Bridgewater, N.J.—Just over one month after announcing its move to Division I and the Northeast Conference beginning this fall, Le Moyne College's student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans received a significant jolt of good news on Thursday.
After careful consideration and in response to feedback from the membership, the NEC Presidents' Council unanimously voted to eliminate access restrictions to NEC postseason tournament championships during an institution's transition to Division I.
As a result, current reclassifying institutions Le Moyne and Stonehill will be immediately eligible to compete in NEC postseason tournaments beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. This important decision aims to improve the student-athlete experience and bolster recruitment and retention efforts. By taking this proactive approach, the NEC is committed to prioritizing the mental health, welfare and opportunities of its student-athletes throughout the conference.
"I cannot overstate how grateful we are to NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris, Presidents' Council Chair Dr. Chris Hopey and all of the NEC presidents for allowing Le Moyne's 375 student-athletes the opportunity to compete for conference tournament championships immediately," stated Le Moyne Director of Athletics and Recreation Bob Beretta. "During our negotiations with the conference this spring, we continually stressed the importance of immediate access to postseason league championships for our teams.
"We have been incredibly impressed by the leadership of this conference since we began discussions about a potential transition to the NEC. Today's announcement only solidifies our belief that Le Moyne's 21 athletic programs are perfectly aligned with a group of like-minded institutions that put the mental health and welfare of student-athletes of all member institutions first. This is a remarkable development for Dolphins everywhere and we remain deeply grateful to our new colleagues for making this amazing opportunity possible."
Should a reclassifying institution win the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC's automatic qualifier as per current policy.
In instances where two reclassifying members reach an NEC final in men's and women's basketball, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball, the NEC will stage an "AQ Qualifier" game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC's spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The NEC Sport Management Committee (SMC) will collectively determine the specific details of each game, taking into account the unique requirements of each sport.
Le Moyne officially accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference on May 10, with Dolphin athletic teams slated to begin competition in the NEC during the 2023-24 academic year.
NEC Championships formats
Baseball – Six of 12 teams qualify
Men's and women's basketball – Eight of 9 teams qualify
Women's lacrosse – To be determined
Men's soccer – Six of nine teams qualify
Women's soccer – Six of 11 teams qualify
Softball – Four of nine teams qualify
Volleyball – Four of eight teams qualify
Men's and women's cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field – All nine teams eligible
Men's golf – All 10 teams eligible
Women's golf – All 12 teams eligible
Men's swimming & diving – All four teams eligible
Women's swimming & diving – All nine teams eligible
Men's tennis and women's tennis – All nine teams eligible
