NE10 LANDING PAGE - DII 50th ANNIVERSARY

Southern Connecticut Joined the NE10 in 2000.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Southern Connecticut State University - one of eight institutions in the Northeast-10 Conference to be a founding member of NCAA Division II - is uniquely positioned as the only public university in the NE10. At the start of its third decade in the conference, it does so with an impressive athletics history. 

Southern Connecticut, a former member of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (1976-81) and New England Collegiate Conference (1981-98), was one of five new members introduced to the NE10 beginning in the 2000-01 academic year - alongside Franklin Pierce, Southern New Hampshire, UMass Lowell and Saint Rose. At the time, it was the only Connecticut-based institution in the NE10, as former members Hartford and Quinnipiac had previously departed. 

One of Southern Connecticut's biggest contributors was an alum - Michael J. Adanti - who graduated in 1963 and would later become University President in 1984. A former co-captain of the football team, Adanti served as president for 19 years and was at the helm during the institution's athletics transition into the NE10.

Other instrumental figures included James Barber, a 1964 graduate of Southern Connecticut who played football and track & field, and Donna Lopiano, a 1968 graduate and nine-time All-American in basketball, volleyball and field hockey. Barber has served as a coach and administrator at SCSU for the past 58 years, a remarkable tenure that has included leading the University's affirmative action office and helping to found the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Lopiano has brought attention to SCSU through her own professional career, which included serving as the Director of Women's Athletics at the University of Texas and the executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation. 

Carol Stiff, like Lopiano, has brought attention to both SCSU and women's athletics throughout her professional career. A 1983 graduate of Southern Connecticut, Stiff was a multi-sport athlete in women's basketball and field hockey. She went on to have a 30-year career at ESPN, including a time as the Vice President of content integration for espnW. Stiff earned the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame John R. Bunn award and the Naismith Lifetime Achievement Award. 

One of SCSU's most influential coaches was Bob Dikranian - a 21-year head coach of men's soccer - who amassed a record of 227-94-31 (.689). His teams reached the NCAA semifinals eight times and won the NCAA Championship in 1987. He founded the men's soccer program at Southern Connecticut in 1966. 

Since joining the NE10, SCSU has continued to find success, especially on a national stage. The Owls have racked up 16 NCAA championships in the sports of swimming & diving and track & field, while adding another in women's basketball in 2007 - becoming the first NE10 women's basketball program to ever win a national title. 

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• SCSU has sponsored 10 teams that have won NCAA Championships, as well as 81 individual national champions in the sports of track & field, swimming and women's gymnastics. Since joining the NE10, three swimmers, four track & field athletes and one track relay team have won national titles for the Owls - including swimmers Amanda Thomas and Kristen Frost, who each won four during their time at Southern. In track & field, both Kateema Riettie (javelin) and Nick Lebron (heptathlon) won multiple national titles.  
• The men's soccer program won six national titles - the most among all Division II teams - in 1987, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999. The program has appeared in 32 NCAA Division II Tournaments, 17 NCAA Final Four appearances and has produced 52 All-Americans. 
• On March 24, 2007, the women's basketball team won the NCAA DII Championship with a 61-45 victory over previously undefeated Florida Gulf Coast. Kate Lynch, the current SCSU women's basketball head coach, was an instrumental player for the Owls in 2007. She finished her career as the program's all-time leading scorer (1,779 points) and ranked first in career field goals made (650). Lynch was named NE10 Player of the Year as a junior and Regional Player of the Year as a senior. 
• SCSU men's gymnastics, no longer sponsored by the University, won three national championships in 1973, 1975 and 1976. The Owls defeated Cal State Northridge in 1973 by a 160.75-158.70 margin, while besting Illinois-Chicago in both 1975 and 1976. 
• SCSU has had over 1,200 All-Americans since 1966 and 32 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-Americans in the history of its athletics program. 
• The SCSU men's and women's swimming & diving programs have dominated the conference scene since joining the NE10, as both programs have won a record 16 league titles - all under current head coach Tim Quill. 
• The Owls have soared to success in track & field as an NE10 member - accounting for 37 men's conference titles (18 indoor, 19 outdoor) out of a possible 42 and 10 women's conference titles (four indoor, six outdoor). John Wallin, the head coach of the men's program, has won 20 NE10 Coach of the Year awards. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT DIVISION II

Kelley Frassinelli, Senior Woman Administrator/Head Coach of Field Hockey

"Division II has a created a space where the best of all facets of a student-athlete's life can be achieved. Providing a space where life is truly in the balance by offering an arena to compete at an exceptionally high level, setting strong academic standards and highlighting the social component that allows the time for student-athletes to immerse themselves in the community within the University. Southern Connecticut State University, specifically, has supported its students and student-athletes in all these areas and continues to produces a large number of individuals who have gone on to contribute to the National and Olympic Stage. Alongside the athletic realm, many student-athletes alike are revered in their respective fields as trailblazers who have paved the way both athletically and academically. I am proud to be one family member, in a long tradition, who had the privilege to call SCSU my alma mater. Go Owls!"

Division II 50th Anniversary - Southern Connecticut State 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.