NE10 LANDING PAGE - DII 50th ANNIVERSARY

Bentley Has Been a Main Contributor to the NE10 From the Start.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Bentley University has not only been a proud member of NCAA Division II since it began in 1973, but it was also at the center of the Northeast-10 Conference - then called the Northeast-7 Conference - and its founding in 1980. Since then, Bentley has made a name for itself as a regional athletics power and elite-level university. 

Prior to the existence of the NE-7, Bentley was affiliated with both the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the New England College Athletic Conference (NECAC) like most other New England-based Division II institutions at the time. It wasn't until seven schools - AIC, Assumption, Bentley, Bryant, Hartford, Springfield and Stonehill - banded together in 1979 that a new conference would be officially born in the fall of 1980. 

Al Shields, the Director of Athletics at Bentley, was not only a founding father of the Northeast-7, but also served as the conference's first commissioner until 1989. In that time, the Northeast-7 transformed into the Northeast-10 after the addition of Saint Anselm, Merrimack, Quinnipiac and Saint Michael's - as well as the departure of Hartford. 

Shields was not the only member of Bentley's department to serve a crucial role in the early days of the conference. Dick Lipe, the longtime Bentley Sports Information Director, also gave his time to serve as the NE10 Sports Information Director from 1980 to 1998. For his many contributions, Lipe was inducted into the NE10 Hall of Fame in the inaugural Class of 2006, alongside Shields. 

Not only was Bentley a leader off the field - it also led by example on the field. Since becoming a Division II member, Bentley women's basketball has competed in an NCAA Division II record of 37 regional tournaments - including 14 regional titles between 1989 and 2018. This stretch included the 2013-14 season, when Bentley completed a perfect 35-0 season on its way to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship under Hall of Fame head coach Barbara Stevens. Overall, women's basketball at Bentley has won 25 NE10 regular season titles, 22 NE10 tournament championships and boasts the second-highest winning percentage all-time. 

It wasn't just women's basketball that achieved remarkable success. Under longtime head coach Jay Lawson, Bentley men's basketball has reached the Division II East Regional championship game eight times from 2005 to 2023 and has made four trips to the Elite Eight. The Falcons set a Division II record from 2006 to 2008 when they won 55 consecutive regular season games.

Bentley field hockey played in the first-ever NCAA Division II women's championship game, falling to Pfeiffer in 1981 by a 5-3 margin. The NCAA did not sponsor women's sports until the fall of 1981. The Falcons returned to the national championship game six times, most recently in 2006. In 2001, Bentley won the national title with a 4-2 win over East Stroudsburg. 

During its affiliation with the NE10, Bentley has won two national titles and produced a league-high 30 inductees for the NE10 Hall of Fame - a mix of student-athletes, coaches, teams and administrators - while maintaining itself as one of the highest-achieving academic institutions in all of Division II. 

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Bentley needed a comeback effort to beat West Texas A&M in the 2014 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship, completing its 35-0 perfect season. Head coach Barbara Stevens would later go on to become one of only six coaches in NCAA history with over 1,000 wins and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. 
• Of all the players in college football history, no one has caught more touchdown passes then Bentley's Dallas Mall, who finished his career (2001-04) with an incredible 78 - including 22 in his freshman season alone. Two of Bentley's three NCAA championship appearances came during that era, with the Falcons hosting Brian Kelly (Assumption alum) and Grand Valley State in 2003 and Edinboro University the following year. From 1993 to 1995, Bentley won 30 consecutive games, a New England record at the time, and from 1992 to 1995, the Falcons won 37-straight regular season wins. 
• The volleyball program has made 15 appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship and reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history in 2023. Bentley's resume also includes 13 NE10 regular season championships and 10 NE10 tournament championships. The architect of the program was the late Sandy Hoffman, Bentley's legendary coach for more than three decades, the ninth winningest coach in Division II history and an inductee into the NE10 and AVCA Hall of Fame. 
• Bob DeFelice, the head coach of Bentley's baseball program for a remarkable 54 years and the Director of Athletics for nearly 30 years, was with Bentley prior to Division II's inception. He was hired as Bentley's baseball coach in 1968 and led the program until his retirement following the 2022 season. He won 848 games during his 54 seasons, ranking him third all-time in New England Division II history. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DIVISION II

Andrew Shepardson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

"Bentley University is proud to be celebrating 50 years with Division II. Thousands of Bentley alumni found life in the balance during their time as student athletes and those skills are helping them decades later in their professional and personal lives. DII has created a lifetime of memories for our community, including two national championships. We could not be more proud to be a part of its history."

Barbara Stevens, Former Head Coach of Bentley Women's Basketball (1986-2020)

"When I was offered the head women's basketball coaching position at Bentley University in the fall of 1986, there were a number of important factors that weighed heavily into my decision. First was the opportunity to recruit talented athletes and compete in a highly competitive conference, the Northeast-10.  Equally important was the ability to recruit exceptional students who were seeking an outstanding business education that would prepare them for their future. At Bentley, athletics and academics go hand in hand, perfectly exemplifying the DII motto of Life in the Balance. Bentley's commitment to excellence has never wavered. For the last seven years our student-athletes have achieved the highest graduation rate in Division II in the nation, while our athletic teams have consistently excelled at the Conference, Regional and National levels. Bentley University is a special institution and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent the last 34 years of my coaching career there." 

Robert DeFelice, Former Director of Athletics (1991-2020) and Head Coach of Baseball (1968-2022)

"Division II has been the perfect fit for Bentley University during my long affiliation with the university and college athletics. It has allowed our athletic teams and student-athletes to compete for NCAA championships while also preparing for success in their professional careers."

Division II 50th Anniversary - Bentley University

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.