The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States, from which the conference derives its name.
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not part of a football conference. This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do. As of the 2024 season, Merrimack and Sacred Heart will be competing as independents, as their primary conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, does not sponsor football. They were previously members of the Northeast Conference which does sponsor the sport. Merrimack and Sacred Heart are confirmed to play as FCS independents in 2024.
Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic university in the United States to be staffed by the laity.
Total Mortgage Arena is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is the home venue of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL) and PWHL New York of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. Belmont Abbey is the only college in North Carolina affiliated with the Catholic Church.
The Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium is the main stadium for Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, United States. Construction began in 2000 at a cost of approximately $22 million. With a capacity of 12,300 people, it is the largest outdoor facility in Suffolk County. The stadium is home to the Division I Stony Brook Seawolves and their football, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse teams.
The Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) is a college athletic conference whose member schools compete in men's volleyball. Its member institutions are located in the Northeast United States.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers are the 32 sports teams representing Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in intercollegiate athletics. The Pioneers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Atlantic Hockey, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, and New England Women's Hockey Alliance.
The 2015–16 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by fifth year head coach Sydney Johnson, played their home games at Webster Bank Arena and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 19–14, 12–8 in MAAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They defeated Saint Peter's in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Monmouth. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to New Hampshire.
The Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year is a basketball award given to head coaches in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The award is granted to the head coach voted to be the most successful that season by the league's coaches. The award is named in honor of Brenda Reilly, a teacher, sports administrator and three-sport coach in a career of almost three decades at Central Connecticut State University.
The 2016–17 LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds men's basketball team represented The Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blackbirds, led by fifth-year head coach Jack Perri, played their home games at the Steinberg Wellness Center, with several home games at the Barclays Center, and were members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 20–12, 13–5 in NEC play to finish in second place. In the NEC tournament, they lost to Robert Morris in the quarterfinals.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers women's basketball team represents Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They play their home games at the William H. Pitt Center.
The 2016-17 Pioneers represented Sacred Heart University as a Division I independent team during the 2016-17 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season.
The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) is a governing body of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate women's rugby programs in the United States founded in 2015.
The New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) is a women's college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. As of the most recent 2023–24 NCAA hockey season, the conference is made up of eight teams, with two each in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and one each in New York and Vermont.
The 2019–20 Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 27th season of play for the program, the 22nd at the Division I level, and the 17th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Pioneers represented Sacred Heart University and were coached by C. J. Marottolo, in his 11th season.
The 2020 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sacred Heart original's schedule for the fall of 2020 was cancelled, and the team played a shortened schedule in the spring of 2021 instead. Led by ninth-year head coach Mark Nofri, the Pioneers compiled an overall record of 3–2 with a mark of 2–1 in conference play, placing second in the NEC during the regular season. Sacred Heart qualified for the NEC Championship Game and defeated Duquesne to win the conference title. The Pioneers advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, losing in the first round to Delaware. Sacred Heart played home games at Campus Field in Fairfield, Connecticut.
The 2020–21 Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 28th season of play for the program, the 23rd at the Division I level, and the 18th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Pioneers represented Sacred Heart University and were coached by C. J. Marottolo, in his 12th season.
The 2021–22 Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 29th season of play for the program, the 24th at the Division I level, and the 19th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Pioneers represented Sacred Heart University and were coached by C. J. Marottolo, in his 13th season.
