Bridgewater, NJ -- Binghamton University has accepted an invitation from the Northeast Conference (NEC) Council of Presidents to become an associate member in three sports.
Starting in the 2023-24 academic year, Binghamton will compete under the NEC umbrella in men's golf, men's tennis and women's tennis.
Binghamton will be immediately eligible to compete in NEC championships and earn the league's NCAA auto qualifier in all three sports.
"We are thrilled to welcome Binghamton to the NEC community," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "Their participation in men's golf and men's and women's tennis will contribute to the growth and success of these sports within the conference. We eagely anticipate exciting competition and rivalries to emerge from this partnership, and look forward to providing the opportunity for Binghamton student-athletes to showcase their skills on the NEC stage."
Binghamton's inclusion in NEC men's golf expands the number of sponsoring institutions to 11 for the upcoming season. The Bearcats will join NEC core members FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U and Wagner, along with fellow affiliates Howard, Maryland Eastern Shore and NC Central.
In men's and women's tennis, the NEC will now feature nine programs with the addition of Binghamton, alongside FDU, LIU, Le Moyne, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner.
“We believe this is a positive move to further improve our student-athlete experience in these important sports," Binghamton Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall, Jr. said. “I would like to thank Commissioner Morris, the Presidents’ Council, the Directors of Athletics and coaches for their selection of Binghamton as an affiliate member in these sports. Our teams will now be able to play in a regional conference against familiar opponents and it also cuts down on travel expenses. We are competitively compatible with the teams in the NEC so it's a 'win-win' for us."
The Binghamton golf team returns to the east coast following a nine-year affiliation with the Big Sky Conference. The program previously achieved success in the America East, advancing to NCAA Regionals on three occasions (2003, 2004 and 2006) before spending five years competing in the golf-only America Sky Conference from 2007-12.
Binghamton's men's tennis team has competed in the Mid-American Conference for the past eight years, while the women's tennis program gains conference affiliation for the first time in eight years. Both programs enjoyed a long history of success in the America East prior to the conference discontinuing men's tennis sponsorship in 2014 and women's tennis in 2016. The Bearcat men's program won 10 of the final 13 AE titles, while the women amassed seven runner-up finishes between 2002-16.
With Binghamton's addition, the NEC will proudly showcase associate members in 12 sports for the 2023-24 season. These sports include baseball (Coppin State, Delaware State, UMES and Norfolk State), women’s bowling (Duquesne), field hockey (Fairfield and Rider), football (Duquesne), men's golf (Binghamton, Howard, UMES and North Carolina Central), women's golf (Delaware State, Howard, UMES and North Carolina Central), women's lacrosse (Delaware State and Howard), men's soccer (Howard), women's soccer (Delaware State and Howard), men's swimming and diving (Howard), women's swimming and diving (Howard), men's and women's tennis (Binghamton) and men’s volleyball (Daemen and D’Youville).
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, FDU, 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.