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WE ARE THE NEC

Scholars. Athletes. Community. Leaders.

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NEC Academic Success

63808What is #NECPride
 
#NECPride is about having pride in your team, your school and the will to succeed both on and off the field.
 
#NECPride is about achievement, ambition, perseverance, community, passion, respect, determination, unity and teamwork.

NEC History
As the NEC enters its 46th year as an NCAA Division I athletic entity, the league’s NEC mission has remained remarkably consistent: to provide opportunities for student-athletes to achieve their fullest potential in the classroom, in athletic competition and in the community.
 
Focusing on the areas of student-athlete achievement, academic excellence, integrity, sportsmanship, innovation, community partnership and national engagement, the NEC continues to make great strides. With the league's new NEC Strategic Plan providing a blueprint for the future, there is no shortage of excitement headed into the 2026-27 season as the nine-strong NEC looks to stand out among its peers, while fostering a sense of #NECPride amongst its student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans.
 
When the NEC was first established as the ECAC-Metro Conference back in 1981, the league’s founders had one goal in mind: to create a competitive NCAA Division I men’s basketball conference for unaffiliated schools on the Eastern seaboard. A single-sport entity at its inception, the NEC has grown far beyond expectations over the past four decades, having transformed itself into a 25-sport conference.
 
66649The remarkable success story of the Conference began to unfold in 1985, when the league began sponsoring additional sports. Three years later, a change of name was in order and the NEC as we know it today was born. With membership and sport sponsorship continuing to grow over the years, the NEC enjoys qualification or play-in access to 17 different NCAA Championships (baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women's bowling, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men's and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men's and women’s volleyball).
 
Though the NEC has featured various incarnations since its inception, charter members FDU, LIU and Wagner remain part of the current nine-school alignment. They are joined by Central Connecticut (1997), Stonehill (2022), Le Moyne (2023), Chicago State (2024), Mercyhurst (2024) and New Haven (2025).

The NEC's geographic footprint now stretches to six states with institutions located in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachussetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The inclusion of Chicago State markedly expanded the NEC footprint, now encompassing three of the United States' top-10 media markets: New York City (No. 1), Chicago (No. 3) and Boston (No. 8). 

Mercyhurst becomes a full member of the conference in 2027-28 and New Haven in 2028-29 upon completion of their respective three-year NCAA Division I reclassification periods.
 
NEC member institutions now compete in 25 championship sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men's and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, and men's and women’s volleyball.