Bridgewater, NJ -- Niagara University has accepted an invitation from the Northeast Conference (NEC) Council of Presidents to join as associate member in women's bowling for the upcoming academic year.

Effective immediately, Niagara will be eligible to compete in the NEC Women's Bowling Championship and secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

"The NEC women's bowling community warmly welcomes Niagara as it embarks on its inaugural season," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "With accomplished coach Jeff Walsh leading the program and a roster of experienced student-athletes joining the ranks, their inclusion enriches the depth of our conference and underscores our commitment to provide opportunities for student-athletes to excel. The NEC has long maintained a strong national presence in women's bowling, and the addition of Niagara will undoubtedly reinforce our standing as one of the preeminent conferences in the sport."

The addition of Niagara brings the number of NEC women's bowling institutions to eight for the forthcoming 2023-24 season. The Purple Eagles will compete alongside NEC core members FDU, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U and Wagner, along with fellow affiliate Duquesne.

Niagara announced the launch of its women's bowling program this past June. Jeff Walsh, who spent the previous two years at the helm of Medaille's nationally ranked program, will serve as the Purple Eagles' first head coach. Under Walsh's leadership, Medaille qualified for the NCAA Championship in both 2022 and 2023, and concluded last season ranked 21st in the nation. Notably, six student-athletes who bowled under Walsh at Medaille will be making the move to compete for Niagara after the college ceased operations this summer.

"We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to join the Northeast Conference and compete for a conference championship and the automatic qualifier," said Walsh. "Joining a league like the NEC will benefit our program both in competition and recruiting." 

"We are thrilled to launch our inaugural bowling season as members of the Northeast Conference," said Niagara Director of Athletics Simon Gray. "When reviewing the options for conference affiliation, the NEC was an ideal fit based on its geographic footprint for events and its alignment with its member institutions and their values. We look forward to the excellent competition on the lanes."

The NEC showcased its strength in the sport of women’s bowling during the 2022-23 campaign by securing two spots in the NCAA Bowling Championship field. This marked the sixth occasion since 2010 that the conference earned multiple bids, highlighting its competitiveness at the national level. NEC champion Sacred Heart and Duquesne, via an at-large bid, advanced to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, four of the NEC’s eight women’s bowling programs made their mark in the year-end NTCA Top-25 rankings. Duquesne led the pack with a No. 12 ranking. FDU finished 15th, followed by Sacred Heart and Merrimack at the 17th and 25th spots, respectively. Notably, FDU boasts a rich history in women's bowling with five NCAA Final Four appearances and national championships in 2006 and 2010.

With the addition of Niagara, the NEC will proudly showcase associate members across 12 sports for the 2023-24 season. These sports include baseball (Coppin State, Delaware State, UMES and Norfolk State), women’s bowling (Duquesne and Niagara), 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 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, FDU, 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.