an allied member. The conference applied for automatic qualifying status to NCAA tournament play following a two-year probationary period. 

The Northeast-8 was born in June of 1981 when Saint Anselm accepted an invitation. Merrimack joined in June of 1984, replacing Hartford which went to the Division I ranks. Quinnipiac and Saint Michael's joined in July of 1987, which is when the league permanently changed its name to the Northeast-10. 

Since 1987, the NE10 added Le Moyne (1996) and Pace (1997) - as well as boasted the biggest expansion in league history with Franklin Pierce, Southern New Hampshire, UMass Lowell, Saint Rose and Southern Connecticut joining for the 2000-01 academic year. New Haven joined in July of 2008, while Adelphi was close behind in July of 2009 - bringing the NE10 to 16 members, an all-time high for the conference. 

With Division I departures from UMass Lowell, Merrimack, Stonehill and Le Moyne since 2013, the NE10 membership stands at 12 institutions heading into the 2023-24 academic year. 

The NE10 has evolved into a membership committed to competitive athletics programs that emphasize the education, both on and off the field, of more than 6,000 student-athletes. Among the many accomplishments of these institutions are NCAA Division II national championships in women’s basketball, men's and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving.

In NE10 history, there have been 30 NCAA Division II Championship teams and 19 NCAA Divison II Championship individuals, who have accounted for 39 national titles overall. In the 2022-23 season, both the Franklin Pierce men's soccer and Pace women's lacrosse programs won national titles. 

The hashtag #NE10EMBRACE continues to capture the league's focused effort on achieving at the highest level in every aspect of the student-athlete experience. The NE10's rich history, which was commemorated in its 40th anniversary celebration during the 2020-21 season, continues to be supplemented year after year through the hard work of its exceptional student-athletes, coaches and athletic departments. 

For a full timeline of major events in NE10 history, please click here.