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Bridgewater, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) student-athletes gave it their all competitively throughout the 2024-25 academic year, but their drive extended far beyond the game.
Their commitment to success carried into the classroom, where the league’s 4,000+ student-athletes continued to achieve at a high level.
In its inaugural year as an NEC member and first competing at the DI level, Mercyhurst made a historic academic splash. The Lakers earned the NEC Institutional Academic Award after posting a conference-record 3.536 GPA across 18 sports for the 2024-25 academic year, surpassing the previous single-year mark of 3.489 set by LIU in 2019-20.
Mercyhurst finished comfortably ahead of Wagner (3.384), FDU (3.380) and Le Moyne (3.345), with LIU and Stonehill tying for fifth (3.300).
Collectively, the NEC’s 4,000+ student-athletes posted a 3.323 GPA, the conference’s highest mark since 2021-22 and the fourth-best in league history. The all-time high remains 3.404, set during the 2019-20 academic year.
In a notable academic achievement, all 97 NEC women’s teams earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher, with 93.8 percent of all conference teams (165-of-176) doing the same.
“Each year, NEC student-athletes raise the bar - not just through their athletic accomplishments, but through their dedication to academic success and community engagement,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “Mercyhurst’s record-setting performance in its first year as an NEC and Division I member is a remarkable achievement, and the broad range of programs recognized with Team GPA honors reflects the academic culture that exists within the conference. These results speak to a unified effort to prioritize academic achievement as a core part of the student-athlete experience.”
At year’s end, all 18 Mercyhurst teams that competed in NEC sponsored sports posted at least a 3.0 GPA and nine compiled a 3.5 or better GPA.
“While I was cautiously optimistic that we would be competitive in our first year as a reclassifying Division I institution, I had no doubt that our student-athletes would continue the tradition of academic success that defines Mercyhurst,” said Joe Spano, Mercyhurst Director of Athletics. “Setting a new conference GPA record is a tribute to our outstanding faculty, our dedicated academic support team, and most notably, to our incredible student-athletes and the coaches who care deeply about their academic achievement and personal growth. This recognition reflects the core values of our university and the commitment we all share to excellence in the classroom and beyond What makes this achievement so special is to be part of a conference that places such a high value on academic success. We thank the NEC staff and our peer institutions for their support this first year and for recognizing the academic achievements of all our NEC athletes.”
Mercyhurst President Dr. Kathleen A. Getz echoed that sentiment.
“Mercyhurst has a long history of academic excellence at the Division II level, and this achievement at the Division I level affirms that we were more than ready for the transition,” said Getz. “It’s a powerful reminder that at Mercyhurst, academics is the most important thing we do - and we won’t compromise that commitment as we move forward.”
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 25 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, men’s and 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.
2024-25 School-By-School GPAs
School NEC Sports Overall GPA
CCSU 16 3.190
Chicago State 13 3.220
FDU 20 3.380
Le Moyne 21 3.345
LIU 25 3.300
Mercyhurst 18 3.536
Saint Francis U 21 3.216
Stonehill 20 3.300
Wagner 22 3.384
The NEC also honored teams that achieved the highest grade point averages in their respective sports. Wagner led the way with a conference-best eight Team GPA Awards, followed by Mercyhurst with five. LIU and Saint Francis U both earned three, while Le Moyne and Stonehill picked up two apiece. Chicago State and FDU each claimed one Team GPA accolade.
The Mercyhurst women’s cross country team posted the highest GPA of any NEC team in 2024–25 with an impressive 3.811 mark. Other top-performing squads included Wagner women’s golf (3.805), Stonehill women’s tennis (3.800), Wagner women’s lacrosse (3.791), Chicago State women’s volleyball (3.790), Le Moyne women’s swimming and diving (3.756) and FDU women’s soccer (3.770).
Demonstrating excellence both on the track and in the classroom, Wagner’s women’s indoor and outdoor track & field teams captured both the NEC Championship and Team GPA awards. Chicago State also paired its first NEC women’s volleyball title with the Team GPA honor.
Four programs repeated as Team GPA Award recipients: Saint Francis U men’s volleyball earned the distinction for the third consecutive year, while LIU men’s cross country, Wagner women’s golf and Wagner men’s indoor track and field made it back-to-back accolades.
2024-25 NEC Team GPA Awards
Sport School GPA
Baseball Wagner 3.492
Men’s Basketball Mercyhurst 3.608
Men’s Cross Country LIU 3.580 (2nd straight)
Football Mercyhurst 3.100
Men’s Golf LIU 3.660
Men’s Lacrosse Wagner 3.486
Men’s Soccer Saint Francis U 3.539
Men’s Swimming & Diving Wagner 3.416
Men’s Tennis Wagner 3.638
Men’s Indoor Track & Field Wagner 3.306 (2nd straight)
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Le Moyne 3.304
Men’s Volleyball Saint Francis U 3.406 (3rd straight)
Women’s Basketball Mercyhurst 3.645
Women’s Bowling LIU 3.460
Women’s Cross Country Mercyhurst 3.811
Field Hockey Stonehill 3.540
Women’s Golf Wagner 3.805 (2nd straight)
Women’s Lacrosse Saint Francis U 3.662
Women’s Soccer FDU 3.770
Softball Mercyhurst 3.673
Women’s Swimming & Diving Le Moyne 3.756
Women’s Tennis Stonehill 3.800
Women’s Indoor Track & Field Wagner* 3.607
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Wagner* 3.583
Women’s Volleyball Chicago State* 3.790
* Won NEC Championship
NEC Institutional Academic Award Winners
Year School GPA
2024-25 Mercyhurst 3.536
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 44th 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), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, 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.