Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) announced its 2022-23 Winter Team Sportsmanship Award winners this afternoon.

Seven different schools were honored, highlighted by a pair of repeat winners.

CCSU women's indoor track and field and Howard men's swimming and diving not only repeated as team sportsmanship winners, but also captured NEC championships this past February. 

Saint Francis U and Stonehill won the men's and women's basketball awards, respectively. St. Francis Brooklyn picked up women's bowling honors. while Merrimack pocketed women's swimming and diving accolades and LIU was the men's indoor track and field award recipient.

2022-23 Northeast Conference Team Sportsmanship Award Winners   Winter Men’s Basketball - Saint Francis U Women’s Basketball - Stonehill Women’s Bowling - St. Francis Brooklyn Men’s Swimming & Diving - Howard Women’s Swimming & Diving - Merrimack Men's Indoor Track & Field - LIU Women's Indoor Track & Field - CCSU

Instituted by league Presidents in 2008, the awards are designed to acknowledge the team in each conference sport that, in the opinion of its peers, most closely demonstrates good sportsmanship based on the NEC Principles of Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct. Voting is conducted at the conclusion of each season by each team and head coach, who rank teams within the conference based on a set of criteria.

Since the NEC Team Sportsmanship program was instituted in 2008-09, Saint Francis U has won a conference-best 43 awards, followed by Sacred Heart (35), Wagner (33), CCSU (30) and LIU (27) to round out the top-five.

“It is with tremendous pride that we recognize those teams that prioritize fair play and value winning with integrity at the highest level," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "It talkes everyone from our student-athletes to coaches to administrators to Presidents to create an environment of respect and support during NEC athletic competitions, To be recognized by your peers for upholding these standards is the ultimate honor." 

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9) and Hartford/New Haven (#33). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.