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Somerset, NJ -- The launch of the 2023-24 academic year marks an exciting new chapter for the Northeast Conference (NEC) with the official addition of Le Moyne College.

Following its acceptance of the NEC's invitation in May, Le Moyne now embarks on its four-year NCAA reclassification journey, setting the stage for official conference membership in 2027-28. 

Le Moyne became the third full-time addition to the NEC in the last five years and keeps conference membership at nine for the coming year. Merrimack College and Stonehill College were admitted in 2018 and 2022, respectively. FDU, LIU, Saint Francis U and Wagner are charter NEC members. Central Connecticut was admitted in 1997 and Sacred Heart in 1999.

“On behalf of the Northeast Conference Council of Presidents, we are thrilled to welcome Le Moyne College to the NEC family,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris on the day of the announcement. “During our membership evaluation process, it became abundantly clear there was tremendous mission alignment between the NEC and Le Moyne from an academic, athletic and community perspective. I would like to thank President Linda LeMura, Board Chair Pete DiLaura and Athletic Director Bob Beretta for their leadership through this process. Due to their significant planning and preparation, it’s evident the Dolphins are poised to make the jump to Division I. We look forward to kicking off our relationship this fall.”

Le Moyne, which held membership in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) from 1996 to 2023, will offer 21 varsity intercollegiate athletic programs upon joining the NEC. The Dolphins will field 10 men’s and 11 women’s teams. Sports sponsorship at Le Moyne includes baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball.

Le Moyne will sponsor 20 of the NEC’s 24 championship sports in 2023-24, the only exceptions being field hockey, football, men’s volleyball and women’s bowling.

Le Moyne will be incorporated into NEC athletic schedules beginning with the 2023-24 season. During its reclassification Le Moyne will immediately be able to participate in NEC championships, but will remain ineligible for NCAA competition until the 2027-28 academic year. The four-year NCAA DI reclassification period allows new DI members sufficient time to strengthen their program support of each team.

“The move to Division I and the Northeast Conference is a milestone event for Le Moyne College,” said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura. “Since the College’s founding in 1946, athletics has been a vital component of our Jesuit ideal of cura personalis - care for the mind, body and soul. By making this move, we are building on a strong foundation of excellence that has been a hallmark of our student-athletes and our programs.”
 
Le Moyne has won 44 conference championships in nine sports, and captured eight national championships (six in men’s lacrosse, one in women’s lacrosse and an individual championship in swimming and diving). Le Moyne teams have also earned 135 NCAA Tournament bids, including 26 over the last five years.
 
For 39 consecutive semesters, Le Moyne student-athletes have maintained an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). 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, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, 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.

About Le Moyne College
One of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Le Moyne College is a private, four-year institution enrolling approximately 2,500 full-time undergraduate students in programs of liberal arts, science, business and pre-professional studies, and 800 full- and part-time students in graduate programs in nursing, education, business administration, information systems, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy and arts administration. Since its founding in 1946, xthe College has modeled and strengthened the nearly 500-year-old Jesuit educational tradition.  Visit www.lemoyne.edu for more information.