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Bridgewater, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) student-athletes gave it their all on the field of play during the 2023-24 academic year, but that wasn’t the only arena where they excelled.
Their dedication and accomplishments extended beyond sports, as the league’s 4,000+ student-athletes demonstrated a remarkable level of success in their academic endeavors.
Across the conference, Sacred Heart University excelled yet again, retaining the NEC Institutional Academic Award with a collective 3.450 GPA across 23 NEC sports. It marked SHU’s fifth Institutional Academic Award, the second-most in conference history.
Sacred Heart beat out Merrimack, which finished with a 3.380 GPA. Following closely were Wagner (3.362), Saint Francis U (3.352) and LIU (3.340) to round out the top-five in that order.
Collectively, the NEC’s 4,000+ student-athletes achieved a 3.306 GPA, a figure that ranks fourth in league history. The highest combined GPA on record to date was 3.404, set during the 2019-20 academic year.
Notably, 97.2 percent of NEC women’s teams (104 out of 107) achieved a minimum 3.0 GPA, and 91.0 percent of all conference teams (171 out of 188) exceeded the 3.0 mark.
“NEC student-athletes continually demonstrate their drive to excel both on the field and in the classroom, while also making meaningful impacts in their communities,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “The Institutional Academic Award earned by Sacred Heart, along with all the Team GPA winners, highlights the conference-wide commitment to academic excellence and holistic development. These achievements reflect the collaborative efforts of administrators, coaches and student-athletes who prioritize academic growth and learning experiences as integral aspects of campus life.”
Aligning with its academic accomplishments, Sacred Heart won the Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup for the tenth time. The Pioneers also secured the Joan Martin Women’s Commissioner’s Cup for the 13th time, extending their own conference records in both categories. In fact, this marked the fifth time in NEC history that an institution won both the Institutional Academic Award and Commissioner’s Cup in the same academic year. Sacred Heart previously pulled off the impressive double in the 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2022-23 seasons, along with Saint Francis U in 2017-18.
At year’s end, all 23 SHU teams that competed in NEC sponsored sports posted at least a 3.0 GPA and 13 compiled a 3.5 or better GPA.
“Our student athletes are competitive in the classrooms and on the playing fields and we are so proud of all of their accomplishments,” said Judy Ann Riccio, SHU’s Director of Athletics. “This is such a fitting way to end a successful year of athletics.”
The Institutional Academic Award is presented annually to the NEC member who attains the highest overall institutional grade-point average amongst student-athletes competing in sports sponsored by the NCAA Division I conference. The NEC currently sponsors 24 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, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor and 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.
2023-24 School-By-School GPAs
School NEC Sports Overall GPA
CCSU 16 3.140
FDU 20 3.294
Le Moyne 20 3.338
LIU 24 3.340
Merrimack 23 3.380
Sacred Heart 23 3.450
Saint Francis U 22 3.352
Stonehill 20 3.019
Wagner 21 3.362
The NEC also recognized those teams that compiled the highest GPA in their respective sports. LIU and Wagner racked up a league-leading six Team GPA awards, one more than Sacred Heart’s five accolades. Saint Francis U earned three honors, while Merrimack picked up two. CCSU and NEC newcomer Le Moyne won one award apiece.
The 3.920 grade point average recorded by the LIU men’s tennis team was the highest in any NEC sport this past academic year. Among Team GPA winners, LIU women’s tennis (3.820), Wagner women’s golf (3.791), CCSU women’s volleyball (3.748) and Sacred Heart men’s golf (3.745) followed closely behind.
Six teams earned NEC Championships and Team GPA accolades. LIU claimed dual honors in women’s lacrosse and women’s tennis, as did Wagner in men’s basketball and men’s indoor track and field. Merrimack turned the trick in women’s bowling and Sacred Heart in women’s outdoor track and field.
Five teams repeated as Team GPA Award winners: LIU men’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis, Sacred Heart football and men’s golf, and Saint Francis U men’s volleyball.
LIU has achieved the highest team GPA in men’s swimming and diving all four years since the NEC began sponsoring the sport in 2020-21.
2023-24 NEC Team GPA Awards
Sport School GPA
Baseball Sacred Heart 3.385
Men’s Basketball Wagner* 3.413
Men’s Cross Country LIU 3.460
Football Sacred Heart 3.165
Men’s Golf Sacred Heart 3.745
Men’s Soccer Merrimack 3.660
Men’s Swimming & Diving LIU 3.490
Men’s Tennis LIU 3.920
Men’s Indoor Track & Field Wagner* 3.346
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Wagner 3.346
Men’s Volleyball Saint Francis U 3.391
Women’s Basketball Le Moyne 3.720
Women’s Bowling Merrimack* 3.710
Women’s Cross Country Saint Francis U 3.732
Field Hockey Wagner 3.699
Women’s Golf Wagner 3.791
Women’s Lacrosse LIU* 3.650
Women’s Soccer Saint Francis U 3.684
Softball Wagner 3.625
Women’s Swimming & Diving LIU 3.680
Women’s Tennis LIU* 3.820
Women’s Indoor Track & Field Sacred Heart 3.590
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Sacred Heart* 3.590
Women’s Volleyball CCSU 3.748
* Won NEC Championship
NEC Institutional Academic Award Winners
Year School GPA
2023-24 Sacred Heart 3.450
2022-23 Sacred Heart 3.390
2021-22 Saint Francis U 3.479
2020-21 Saint Francis U 3.482
2019-20 LIU 3.489
2018-19 Robert Morris 3.432
2017-18 Saint Francis U 3.423
2016-17 Sacred Heart 3.381
2015-16 Sacred Heart 3.331
2014-15 Sacred Heart/Wagner 3.279
2013-14 Robert Morris 3.295
2012-13 Wagner 3.305
2011-12 Robert Morris 3.279
2010-11 Saint Francis U 3.270
2009-10 Fairleigh Dickinson/Saint Francis U 3.239
2008-09 Saint Francis U 3.234
2007-08 Wagner 3.186
2006-07 Wagner 3.147
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 (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.