Bridgewater, NJ — FDU’s strong commitment to charitable and community service efforts has not gone unnoticed. 
 
The Knights compiled the most community service hours per student-athlete in 2023-24 to reclaim the annual Northeast Conference (NEC) Building Communities Award presented by Insperity after a brief two-year hiatus. 
 
Established in 2010, the prestigious award was conceived by the NEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as a means of recognizing the institution which demonstrates the highest dedication to making an impact in the community.
 
FDU, which accumulated 5,578 hours of service through the contributions of 328 student-athletes, averaged 17.01 hours per student-athlete to end Saint Francis U’s two-year run and claim the award for the second time since the 2019-20 academic year.
 
"I am incredibly proud of the dedication that our student-athletes showed in the community service area this year," said FDU Director of Athletics Brad Hurlbut. "Winning the Building Communities Award for the second time in five years is a continued testament to their exemplary character and leadership and reflects our commitment to the holistic experience we are striving to create at FDU.”
 
The Knights engrave their name on the Building Communities Award’s plaque once again following consecutive runner-up finishes in the conference-wide competition in 2021-22 and 2022-23. 
 
With 463 student-athletes pitching in, four-time winner Saint Francis U amassed 5,111 hours of service which translated to 11.04 hours per student-athlete. During the recently-completed academic year. Sacred Heart, which won the award six times, averaged 5.54 hours of service per student-athlete to finish third.
 
Across the Division I conference’s nine core member institutions, NEC student-athletes dedicated more than 22,000 hours of their time to community service endeavors.
  
NEC BUILDING COMMUNITIES AWARD HISTORY
2023-24: FDU
2022-23: Saint Francis U
2021-22: Saint Francis U
2020-21: Not awarded due to COVID-19
2019-20: FDU
2018-19: Saint Francis U
2017-18: Saint Francis U
2016-17: Sacred Heart
2015-16: Sacred Heart
2014-15: St. Francis Brooklyn
2013-14: Sacred Heart
2012-13: Sacred Heart
2011-12: Sacred Heart
2010-11: Sacred Heart