Bridgewater, NJ -- The winter season delivered its share of memorable moments, but some of the most meaningful came in the way NEC teams competed with respect and represented their programs. Today, the conference honored those efforts by unveiling its 2025-26 Winter Team Sportsmanship Award recipients.rees.

Stonehill led the way with three honors, earning recognition in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and with the Simon Hodnett men’s indoor track & field award. The Skyhawks have now claimed Team Sportsmanship Awards in men’s basketball and men’s indoor track & field in two of the last three years.

Wagner earned recognition in women’s bowling and repeated as the conference’s sportsmanship honoree in men’s swimming & diving.

Le Moyne was honored in women’s swimming & diving and also claimed the Simon Hodnett women’s indoor track & field award.

2025-26 NEC Team Sportsmanship Award Winners   Winter Men’s Basketball - Stonehill Women’s Basketball - Stonehill Women's Bowling - Wagner Men's Swimming & Diving - Wagner Women's Swimming & Diving - Le Moyne Simon Hodnett Men's Indoor Track & Field - Stonehill Simon Hodnett Women's Indoor Track & Field - Le Moyne

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.

The men's and women's indoor track and field awards were renamed in 2024 in honor of the late Simon Hodnett, who led LIU to ten Northeast Conference championships during his career as head coach. A 10-time NEC Coach of the Year, Hodnett coached six All-Americans, three Olympians and nearly 500 All-NEC honorees during his 15 years in Brooklyn.

Since the NEC Team Sportsmanship program was instituted in 2008-09, Saint Francis U has won a conference-best 56 awards, followed by Wagner (37), CCSU (35), and LIU (31).

“Often, it’s the moments that don’t make the box score that say the most about our student-athletes,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “These teams showed, day after day, that true success comes from competing with respect, integrity and a genuine commitment to fair play. We’re proud to celebrate the example they set for our conference.”
 
About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten 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), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.