Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference 2009-10 Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Media Guide NEC Staff Directory Northeast Conference Table of Contents 399 Campus Drive Commissioner First Floor NEC Information Noreen Morris About the NEC _____________________________ 2-3 [email protected] Ext. 1 Somerset, NJ 08873 NEC Membership Directory ____________________ 4 (732) 469-0440 NEC Arena Guide ____________________________ 5 Associate Commissioner (TV/Communications) Ron Ratner NEC Commissioner/Presidents _________________ 6 [email protected] Ext. 6 www.northeastconference.org NEC Staff ___________________________________ 7 NEC Officials ________________________________ 8 Assistant Commissioner (Marketing/Operations) NEC Television Network _______________________ 9 Andrew Alia NEC Tournament ____________________________ 10 [email protected] Ext. 4 NCAA Tournament __________________________ 11 Assistant Commissioner (Compliance) NEC League Notes _______________________ 12-15 Joyce Bell 2009-10 Composite Schedule _______________16-17 [email protected] Ext. 2 NEC Member Institutions Assistant Commissioner (Sports Services) Michelle Boone Bryant __________________________________ 20-23 [email protected] Ext. 5 Central Connecticut State __________________ 24-27 Fairleigh Dickinson ________________________ 28-31 Director of Sports Services Long Island _____________________________ 32-35 Ben Shove Monmouth ______________________________ 36-39 [email protected] Ext. 3 Mount St. Mary’s _________________________ 40-43 Assistant Director of Communications (WBB) Quinnipiac _______________________________ 44-47 Ralph Ventre Robert Morris ___________________________ 48-51 [email protected] Ext. 7 Sacred Heart ____________________________ 52-55 St. Francis (NY) __________________________ 56-59 Administrative Intern Lindsey Williams Saint Francis (PA) _________________________ 60-63 [email protected] Ext. 9 Wagner _________________________________ 64-67 Coordinator of NEC Officials NEC History Dr. Ed Meier NEC Season Review: 2008-09 ______________ 68-71 NEC Fax Number (732) 469-0744 NEC Season Reviews: 1986-2008 ___________ 72-84 NEC Website northeastconference.org Scholars. Athletes. Leaders. NEC Records NEC All-Time Coaching Records ________________ 85 Brenda Weare NEC All-Time Award Winners __________________ 86 Single Game and Season Records ____________87-89 Commissioner’s Cup NEC Tournament Records _________________ 90-91 In May 2009, the Northeast Conference Year-by-Year Records ______________________ 92-94 Commissioner's Cup was renamed in honor of the late Brenda Weare, who passed away in June Miscellaneous following a courageous fight against cancer. NEC Driving Directions _______________________ 95 Credits Layout, Design & Copy: Ralph Ventre Cover Design: Karyn Olsen Editorial Assistance: Ron Ratner Jackie Swierc Ben Shove Lindsey Williams Photography: NEC SID offices Charlie Covell Sacred Heart’s Alisa Apo, the 2009 NEC Player of Brenda Weare (middle) introduced programs aimed at en- Dave Saffran hancing the opportunities and experiences of the more than the Year, celebrates the NEC Tournament title. 4,000 student-athletes that compete in the NEC. Special Thanks to: Brian Ierardi, NEC SIDs 1 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide About The Northeast Conference Northeast Conference History As it strives toward becoming a NCAA Division NEC Geographic Footprint I leader for athletic achievement, academic in- tegrity, and sportsmanship, the Northeast Con- ference (NEC) continues to ensure that the per- sonal development of its student-athletes is its highest priority. Now in its 29th year of service, the NEC aims for a greater national presence while remaining committed to the local commu- nities of its member institutions. The NEC can trace its roots back to 1981, when the league was first established as the men's basketball-only ECAC-Metro Confer- ence. A single-sport entity at its inception, even the league's most ardent support- ers during its formative years could not have envisioned a transformation into a burgeoning 12-member, 22-sport conference. The remarkable success story of the conference began to unfold in 1985, when the league began sponsoring additional sports. Three years later, a change of name was in order and the Northeast Conference as we know it today was born. With membership and sport sponsorship continuing to grow over the next decade and beyond, the NEC now enjoys qualification or play-in access to 13 different NCAA Championships (base- ball, men's and women's basketball, field hockey, men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball). Though the NEC has featured various looks since its inception, charter members Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Robert Morris, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner remain part of the current 12-school alignment. They are joined by Monmouth (admitted in 1985), Mount St. Mary's (1989), Central Connecticut State (1997), Quinnipiac (1998) and Sacred Heart (1999). NEC expansion continues with the addition of Bryant University in 2012 as the league's 12th member, which Northeast Conference Membership will give the league a six-state geographic footprint with access to such major media Though the NEC has featured various incarnations since its inception, charter mem- markets as New York City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Hartford and Providence. bers Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Robert Morris, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) NEC member institutions now compete in 22 championship sports: baseball, men's and Wagner remain part of the current 11-school alignment. They are joined by and women's basketball, women's bowling, men's and women's cross country, field Monmouth (admitted in 1985), Mount St. Mary’s (1989), Central Connecticut State hockey, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's indoor track and field, women's lacrosse, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and (1997), Quinnipiac (1998) and Sacred Heart (1999). women's soccer, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. Men's lacrosse will become the league's 23rd sport in 2010-11. NEC expansion continues with the addition of Bryant University in 2012 as the Evolving and Expanding league’s 12th member, which will give the league a six-state geographic footprint with access to such major media markets as New York City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Hartford The past half decade has seen the Northeast Conference take aim at upgrading the and Providence. caliber of the league's championship sports and enhancing the opportunities and experiences for the more than 4,000 student-athletes that compete in the confer- ence. Set to become the NEC's 12th full-time member, Bryant has begun competi- tion within the conference as it moves through the NCAA reclassification process. Institution Joined NEC The Conference has also secured automatic access to the NCAA Division I Football Bryant University 2012 Championship playoffs beginning in 2010, making football the 14th team sport in Central Connecticut State University 1997 which NEC student-athletes are guaranteed a chance to compete for the NCAA Fairleigh Dickinson University 1981 crown. New sport sponsorship in women's bowling and men's lacrosse (2010-11) Long Island University 1981 will create further opportunities for NEC student-athletes. Set to embark on a number of branding, sportsmanship and community initiatives as part of the league's Monmouth University 1985 Strategic Plan, the NEC and its member institutions are committed to the future Mount St. Mary’s University 1989 growth of the Conference. Quinnipiac University 1998 NEC Website/Television Robert Morris University 1981 Sacred Heart University 1999 More widely-recognized than ever, the NEC is providing a number of new ways in St. Francis (NY) College 1981 which its growing fan base can follow the action. The Conference began by fulfilling Saint Francis (PA) University 1981 its strategic plan-driven new media initiatives in 2008-09 when it launched its own YouTube channel, created NEC On The Run podcast segments, and added NEC Wagner College 1981 Flashbacks, a video on-demand archive, to its website. More recently, the league dove into the social media arena by launching a Facebook page and offering Associate Members periodic news updates via Twitter. Football Bowling To supplement one of the premier regional basketball television packages in the Albany, Duquesne Adelphi, Kutztown, country, the conference also produces a football package and a preseason basket- ball show entitled NEC Countdown to Tipoff. Over the last five years, the Confer- New Jersey City, Saint Peter’s ence has televised nearly 150 events, as the league's coverage area expanded to 40 Field Hockey million homes plus coverage internationally. Along with flagship station MSG Net- Lock Haven, Rider, Siena work, other regional television partners include MSG Plus (formerly FSN-New 2 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference Educating Student-Athletes On & Off Field York), FSN-Pittsburgh, MASN, Fox College Sports, Cox Cable and the Connecticut Sports Network. In 2009, ESPN broadcast the men's basketball championship game for the 22nd 2009-10 NEC Championship Dates straight year, while ESPNU carried the women's championship game, marking the second time in as many years that the women's contest