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 reached a nationwide audience. Further enhancing its Championship Date Host Site multimedia efforts, the league will begin webstreaming a women's basketball game of the week in M/W Cross Country Oct. 31 Hamden, CT 2009-10, and raise the number of NEC championship webcasts from five to eight. Field Hockey Nov. 6-7 High Seed Athletic Success Women’s Soccer Nov. 6 & 8 High Seed Men’s Soccer Nov. 13 & 15 High Seed Reinforcing its presence on a national stage, the Northeast Conference sent representatives to Women’s Volleyball Nov. 21-22 High Seed NCAA Championship events in 14 different team sports while NEC student-athletes individually M/W Indoor Track Feb. 20-21 P.G. County Sports Complex qualified to compete for an NCAA title in men's outdoor track & field and women's swimming. In its longstanding effort to increase student-athlete opportunities, the Conference began spon- (Landover, MD) soring women's bowling as a championship sport and immediately grabbed national headlines M/W Swimming Feb. 11-13 Yale University for its successful inaugural season. Five of the league's seven bowling members occupied a (New Haven, CT) spot in the final regular season edition of the NTCA Top-20 Poll with No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson Men’s Basketball Mar. 4, 7 & 10 High Seeds defeating top-seeded Nebraska to advance all the way to the semifinal round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Mar. 6-7, 14 SFPA (quarters/semis), Women's Bowling Championship. Lock Haven found itself ranked amongst the nation's Top-25 High Seed (champ.) as it marched toward its third consecutive NEC field hockey title. Bowling Mar. 20-21 Parkway Lanes In football, Albany became the first NEC team in nearly a decade to post back-to-back unde- (Elmwood Park, NJ) feated seasons within league play. In a game televised nationally on the YES Network, the Great M/W Tennis Apr. 16-18 Mercer Tennis Center Danes blanked Pioneer Football League champion Jacksonville, 28-0, to win the third annual (West Windsor, NJ) Gridiron Classic. Robert Morris men's basketball, which has won 50 games and two NEC regular season crowns in two years under head coach Mike Rice, captured its league-best sixth Women’s Lacrosse Apr. 23 & 25 High Seed NEC title with a 48-46 last-second victory over Mount St. Mary's before a nationwide ESPN2 Women’s Golf Apr. 23-25 ChampionsGate, FL television audience and a school-record crowd at the Charles L. Sewall Center. On the heels of Men’s Golf Apr. 30-May 2 ChampionsGate, FL its perfect (18-0) run through the NEC women's basketball schedule and second NEC Tourna- M/W Outdoor Track May 1-2 Mount St. Mary’s ment title in four years, Sacred Heart gave third-seeded Ohio State all it could handle in NCAA (Emmitsburg, MD) first round play. Softball May 14-15 High Seed Individually, 13 NEC student-athletes received All-America honors in their respective sports. Baseball May 27-29 TBD Lock Haven's Blair Wynne, the only three-time Player of the Year in NEC field hockey history, was named to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America Second Team for the second consecu- tive season. NEC men's soccer has its most successful year since 1987 with three players acknowledged at year's end for their play. Quinnipiac's Graciano Brito earned his second 2008-09 NEC Championship Winners straight NSCAA/adidas All-America honor, and was joined by FDU junior forward Samson Sport ______Team Champion Malijani on the third team. Brito and Monmouth's Angelo Amato were third team College Soccer Field Hockey ______Lock Haven News honorees. In addition to five football All-Americans, Monmouth's John Nalbone became Men’s Cross Country ______Quinnipiac the latest NEC player to reach the NFL when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth Women’s Cross Country ______Quinnipiac round of the 2009 Draft. Former Wagner pitching great Andrew Bailey, a 2006 draft pick, broke Women’s Soccer ______Central Connecticut State into the big leagues in a big way during 2009. A non-roster Spring Training invitee, Bailey won Men’s Soccer ______Fairleigh Dickinson a place in Oakland's bullpen before earning a spot in the MLB All-Star Game three months later. Women's Volleyball ______Long Island Hoping to someday follow Bailey's rise up the professional ranks, five of the NEC's finest were Football ______Albany taken in the 2009 MLB Draft - Long Island's James Jones (Mariners), Monmouth's Ryan Buch Women’s Swimming ______Central Connecticut State (White Sox) and Brett Brach (Indians), Quinnipiac's Chris Gloor (Giants), and Wagner's Kyle Men’s Indoor Track & Field ______Saint Francis (PA) Morrison (Nationals). Women’s Indoor Track & Field ______Monmouth For the second straight year, Sacred Heart captured the Northeast Conference Commissioner's Men’s Basketball ______Robert Morris Cup, recently renamed in honor of NEC Commissioner Brenda Weare, who passed away in Women’s Basketball ______Sacred Heart June. The Pioneers claimed the women's cup for the third year in a row while earning the men's Bowling ______Fairleigh Dickinson cup for the first time ever to complete a clean sweep. The Pioneers established new Cup Men’s Golf ______Sacred Heart records for overall and women's points in the process. Women’s Golf ______Fairleigh Dickinson Men’s Tennis ______Sacred Heart Academic Success Women’s Tennis ______Long Island Women’s Lacrosse ______Sacred Heart The Northeast Conference's commitment to academic excellence translated into national recog- Softball ______Sacred Heart nition for both individual student-athletes and the league's member institutions as a whole. NEC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field ______Monmouth student-athletes graduated at an 83.8 percent rate, which is well above the national average of Women’s Outdoor Track & Field ______Monmouth 78 percent according to NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data. Likewise, a total of 19 NEC Baseball ______Monmouth teams garnered public recognition from the NCAA for their latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. The league placed 42 representatives on ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District teams, five of whom went onto garner Academic All-America Honors. The first team honorees were Fairleigh Dickinson's Matt Maher (baseball), who was a third team recipient in 2008, and Wagner's Andrea Lazzari (softball). Saint Francis (PA)'s Eric Reifsteck (field hockey, second team), Monmouth's Ben Evenden (tennis, third team) and CCSU's Yan Klukowski (soccer, third team) were also honored for their academic and athletic performance. Evenden was a nominee for the prestigious Rhodes Scholar Award, while Wagner swimmer Alexandra Tomlinson was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. On a conference-wide level, there were over 2,000 student-athletes who qualified for the NEC Academic Honor Roll, nearly a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Saint Francis (PA) posted the highest GPA in the conference to claim its first NEC Institutional Academic Award. In the Community The NEC, its member institutions and student-athletes have made community involvement an important piece of its mission. In 2008-09, the NEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee made its annual visit to the Cancer Recovery Foundation in Hershey, PA in February. That same month, conference members participated in "Think Pink" Day, a global effort organized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The NEC made efficient use of the $75,000 it received from the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Grant Program last season. Expanding its base deeper into local communities, the Conference saw its women's basketball attendance increase by 20 percent from the prior season. 3 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference Directory/Notable Alumni

Northeast Conference NEC Notable Alumni Commissioner Noreen Morris [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 1 Central Connecticut State Associate Commissioner Ricky Bottalico, Former Major League Pitcher Ron Ratner [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 6 Dave Campo, Asst. Head Coach/Secondary, Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Commissioner (Marketing/Operations) John Hirschbeck, Major League Baseball Umpire Jim Kelly, Director of Player Personnel, Toronto Raptors Andrew Alia [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 4 Rick Lantz, Head Coach, Berlin Thunder (NFL Europe) Assistant Commissioner (Compliance) John Larson, U.S. Congressman (First District, Connecticut) Joyce Bell [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 2 Donna Fiedorowicz, Director of Tour. Business Affairs, Senior PGA Mike Sherman, Head Football Coach, Texas A&M Assistant Commissioner (Sport Services) Michael Ryan, Head Athletic Trainer, Jacksonville Jaguars Michelle Boone [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 5 Scott Pioli, General Manager, Kansas City Chiefs Director of Sport Services Benjamin Shove [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson Harry Carson, Former NY Giant, Member of the NFL Hall of Fame Assistant Director of Communications (Women's Basketball Contact) Seth Greenberg, Head Basketball Coach, Virginia Tech Ralph Ventre [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 7 Tim Higgins, NCAA Basketball official Media Relations Interns George Martin, Former Pro Football player Peggy Noonan, Former Speechwriter for Ronald Reagan Lindsey Williams [email protected] (732) 469-0440, Ext. 9 Greg Olson, Third civilian to travel to the International Space Station Coordinator of NEC Women's Basketball Officials Bill Willoughby, Former NBA Player Dr. Ed Meier Fred Roedel, Founder & Former CEO, Suisse Chalet NEC Fax Number (732) 469-0744 Long Island NEC Website www.northeastconference.org Rose Bird, First woman named to California’s highest court as Chief Justice Jimmy Breslin, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist/author Bud Greenspan, Olympic documentor & President, Cappy Productions Dr. Louis Lemberger, Member of team that developed Prozac Bryant - bryantbulldogs.com Central Conn. St. - ccsubluedevils.com Ossie Schectman, Former NBA player (Scored first point in NBA history) Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Velma Scantlebury, One of two African-American women transplant Bill Smith (401) 232-6559 Dr. Paul Resetarits (860) 832-3038 surgeons in the world Sports Information Assistant Sports Information Assistant Terry Semel, Former Chairman & CEO, Yahoo! Brian Bruce (401) 232-6558 Dan Forcella (860) 832-3057 Monmouth [email protected] [email protected] Alex Blackwell, Former NBA Player Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Ed Halicki, Former Major League Pitcher May Burke (401) 232-6075 Beryl Piper (860) 832-3782 Christie Rampone, Member of U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team David Wilson, Editor, Bloomberg Financial Markets Fairleigh Dickinson - fduknights.com Long Island - liuathletics.com Mount St. Mary’s Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Fred Carter, Former NBA player and ESPN NBA Analyst Lou Grillo, NBA Referee David Langford (201) 692-2208 John Suarez (718) 488-1030 Father Flanagan, Founder of Boys Town Sports Information Director Asst. Sports Information Director Matt McHugh, Former US Congressman and Director of World Bank Sara Naggar (201) 692-2499 Shawn Sweeney (718) 488-1307 Njuguna Mahugu, Secretary General of U.N. Security Council and Kenyan [email protected] [email protected] Ambassador to the U.N. Scott Newkam, President & CEO, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Peter Rono, Gold medal winner in 1,500 meters at 1988 Olympics Peter Cinella (201) 692-9626 Gail Striegler (718) 488-1531 Quinnipiac Murray Lender, Founder of Lenders Bagels Monmouth - gomuhawks.com Mount St. Mary's - mountathletics.com William C. Weldon, Chairman/CEO Johnson & Johnson Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Turk Wendell, Former Major League Baseball Pitcher Dr. Marilyn McNeil (732) 571-3415 Lynne Robinson (301) 447-5296 Robert Morris Asst. Sports Information DIrector Asst. Sports Information DIrector Murray Cohn, Senior Director of Ticket Sales, NBA Kevin Colbert, Director of Football Operations, Pittsburgh Steelers Ed Occhipinti (732) 263-5834 Dave Musil (301) 447-5384 Hon. William J. Coyne, Retired U.S. Congressman (Pennsylvania) [email protected] [email protected] Hank Fraley, Starting center, Cleveland Browns Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Vic Gregovits, Former VP of Marketing/Broadcasting, Pittsburgh Steelers; Stephanie V. Gaitley (732) 263-5252 Bryan Whitten (301) 447-5390 Current CEO RMU Island Sports Center Bill Sutton, VP of Team Marketing, NBA Quinnipiac - quinnipiacbobcats.com Robert Morris - rmucolonials.com Sacred Heart Kevin Nealon, Actor/Comedian, Former cast member of Saturday Night Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Live Jack McDonald (203) 582-8621 Dr. Craig Coleman (412) 397-4302 John Ratzenberger, Actor/Comedian, Former cast member of Cheers Sports Information Assistant Asst. Sports Information Director Craig Ryden, Chairman, CEO and President of Yankee Candle Co. Patrick Salvas (203) 582-5387 Ken Baker (412) 397-5887 Joseph V. Melillo, Executive Producer, Brooklyn Academy of Music [email protected] [email protected] St. Francis (NY) Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Joseph Browne, Senior VP of Communications/Governmental Affairs, NFL Tricia Fabbri (203) 582-5362 Sal Buscaglia (412) 397-2508 Robert J. Clark, VP & Treasurer, Major League Baseball Dr. Frank Macchiarola, President of St. Francis (NY)/Former Chancellor of the Sacred Heart - sacredheartpioneers.com St. Francis (NY) - sfcathletics.com NYC Board of Education Donald A. McQuade, Vice Chancellor of University Relations, Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Cal-Berkeley C. Donald Cook (203) 365-7649 Irma Garcia (718) 489-5490 Thomas Von Essen, Executive VP Giuliani Partners/Former Commissioner Associate Sports Information Director Asst. Sports Information Director of NYC Fire Department Bill Peterson (203) 396-3126 Brian Morales (718) 489-5369 Saint Francis (PA) [email protected] [email protected] Claire Ansberry, Author and staff writer, Wall Street Journal Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Jeffrey Bower, Assistant Coach/Former GM, New Orleans Hornets Dr. James P. Gallagher, President, Philadelphia University Ed Swanson (203) 365-7698 Brenda Milano (718) 489-5487 Mike Iuzzolino, Former NBA Player Scott Layden, Asst. Coach, Utah Jazz/Former VP and GM, New York Knicks Saint Francis (PA) - goredflash.com Wagner - wagnerathletics.com J. Randall MacDonald, Senior VP of Human Resources, IBM Tom Meredith, Managing Director, Dell Ventures Director of Athletics Director of Athletics Maurice Stokes, Three-time NBA all-star with the Rochester and Cincinnati Robert Krimmel (814) 472-3280 Walt Hameline (718) 390-3433 Royals and Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Assistant Sports Information Director Asst. Sports Information Director Norm Van Lier, Three-time NBA All-Star, Ashley Bailey (814) 472-3128 Kevin Ross (718) 390-3215 Wagner [email protected] [email protected] Andrew Bailey, 2009 AL Rookie of the Year/Oakland A’s pitcher Head WBB Coach Head WBB Coach Rich Kotite, Former NFL Head Coach Robert Loggia, Actor, Appeared in Big and Independence Day Susan Robinson Fruchtl (814) 472-3283 Gela Mikalauskas (718) 390-3185 Dr. Donald Spiro, Founder of Oppenheimer Fund

4 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference NEC Facilities

Bryant Central Connecticut State Fairleigh Dickinson Chace Center William H. Detrick Gymnasium George & Phyllis Rothman Center Seating Capacity: 2,600 Seating Capacity: 3,200 Seating Capacity: 5,000

Long Island Monmouth Mount St. Mary's Athletic, Rec & Wellness Center Mutli-Purpose Activity Center (MAC) Knott Arena Seating Capacity: 3,000 Seating Capacity: 4,100 Seating Capacity: 3,196

Quinnipiac Robert Morris Sacred Heart TD Banknorth Sports Center Charles L. Sewall Center William H. Pitt Center Seating Capacity: 3,570 Seating Capacity: 3,056 Seating Capacity: 2,100

St. Francis (NY) Saint Francis (PA) Wagner Peter Aquilone Court Maurice Stokes Athletic Center Spiro Sports Center Seating Capacity: 1,200 Seating Capacity: 3,500 Seating Capacity: 2,100

5 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference Commissioner/Presidents

NEC Presidents Noreen Morris • NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris begins her first year as Commissioner of the Northeast Conference.

Morris, who has spent the last five years as a member of the Northwestern University Athletic Department executive staff, becomes the fourth full-time Commissioner in league history. She succeeds Brenda Weare, who passed away in June following a long battle with cancer.

Dr. John Miller Hon. Ronald K. Machtley Morris’ extensive background in intercollegiate athletics dates Bryant Central Connecticut State back more than 20 years. She most recently served as Senior First Year Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Northwestern, with oversight responsibilities in the areas of academics, compliance, athletic training, strength and conditioning, and equipment. She also served as the primary liaison to the Admissions Office, served on the Big Ten Joint Group and Administrator.s Council, co-managed the department.s Strategic Planning process and supervised five Northwestern sport programs, including the five-time defending national champion women.s lacrosse program.

Dr. J. Michael Adams Dr. David Steinberg Prior to Northwestern, Morris spent eight years with Conference USA, overseeing the Fairleigh Dickinson Long Island conference.s legislative and governance programs. She first served as Director of Legislative Services (1996-98) before being promoted to Assistant Commissioner (1998-02) and then Associate Commissioner (2002-04). Before moving to Conference USA, Morris spent five years as Compliance Coordinator and Sport Administrator at the University of Connecticut.

Morris has assumed numerous leadership roles throughout her distinguished career. She served on the NCAA Management Council from 2000-04 as an alternate and then permanent member, and chaired the NCAA Division I Men.s Soccer Committee in 2006. Morris recently completed her term on the Executive Committee and is a Past President of the National Association of Athletics Compliance Coordinators. Vice Admiral Paul G. Gaffney Dr. Thomas H. Powell Monmouth Mount St. Mary's She was honored this past summer by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) as one of eight national recipients of its Administrator of the Year award.

Morris graduated from Cornell University in 1987 with a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer Economics and was a two-year co-captain and four-year soccer letterwinner for the Big Red. Morris went on to earn a Master’s degree in Sport Administration from the University of Massachusetts in 1991.

Dr. John Lahey Dr. Gregory G. Dell’Omo Quinnipiac Robert Morris Commitment to Sportmanship & Respect

Northeast Conference member institutions value the principles of sportsmanship and the ideal of pursuing victory with honor in intercollegiate athletics. The Con- ference believes that athletics should be conducted in a way that reflects positively on the individual participants and institutions. The essential elements of sportsmanship and ethics in sports are embodied in the concept of character build- Dr. Anthony J. Cernera Brendan J. Dugan ing and seven core principles: respect, responsibility, Sacred Heart St. Francis (NY) fairness, honesty, integrity, caring and civility. The high- est potential of sports is achieved when competition reflects these seven principles. The NEC has communicated this message through pub- lic service announcements that air on televised football and basketball games, public address announcements at all events and signage on each member campus. The Conference also implemented a new Team Sportsmanship Award program in 2008-09 to recognize those teams and student-athletes who adhere to the principles of sportsmanship and pursue victory with honor. Saint Francis (PA) finished the year with a league-high six sportsmanship awards, which are voted on by Rev. Gabriel Zeis, TOR Dr. Richard Guarasci student-athletes and coaches following the conclusion of each athletic season. Saint Francis (PA) Wagner In 2009-10, the NEC is partnering with the NCAA on a "Respect" campaign to address sportsmanship and fan behavior issues through education, communication and enforcement when problems arise.

6 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference Meet the Northeast Conference Staff

Ronald Ratner • Associate Commissioner Andrew Alia • Assistant Commissioner Ronald Ratner, 40, begins his twelfth year with the Northeast Conference. He was pro- Andrew Alia, 36, is in his twelfth year with the Northeast Conference. The moted to Associate Commissioner in June, 2002 after serving as Assistant Commissioner 1998-99 NEC administrative intern was named Assistant Director of Operations since December, 1998. Ratner was originally hired as the league’s Assistant Director of in July, 1999, was promoted to Director of Operations in July, 2000, and was Communications in July, 1998. most recently elevated to Assistant Commissioner in July, 2002.

Ratner orchestrates the league’s public relations efforts, and is the publicity contact for As Assistant Commissioner, Alia oversees the NEC's marketing program men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse. He serves as executive producer of the NEC including areas such as corporate sponsorship packages and promotion of Countdown to Tipoff preview show, as well as basketball and football telecasts on the NEC championships and special events. His other duties include serving as an television network, where he is responsible for the scheduling of contests, acquisition of executive producer of NEC Television Network broadcasts, acting as a liaison to on-air talent and production of in-game and pre-taped features. Ratner oversees the marketing specialists at NEC member institutions, and directing the league's league’s new media initiatives, including podcasts, webstreaming, on-demand video archive, YouTube channel, licensing and merchandising efforts. Facebook page and Twitter updates. He also directs the content of the league’s official website and facilitated the redesign and relaunch of the site this coming January. Ratner also organizes and coordinates NEC Championships Alia also organizes and administers selected NEC championship events, develops schedules for numerous for basketball and tennis, and conducts the NEC Scholar-Athlete awards program. His 2003-04 NEC men’s basketball sports, and serves as the conference office's business manager. Alia's professional experience includes guide was judged "Best In The Nation" among all conference publications by CoSIDA. Additionally, Ratner served working as a media relations assistant at three NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament events; the on the NCAA FCS Region Advisory Committee from 2004-07. 2004 East Rutherford Regional, the 2000 first and second rounds in Buffalo, NY, and the 1999 East Regional, which was held at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Nationally, Alia is a member of the NCAA Division I Prior to joining the NEC, Ratner served as Sports Information Director at Hunter College in New York City for six Football Issues Committee, beginning his term in September, 2006. years. Ratner was responsible for publicizing the program's 19 sports, facilitated the development and aided in the maintenance of Hunter’s athletic website and was also involved in the internal and external marketing of the program. Alia's internship with the NEC enabled him to complete his master's degree in Sport Management, which While at Hunter, Ratner served as the Publicity Director for the Skyline Athletic Conference from 1993-95 and the he received from the University of Connecticut in December, 1998. While at UConn, he worked Met Wrestling Conference from 1994-98, while also serving as a radio analyst for CUNY Athletic Conference extensively with the athletic department's academic counseling program. A native of Saddle Brook, NJ, basketball from 1993-97. Alia graduated cum laude from Albright College in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science. Alia and his wife Catherine currently reside in North Brunswick, NJ. He has taken on roles as a media relations assistant at the 1996 World Series and during the 1998 Goodwill Games at Madison Square Garden. Ratner also served as the Director of Computer Operations for the NCAA sponsored National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) at Hunter from 1993-98. Michelle Boone • Assistant Commissioner Michelle Boone was named NEC Director of Sports Services on July 21, 2008 Ratner graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in Business Management and promoted to Assistant Commissioner in March 2009. and Finance. He earned his master's degree in Sports Management from Brooklyn College in 1992. Ratner and his wife, Diane, reside in Flemington, NJ along with their eight-year old son Kyle. Boone is responsible for championship and regular season sport administration, supervision of officiating programs, and coordination of awards.

Prior to her arrival at the NEC, Boone spent 2007-08 working as a Regional Marketing Coordinator for CBS College Sports, concentrating on sponsorship Joyce Bell • Assistant Commissioner activation at the Atlantic-10. She also served as the A-10 Shootout Manager, Joyce Bell was named NEC Assistant Commissioner for Compliance Services on April 10, coordinating the season-long on-campus event at Atlantic-10 institutions. 2008. Boone previously served as a Marketing and Championships intern at the Big West Conference in 2006- Bell oversees the NEC’s compliance and eligibility programs, assist with rules 07. In addition to assisting with the organization and administration of championships, she traveled with the interpretations and education, and handle compliance visits and reviews. The primary Big West Touring Display to promote championship events and sponsors. contact for NCAA coaches’ certification and National Letter of Intent matters, she engages While completing her graduate studies, Boone worked as a Street Team Member for the Anschutz Enter- the membership in NCAA governance and national policy issues. Bell is the primary tainment Group to promote the JP Morgan Chase Open Tennis Tournament. She also served as a Marketing liaison to the NEC Faculty Representatives and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. and Promotions Intern at Cal-Riverside. Following her college graduation, Boone spent two years as an Assistant Softball Coach at Penn. Most recently, Bell served as an NCAA Membership Services Intern for the 2007-08 academic year. In that role, she contributed to Member Services initiatives including providing legislative and interpretative assistance, A Philadelphia native, Boone completed her Master’s Degree in Sports Management from the University of coordinating the interpretation letter process and facilitating continuing education. Additionally, Bell processed San Francisco in 2007. She is a 2003 graduate of Lock Haven University with a Bachelor’s degree in Health academic waivers, including progress-toward-degree waivers, Academic Progress Rate adjustments and penalty Science with a concentration in Athletic Training. While at Lock Haven, she pitched and was a four-year waivers. She also assisted in organizing and conducting the NCAA Conference Intern Seminar. letterwinner on the women’s softball team. In her senior campaign, she was named All-PSAC, All-Region and helped lead the Eagles to NCAA Regional runner-up honors for the first time in 14 years. Bell joined the NCAA staff from the University of Akron School of Law where she received her juris doctorate in 2007. While in law school, Bell was President of the Black Law Students Association in 2006-07 and served as a compliance intern at both Akron and the Mid-American Conference. A graduate of the Ohio State University, Bell Benjamin Shove • Director of Sport Services earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in both Marketing and Accounting. Benjamin Shove was named NEC Director of Sports Services on November 12, 2008. Ralph Ventre • Assistant Director of Communications Shove is responsible for championship and regular season sport administration, and assists in the media relations and marketing efforts of the Conference. Ralph Ventre, 26, enters his third year as NEC Assistant Director of Communications after having been named to the position on July 30, 2007. Prior to his appointment, Shove spent three years as Associate Sports Information Director at Georgetown University. He also served five years in the Sports Infor- Ventre handles day-to-day conference media relations for football, women's basketball, mation Office at NEC member Wagner College, including a stint as Assistant Athletic Director for Media baseball, field hockey, tennis and track and field, and assists with conference champion- Relations from 2003-05. ships, televised events, league publications and maintenance of the NEC’s website. Shove is a 1998 graduate of Marist College, where the Communications major was a three-plus year Prior to his arrival at the NEC, Ventre spent two years as a Sports Information Assistant at starting second baseman on the Red Fox baseball team. Benjamin and his wife Randi Larson, an Academic Manhattan College. In that role, he served as primary media contact for a host of sports, Advisor for student-athletes at Rutgers University, reside in Piscataway, N.J. including women’s basketball and volleyball, and supervised the office’s staff of student workers. Ventre took on additional responsibilities as a Production Assistant for the Manhattan Basketball Weekly TV show that debuted on SportsNet New York in January 2007. Lindsey Williams • Administrative Intern Ventre has worked as a Field Reporter/Writer for PA SportsTicker since 2006, covering numerous sporting events Lindsey WIlliams joined the NEC staff as a Media Relations Intern on August 3, 2009. on behalf of the newswire organization, including the U.S. Open Tennis Championships and NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional. He also spent three years as an Administrative Assistant for The Hoop Group from 2001-04. A 2008 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor’s degree in Com- munications, Williams assists in the media relations efforts of the conference, han- The Lincroft, New Jersey native is a 2005 graduate of Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in dling publicity for a number of sports. She also provides support at NEC champion- Political Science. While at Fordham, he served as men’s basketball team manager for three seasons. Ventre was the ships and televised events, and assist in the day-to-day operations of the league office. 2005 recipient of the Patrick Kenneally Memorial Award, presented to the Fordham student who best serves athletics in capacities other than athletic participation. 7 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide NEC Officials/Observers Coordinator of Officials • Dr. Edward Meier The Northeast Conference named Dr. Edward Meier the league’s Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials on June 12, 2001. Meier is responsible for assigning and evaluating officials and observers, assisting in the coordination of officials’ travel arrange- ments and will act as the liaison between officials and the league office. Meier brings over 30 years of experience as an official and supervisor to the NEC, including the last 14 years as the Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials for the Ivy League. He has also served on the NCAA Division I Supervisor’s Committee since 1990 and was the ECAC Supervisor of Officials from 1990-98. Meier began officiating high school basketball in 1972 before moving up to the collegiate ranks in 1978, where he has held positions with a number of Division I conferences along the eastern seaboard. Some of the local Division I conferences that Meier has officiated include the Patriot League, America East, MAAC, NEC and ECAC. He was named MAAC "Official of the Year" in 1997. Meier has also accumulated a wealth of professional officiating experience over the last 20-plus years, serving as a member of the NBA Training Camp Staff and as an official at the Jersey Shore Summer Pro League since 1980. Meier also worked for the Continental Basketball Association (1983-84), United States Basketball League (1985-98), American Basketball League (1998-99) and NBA Summer Pro League (1980-98). Outside of officiating, Meier has served as a Guidance Counselor at Cliffside Park (NJ) High School since 1992. In June 2003, he was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the Bergen County Professional Counselors Association and in 2000, he was selected as the Bergen County Counselor of the Year. Included among his teaching accolades are Star Teacher of the Year (1996), from when he taught History and Teacher of the Year (1987), from when he taught Special Education; both honors coming from Cliffside Park High School. NEC Officials NEC Observers Referee Hometown Referee Hometown Observer Hometown Joanne Aldrich Tewksbury, MA Kathleen Lynch Clymer, NY Janice Aliberti Glassboro, NJ Duane Mack East Hartford, CT Peter Carroll Stratford, CT Carolyn Allen-Brown Baltimore, MD Daniel Martin New Providence, NJ Carlos Alvarez Valley Cottage, NY Dolores Martino Drexel Hill, PA Leo Darling Poughkeepsie, NY Alan Austin Silver Spring, MD Mark McClanahan Lansdowne, PA Veronica Garner Pittsburgh, PA Leon Barrett Jr. Bronx, NY Michael McConnell Sewiskley, PA Joseph Barrise Totowa, NJ Robert McDow Buffalo, NY Regis Giles Murraysville, PA Stephen Berwind Elbridge, NY Keith Miller Pittsburgh, PA Reta Brown Hollis, ME Pamela Miller Pittsburgh, PA Ira Hilfman Cranbury, NJ Sharvez Brown Hamburg, NJ Frank Mohr Meriden, CT Bert Levinson Staten Island, NY Jerry Burgess Greenfield, MA Michael Motta Pembroke, MA Brian Callahan Maplewood, NJ David Murachver Framingham, MA Harry Miller Latrobe, PA Kelly Callahan Wilmington, DE Bernard Myers Cambria Heights, NY Frank Molinaro West Paterson, NJ Peter Capone Staten Island, NY Colleen O'Connor Northampton, MA Cliff Carney Brighton, MA David O’Connor West Warwick, RI William Ryan Baltimore, MD Fatou Cissoko Providence, RI John Orminski Richboro, PA Ron Clarkson Bensalem, PA John Palermo Oxford, MA Shaolin Crawford New Market, MD Susan Peters West Roxbury, MA Cathy Cronin Beam Altoona, PA Kevin Pethtel Fairmount, WV Joseph Cronin Peabody, MA Jack Plunkett Jenkintown, PA Teresea Crowley Long Beach, NY Chris Poles Rochester, NY Thomas Danaher Sewell, NJ Leslie Porschen Clifton, NJ Jerome Davis Rochester, NY Carmen Portorreal Waldorf, MD Gary Debenian Newington, CT Anthony Price Bronx, NY Pat DeForte Staten Island, NY John Proper Silver Springs, NY Dan DePasquale Spring Lake, NJ Brad Rauber Pittsburgh, PA Ron DePasquale Manasquan, NJ Anthony Reddin Patterson, NJ Diana DePaul Rockville, MD Mark Resch Henrietta, NY Butch Discher Newtown Square, PA Kathy Ridilla Pittsburgh, PA Michael DoCouto Seekonk, MA Jack Riordan Worcester, MA Lorraine Ellison Maple Shade, NJ Rita Roach Boston, MA Kevin Farlow Abingdon, MD Jose Rodriguez Haverstraw, NY Shannon Fech Philadelphia, PA Paul Rogers Glen Head, NY Patti Fernandes Stratford, CT Michelle Ross Union, NJ Richard Filippetti Shewsbury, MA Stephen Rubbinaccio Bloomfield, NJ John Fitzpatrick Carmel, NY Larry Ruffing White River Jct., VT Reggie Fowler Islip, NY Kevin Ruland Waldwick, NJ Terry Funk Warrington, PA Billy Sacco Yonkers, NY Debra Ann Garcia Boston, MA Michele St. Pierre East Greenbush, NY Pat Gebhart McSherrystown, PA Larry Savo New Milford, CT Frank Geiselman Cumberland, RI Gary Schimel Harrison, NJ Terry Glass Springdale, MD Michael Schmidt Chittenango, NY An-Jamilah Gregory Elizabeth, NJ Jerome Skrine Brooklyn, NY Warren S. Harding Windsor Mill, MD Geraldine Smith Helmetta, NJ James Hawkins, Jr. West Henrietta, NY Kevin Sparrock Parsippany, NJ Kim Hunter Rochester, NY Bonita Spence South Orange, NJ Dorothy Jones Buffalo, NY James Springler Aston, PA Norma Jones Lothian, MD Frank Steratore Pittsburgh, PA Rachelle Jones White Plains, NY Kesha Thompson Philadelphia, PA Dennis Kelly Melrose, MA Maggie Tieman-Montefeltri Litchfield, CT Ken Kelly Drexel Hill, PA Victor Torregiano Mendon, NY Renee Kilpatrick Harrisburg, PA Pastor Torres Clifton, NJ Elizabeth Kuzmeski Preston, CT Thomas Trilli Belle Vernon, PA Joseph Leclerc Johnston, RI Kenneth Weiand Walpole, MA Henry Letendre Central Falls, RI Ricky Wilcox Queensbury, NY Jon Levinson East Rutherford, NJ John Williams Clinton, MA Tony Lippa Bowling Green, VA Michael Woodrow Woodbury, NJ Dara Loftion Bradfordwoods, PA Richard Wright Flushing, NY Joe Barrise Kathleen Lonergan Jamison, PA 8 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference NEC Television Network

NEC To Televise Five Women’s Game In 2009-10; Title Game To Air on ESPNU

The Northeast Conference will televise four regular season women’s basketball games in 2009-10 in addition to the NEC Championship game as part of an extensive package.

The league will reach the largest coverage area in its history this year with games to air on Madison Square Garden Network (MSG), FSN-Pittsburgh, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Cox Sports, Fox College Sports (FCS), Connecticut Sports Network (CTSN) and ESPN Full Court.

Additionally, ESPNU places the women’s title game on a national viewing platform for the third straight year.

Expanding beyond the television dial, the NEC and the Pack Network will team up to bring fans a NEC Women’s Game of the Week live of the web. The professionally produced internet broadcasts...

2009-10 NEC-TV Schedule NEC Women's Basketball Broadcast Team

Date Time Opponents Carrier Entering his 11th year, PAUL DOTTINO has become a Jan. 23 12:00 pm Robert Morris at Monmouth FSN-Pitt, FCS familiar face in the NEC through his work as sideline announcer on conference telecasts and as the league’s Feb. 4 5:00 pm Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart FCS, CTSN, ESPN FC play-by-play announcer on football and women’s basket- ball broadcasts. He is also the host of NEC on the Run Feb. 20 12:00 pm Sacred Heart at Saint Francis (PA) FSN-Pitt, CTSN podcasts as well as Two-on-2:00, an NEC halftime seg- MSG, FCS ment where one player from each team address various Feb. 25 5:00 pm Long Island at Central Conn. St. MSG, Cox topics in a style similar to ESPN’s Pardon the Interrup- tion. Dottino, who is known for his enthusiasm and high energy style, is the CTSN, FCS New York Giants’ beat reporter on New York City’s WFAN and is in his 12th Mar. 14 3:00 pm NEC Women's Championship Game ESPNU season of handling radio play-by-play for FDU basketball.

2010 NEC Championship Game On ESPNU TERRY O'CONNOR brings over 20 years of broadcast experience to the NEC in his role as color analyst on The 24th Northeast men’s and women’s broadcasts. Now in his eighth year Conference Women's with the league, O’Connor’s varied background includes stints as an interviewer/reporter for NBC College Basket- Basketball Champion- ball, host of the Boston Celtics Wrap-Up Show and color ship final will be broad- commentary for the USBL, UConn, Central Connecticut cast by ESPNU on State and the NIT Tournament. For the last seven years, March 14, 2010 at he has hosted the Pepsi College Basketball Report on WICC radio (Bridgeport). 3:00 pm. The women’s final will be PAM ROECKER begins her eighth season as women’s seen by a national tele- basketball color analyst. Roecker, who was the head Sacred Heart celebrates its 2009 NEC title. The vision audience for the coach at Wagner from 1989-98, began her announcing 2010 Champion will be crowned on March 14. second-straight year. career with the NEC on the league’s internet radio broad- casts in 2001-02. She currently serves as Athletic Direc- 2009-10 NEC Viewership tor at Emmanuel College in Boston.

Carrier Region Households JARED GREENBERG begins his second year in a sideline MSG Three states in NY metro area 8.2 million FSN-NY Three states in NY metro area 6.0 million and play-by-play capacity for the NEC. He has called MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) MD, DE, VA and DC, portions of PA, WV and NC 6.5 million games for ESPN Regional and Comcast Mid-Atlantic, and FSN-Pitt Western PA, portions of WV, OH and MD 2.6 million hosted shows on NBA-TV and for the New York Giants Cox Cable Connecticut & Rhode Island 450,000 on Giants.com. Greenberg has also handled anchor WWCP Fox 8 (Altoona/Johnstown) Western PA 300,000 duties for News12 in Long Island and Westchester and FCS-Atlantic Eastern U.S. Network on digital cable systems 40 million ESPNU Nationwide 20 million was the play-by-play voice for the Newark Bears in 2005. ESPN2 Nationwide 93 million He currently serves as an anchor for MSG Varsity. ESPN Full Court Nationwide PPV Package

9 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide NEC Tournament

2010 NEC Women’s Basketball Tournament 2010 NEC Tournament Bracket

The 2010 NEC Women’s Basket- March 6 March 7 March 14 ball Tournament will consist of an eight-team playoff format. All TBA quarterfinal and semifinal round (#1 vs. #8) Winner of #1 vs. #8 games will be played at predeter- vs. mined site host Saint Francis (PA). The Red Flash will welcome TBA Winner of #4 vs. #5 the NEC Tournament back to the (#4 vs. #5) Stokes Center in Loretto, PA for the first time since 2005 when 3:00 PM they won the title on their home (ESPNU) NCAA Tournament floor. Following quarterfinal and semifinal play, the highest remaining seed will TBA Automatic Bid have the privilege of hosting of the 2010 championship game. (#3 vs. #6) Winner of #3 vs. #6

NEC Tournament quarterfinal play commences on Saturday, March 6, followed vs. by the semifinal round on Sunday, March 7. The Northeast Conference will hold TBA Winner of #2 vs. #7 the league’s 24th annual women’s championship game on March 14. For the (#2 vs. #7) third consecutive season, the final game will be played in front of a national television audience on ESPNU. Tip-off is 3:00 pm. Quarterfinals and semifinals to be played at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA. Championship game to be played at home of higher seed.

NEC Basketball - A Quick Synopsis NEC Tiebreaker Procedure Mount St. Mary's joined the NEC for the 1989-90 Past NEC Two-Way Tiebreaker season and went on to win seven straight regular- In the event of a two-way tie in the standings, the following tiebreaker system shall be used – in season titles. In 1993, the Mount won the first of Champions order – until the tie is broken: three straight tournament titles and earned the 2008-09 Sacred Heart 2007-08 Robert Morris 1. Winning percentage of each team in head-to-head competition. league's first two automatic berths to the NCAA 2. Winning percentage of each team vs. the first-place team, or their composite winning Tournament, in 1994-95. Following the 1995 tour- 2006-07 Robert Morris 2005-06 Sacred Heart percentage against any teams tying for first place. 3. Winning percentage of each team vs. the second-place team, or their composite winning nament, St. Francis (PA) went on its roll. The Red 2004-05 St. Francis (PA) percentage against any teams tying for second place. Flash won their first tournament title in 1996, and 2003-04 St. Francis (PA) 4. This process continues with winning percentage vs. the third-place team, fourth-place team, 2002-03 St. Francis (PA) went on to win five straight titles, a league record. etc., as necessary, until the tie is broken and seeding is complete. 2001-02 St. Francis (PA) 5. If a tie still exists after exhausting steps 1-4, the rankings by CollegeRPI.com at the conclusion Long Island finally ended St. Francis (PA)'s dynasty 2000-01 Long Island of the NEC regular season will be utilized to determine the higher seed. in 2001, winning its first NEC crown as the #3 seed 1999-00 St. Francis (PA) in the tourney. The Red Flash came back strong in 1998-99 St. Francis (PA) Three-Way (or more) Tiebreaker 2002, dethroning the Blackbirds in the title game, 1997-98 St. Francis (PA) In the event of a three-way tie (or a tie involving more than three teams) in the standings, the 1996-97 St. Francis (PA) following tiebreaker system shall be used in the order listed. followed by knocking off upstart UMBC in the 2003 1995-96 St. Francis (PA) finale. St. Francis (PA) won again in 2004, beating 1994-95 Mount St. Mary’s 1. The winning percentages of the teams involved in the tie vs. each other shall be compared. Monmouth, then made it four straight and nine 1993-94 Mount St. Mary’s If one team’s winning percentage is superior to the others, that team shall be removed from the titles in the last ten years by downing Robert Morris 1992-93 Mount St. Mary’s tie and seeded highest of the teams involved in the tie. If two teams subsequently remain, that 1991-92 Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2005 championship finale. Sacred Heart tie shall be broken utilizing the two-way tiebreaker procedure. 1990-91 Robert Morris 2. If no single team has a superior winning percentage after the comparison described in No. snapped the Red Flash streak at four in 2006, win- 1989-90 Fairleigh Dickinson 1, but multiple teams have the same superior percentage to the any other teams involved in the ning both the regular season and tournament cham- 1988-89 Wagner tie, those teams with the superior percentage will be compared using either the two-way or three- pionships - their first since joining the league in 1987-88 Robert Morris way tiebreaker procedure. The team that has the advantage will be seeded highest of all teams 1986-87 Monmouth involved in the original tie. The other team(s) (the loser(s) of the appropriate tiebreaker) will again 1999. Robert Morris took home its third NEC crown be compared to the remaining teams in the tie, beginning with step No. 1 of the three-way in 2007 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Eight different teams tiebreaker. have won the NEC Tournament. Former Mount St. Mary's forward and NEC Player 3. If all winning percentages in the three-way (or more) tie vs. teams involved in the tie are the same, each team’s winning percentage vs. the first-place team or teams tying for first place shall of the Year Susie Rowlyk won an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1995. be compared. If one team’s winning percentage is superior to the others, that team shall be Mount guard and NEC Player of the Year Amy Langville was a 1996-97 GTE removed from the tie and seeded highest of the teams involved in the tie. If two teams remain, Academic All-American. St. Francis (PA)'s Jess Zinobile graduated in 2000 as a two- that tie shall be broken utilizing the two-way tiebreaker procedure. time NEC Player of the Year and the all-time NEC leader in scoring and rebounding, 4. If all winning percentages in the three-way (or more) tie vs. teams involved in the tie are the same, each team’s winning percentage vs. the first-place team or teams tying for first place shall before being drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs of the WNBA. Wagner's Carrie be compared. If multiple teams have a superior winning percentage to any other team in the Walker was named a Verizon third team Academic All-American in 2003 and St. original tie, those teams with the superior percentage will be compared using either the two-way Francis (PA)'s Beth Swink earned second team All-America plaudits in 2004 and or three-way tiebreaker procedure. The team that has the advantage will be seeded highest of all teams involved in the original tie. The other team(s) (the loser(s) of the appropriate tiebreaker) followed up with first team honors in 2005. Swink, the 2005 NEC Student-Athlete will again be compared to the remaining teams in the tie, beginning with step No. 1 of the two- of the Year, is one of nine NEC student-athletes in the history of the league who are way or three way tiebreaker. two-time Academic All-America award winners. In 2006-07, Long Island's Valerie 5. This process continues as necessary, comparing winning percentages of teams in the tie vs. Nainima became the first player in league annals to win both NEC Player and Rookie the second-place team or their composite percentages vs. teams tying for second place, third place, etc., until all ties are broken and seeding is complete. of the Year honors in the same season. RMU guard Sade Logan claimed the 2008 6. If a tie still exists after exhausting all previous steps, the rankings by CollegeRPI.com at the NEC Player of the Year award after leading the Colonials to a second-straight conclusion of the NEC regular season will be utilized to determine the highest seeded team. If league crown and setting the NEC single-season scoring record (815). two teams subsequently remain, that tie shall be broken utilizing the two-way tiebreaker procedure. 10 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference NCAA Tournament Information

29th ANNUAL DIVISION I WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

First and Second Rounds: March 20 and 22, 2010 Regionals: March 27 and 29, 2010

Maples Pavilion Stanford, California Memphis Regional Host: Stanford University FedExForum Memphis, Tennessee Host: University of Memphis Haas Pavilion Berkeley, California Host: University of California, Berkeley Sacramento Regional ARCO Arena Sacramento, California Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina Host: University of the Pacific Host: Duke University Regionals: March 28 and 30, 2010 Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee Host: University of Tennessee, Knoxville Dayton Regional University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky Host: University of Dayton Host: University of Louisville Kansas City Regional Bank of America Arena Seattle, Washington Sprint Center Kansas City, Missouri Host: University of Washington Host: Big 12 Conference

Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, Florida Host: Florida State University 2010 Women’s Final Four April 4 and 6 Wells Fargo Arena Tempe, Arizona Host: Arizona State University Alamodome San Antonio, Texas First and Second Rounds: March 21 and 23, 2010 James H. Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa Host: Iowa State University

Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas Host: University of Texas, Austin

Cintas Center Cincinnati, Ohio Host: Xavier University

Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota NEC In The NCAA Tournament Host: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Year Team Opponent Result 2009 Sacred Heart Ohio State L, 77-63 Ted Constant Convocation Center Norfolk, Virginia 2008 Robert Morris Rutgers L, 85-42 Host: Old Dominion University 2007 Robert Morris North Carolina St. L, 52-84 2006 Sacred Heart Maryland L, 54-95 2005 St. Francis (PA) Minnesota L 33-64 Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma 2004 St. Francis (PA) Purdue L 59-78 Host: University of Oklahoma 2003 St. Francis (PA) Villanova L 36-51 2002 St. Francis (PA) Connecticut L 37-86 2001 Long Island Connecticut L 29-101 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 2000 St. Francis (PA) Iowa State L 63-92 Host: University of Notre Dame 1999 St. Francis (PA) Connecticut L 46-97 1998 St. Francis (PA) Old Dominion L 39-92 1997 St. Francis (PA) Alabama L 50-94 Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1996 St. Francis (PA) Georgia L 66-98 Host: University of Pittsburgh 1995 Mount St. Mary's Alabama L 55-82 1994 Mount St. Mary's Iowa L 47-70

11 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide NEC League Notes

Northeast Conference Home to Nation's Top Turnarounds Northeast Conference Northeast Conference teams were responsible for three of the nation's top-25 year-to- 2008-09 League Leaders (Overall) year turnarounds. Central Connecticut State (12.5), Saint Francis (PA) (7.5), and Monmouth (7) all improved their overall record last season by no fewer than seven games. No NCAA Team Scoring Offense Individual Scoring Division I program improved more during the 2008-09 season than Central Connecticut Sacred Heart, 69.2 ppg Sade Logan (RMU), 20.8 ppg State. Team Scoring Defense Individual Rebounding Following a 4-25 record during head coach Beryl Piper's first year at the helm, the CCSU Monmouth, 54.9 ppg Monet Johnson (RMU), 10.6 rpg Blue Devils posted an 18-14 overall mark on their way to a WNIT postseason appearance last season. The 12.5-game improvement over one year's time matched Mercer's 2008- Team Scoring Margin Individual FG Pct. 09 turnaround for the nation's best. Sacred Heart, +7.8 ppg Kaitlin Sowinski (SHU), .530 (204-385) Saint Francis (PA) improved vastly in its second season under head coach Susan Robinson Team Rebounding Margin Individual Free Throw Pct. Fruchtl, recording the country's 22nd-best turnaround. On their way to their first NEC Monmouth, +6.1/g Brianna Rooney, .880 (66-75) Tournament appearance in four seasons, the Red Flash posted a 15-17 overall mark last year following a 6-23 mark during Robinson Fruchtl's first season in Loretto. Team FG Pct. Individual Assists Monmouth saw its record improve by seven games in its first season under veteran head Sacred Heart, .440 Andrea Reed (WC), 5.10 apg coach Stephanie V. Gaitley. The Hawks owned an 11-20 record the year prior to Gaitley's Team FG Pct. Defense Individual Steals arrival, but managed an 18-13 mark in 2008-09. After collecting more than 400 career Sacred Heart, .382 Brianna Rooney (QU), 2.57 spg wins during stays at Villanova, Saint Joseph's, and Long Island, Gaitley engineered the nation's 25th-ranked turnaround in her first year in West Long Branch. Team Free Throw Pct. Individual 3-point FG Pct. Quinnipiac, .749 Callan Taylor (SHU), .441 (41-93) Sacred Heart Home to Top Returning Duo Reigning NEC Player of the Year Alisa Apo (Freehold, NJ/St. John Vianney) and Team 3-point FG Pct. Individual Blocks sophomore teammate Callan Taylor (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley North), a 2009 Sacred Heart, .384 Kaitlin Sowinski (SHU), 2.94 bpg NEC All-Rookie and All-Tournament selection, give Sacred Heart the top returning scoring duo in the Northeast Conference. The defending NEC Champion Pioneers, who have Team Turnover Margin Individual Assist-TO Ratio never finished lower than third in the league standings, lost Tournament MVP Kaitlin Quinnipiac, +3.62/g Brianna Rooney (QU), 2.31 Sowinski (15.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) to graduation, but still have plenty of firepower for another run. Apo (16.9) and Taylor (12.0) combined for 28.9 points per game last season. Long Island junior Chelsi Johnson (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Holy Spirit) and sophomore Ashley Northeast Conference Palmer (Oxford, PA/Oxford) are second having averaged a combined 28.6 points per 2008-09 League Leaders (NEC Only) contest. In addition to their scoring prowess, Palmer (9.3) and Johnson (6.2) are the NEC's top returning duo in the rebounding department (15.5 rpg). Team Scoring Offense Individual Scoring Sacred Heart, 72.5 ppg Sade Logan (RMU), 20.4 ppg Pioneers Play a Perfect 18 Team Scoring Defense Individual Rebounding Sacred Heart defeated St. Francis (NY), 60-51, to capture its 18th NEC victory and etch Monmouth, 56.3 ppg Monet Johnson (RMU), 12.2 rpg its name into the conference’s all-time annals. The Pioneers became only the third team in the NEC’s 23-year history of women’s basketball to complete an undefeated run through Team Scoring Margin Individual FG Pct. an 18-game league schedule. SHU, which has also enjoyed a perfect season as a member Sacred Heart, +14.7 ppg Kaitlin Sowinski (SHU), .547 (111-203) of the NEC’s football league, joins the 1993-94 Mount St. Mary’s and 2003-04 Saint Francis [PA] teams in completing perfect runs (18-0) through the league’s 18-game regular season Team Rebounding Margin Individual Free Throw Pct. slate. Monmouth posted back-to-back undefeated showings in league play during the first Saint Francis (PA), +6.3/g Brianna Rooney, .911 (41-45) two seasons of NEC women’s hoops (1986-87, 1987-88), but the conference schedule was only 16 games at the time. Team FG Pct. Individual Assists Sacred Heart, .473 Kristin Miah (SFNY), 5.22 apg Second-Year Coaches Shine in '09 All four second-year NEC head coaches saw their teams qualify for the eight-team 2009 Team FG Pct. Defense Individual Steals NEC Tournament. Central Connecticut State went from worst to almost first under the Sacred Heart, .364 Brianna Rooney (QU), 2.65 spg direction of Beryl Piper. The Blue Devils (12-6) claimed the No. 2 seed thanks to a nine- Team Free Throw Pct. Individual 3-point FG Pct. game improvement on their 2007-08 NEC record (3-15). After sitting tied with CCSU for Quinnipiac, .759 Callan Taylor (SHU), .522 (24-46) the worst league record in 2007-08, Saint Francis (PA) (11-7) finished one spot below the Blue Devils. SFPA head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl’s team qualified for their first NEC Team 3-point FG Pct. Individual Blocks Tournament in four years by adding eight wins onto the 3-15 mark from Fruchtl's rookie Sacred Heart, .425 Kaitlin Sowinski (SHU), 2.72 bpg season. Mount St. Mary’s claimed the No. 8 seed for what was the Mount's NEC-record 20th straight NEC Tournament appearance, and the second under Bryan Whitten. The Team Turnover Margin Individual Assist-TO Ratio Mount bumped up its win total from eight in Whitten’s rookie season to 14 in 2008-09. Quinnipiac, +4.61/g Brianna Rooney (QU), 3.19 Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Peter Cinella and the Knights contested their second postseason tournament in as many years as the No. 7 seed.

12 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference NEC League Notes

Monmouth’s Bender Caps Career With Scholar-Athlete Award Monmouth senior forward Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) claimed Basketball Success On The Court the NEC Scholar-Athlete honors in women’s basketball. Bender was tabbed to the all-NEC & In The Classroom... first team this past season after earning second team plaudits in 2007-08. She led Monmouth A total of 27 women’s basketball players were named to the with 16.2 ppg and 7.9 rpg, figures that placed her sixth and fifth in the league, respectively. 2008-09 NEC Academic Honor Roll, 17 of whom return. Bender also ranked sixth in double-doubles (with eight), ninth in field goal percentage (.451) and 15th in free throw shooting (.753). She was named the MVP and Defensive Player of Returning Honorees School Major the Tournament in leading Monmouth to the UTEP Turkey Classic championship in Emily Rose Central Conn. St. Marketing November. Bender, who hails from Staten Island, NY, became the 14th player in Monmouth Amy Longo Fairleigh Dickinson Biology history to reach 1,000 points and closed out her star-studded career sixth on the school’s Samantha Schanuel Monmouth Business Admin. all-time list with 1,301 points and 727 rebounds. She has compiled a 3.50 grade point Alyssa Jann Quinnipiac Science Studies average majoring in Communications. Krystal Lazos Quinnipiac Biology Sarah McGowan Quinnipiac Law Mia Picillo Quinnipiac Nursing Sacred Heart Headlines NEC Preseason Poll Lailah Pratt Quinnipiac Finance Having won 21 consecutive games against Northeast Conference (NEC) opponents, Sacred Alisa Apo Sacred Heart Undeclared Heart stands as the preseason favorite to capture the 2009-10 NEC women’s basketball Lindsey Greenlee Sacred Heart Business Maureen Reilly Sacred Heart Undeclared crown. The defending champion Pioneers received a total of nine first-place votes in a poll Markie Schmidt Sacred Heart Liberal Arts of the league’s 12 head coaches. The NEC announced both the poll results and its five- Barbora Galandakova St. Francis (NY) Comm./Advert. member Preseason All-Conference Team during a media teleconference, which served as Allison Daly Saint Francis (PA) History a prelude to the league’s 24th season of women’s hoops. Samantha Leach Saint Francis (PA) Exploratory Sarah Thorn Saint Francis (PA) Psychology Kelly Clark Wagner Undeclared Saint Francis (PA), which fell to Sacred Heart in the 2009 NEC Championship Game, garnered two first-place votes to finish second in the poll, one spot ahead of Central Connecticut State (third). 2009-10 Northeast Conference Robert Morris, last year’s preseason favorite, claimed the lone remaining first-place nod and Women’s Basketball took fourth. Quinnpiac finished in fifth place followed by two Garden State rivals - Fairleigh Dickinson (sixth) and Monmouth (seventh). Mount St. Mary’s claimed the eighth spot in Preseason Coaches Poll front of Long Island (ninth) and NEC newcomer Bryant (tenth). Wagner (eleventh) and St. Francis (NY) (twelfth) round out the results of the annual preseason survey, which does not 1. Sacred Heart (9) permit coaches to rank their own teams. 2. Saint Francis (PA) (2) 3. Central Connecticut State The Northeast Conference preseason poll last correctly predicted the league’s champion 4. Robert Morris (1) in 2005 when Saint Francis (PA) won a fourth consecutive crown. 5. Quinnipiac Sacred Heart has owned the moniker of NEC preseason favorite on one prior occasion. The 6. Fairleigh Dickinson Pioneers won their first-ever conference crown in 2006 and were the coaches’ pick to repeat 7. Monmouth during the subsequent season only to fall two points short of Robert Morris in the 2007 NEC 8. Mount St. Mary’s Tournament final. 9. Long Island 10. Bryant Monmouth Set to Open MAC 11. Wagner Monmouth will host Lafayette in the first-ever women's basketball game at the Hawks' $57 million Multi-Purpose Activity Center (MAC) November 16. The Monmouth women will 12. St. Francis (NY) open their season in the brand-new facility two days after the men’s team is slated to welcome First place votes in parentheses ( ). Isiah Thomas and his Florida International Panthers.

Bryant’s All In Preseason All-Northeast Conference Team Bryant accepted an invitation for Northeast Conference membership in October, 2007 and began the NCAA-mandated four-year reclassification process in September, 2008. After playing a full 29-game Division I schedule their first season of transition (2008-09), the Name School Pos. Class Bulldogs gain full NEC member status in 2009-10. Although it is eligible for all NEC awards Alisa Apo Sacred Heart G Jr. programs and will play an 18-game league schedule, Bryant cannot participate in postseason Kerrianne Dugan Central Conn. G/F Jr. play until 2012-13 when the reclassification period is complete. Samantha Leach Saint Francis (PA) G Jr. Ashley Palmer Long Island F So. Callan Taylor Sacred Heart F So.

13 SubjectNortheast to change Conference Women's Basketball Guide NEC League Notes

2009 NEC Tournament Results Look Back at 2009 Northeast Conference Tournament New York, New York Not on the Playlist March 7 March 8 March 15 The 2009 NEC Tournament was the first in league history without any of the conference's

#1 Sacred Heart three New York City members. Long Island, St. Francis (NY), and Wagner find themselves #1 Sacred Heart on the outside looking in this season. Although there was sometimes one or two missing, Game 1 (W, 73-59) at least one of the three NYC-based institutions managed to qualify in each of the #8 Mt. St. Mary's Game 5 #1 Sacred Heart tournament’s first 22 years of existence. #4 Quinnipiac (W, 64-54) (W, 69-67) Game 2 Tournament's Heavy Dose of Nutmeg #5 Monmouth #5 Monmouth #1 Sacred Heart Not only did the Nutmeg State host all quarterfinal and semifinal games, but all three Game 7 (W, 74-66) Connecticut-based NEC programs were a part of it for only the third time ever. Sacred #2 Central Conn. NCAA Heart, Quinnipiac, and Central Connecticut State all qualified for the postseason opportunity #2 Central Conn. Tournament Game 3 Automatic Bid in both 2005 and 2006 before reuniting in March again this season as CCSU ends its two- (W, 62-51) year hiatus. Sacred Heart has never missed out on the Tournament since gaining NEC #7 FDU (W, 73-62) Game 6 membership in 1999. Quinnipiac has been on the outside looking only once (2000) since #3 St. Francis (PA) #3 St. Francis (PA) (W, 72-60) qualifying in its first season of eligibility (1998-99). Game 4 #3 St. Francis (PA) #6 Robert Morris NEC Championship Game Recap Quarterfinals and semifinals were played at pre-determined site host Sacred Heart added the last, and largest, piece to its puzzle of Northeast Conference Sacred Heart University. The Championship game was also at Sacred perfection on Sunday afternoon at the Pitt Center. The top-seeded Pioneers outlasted No. Heart being that SHU was the highest remaining seed. 3 Saint Francis (PA), 74-66, in the 2009 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Game presented by esurance to cap a perfect season (21-0) against league opponents. Northeast Conference Television Winners of 21 consecutive games dating back to December 30, the Pioneers captured their Date Time Opponents Carrier second NCAA Tournament berth in the last four years at the expense of Saint Francis’ 29- Jan. 23 12:00 pm Robert Morris at Monmouth FSN-Pitt, FCS game NEC Tournament win streak. Feb. 4 5:00 pm Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart FCS, CTSN, ESPN FC Feb. 20 12:00 pm Sacred Heart at Saint Francis (PA) MSG, FSN-Pitt, FCS The Red Flash, who won 27 consecutive Tournament games between 1996 and 2005, Feb. 25 5:00 pm Long Island at Central Conn. St. MSG, FCS, Cox, CTSN led only once, during the game’s first minute, but certainly kept the Pitt Center’s record crowd Mar. 14 3:00 pm NEC Women's Championship Game ESPNU of 1,529 women’s basketball fans on the edge of their seats throughout. The Northeast Conference will televise four women's basketball regular season games on a host of regional cable networks. For the third year NEC Tournament MVP Kaitlin Sowinski (Hopkinton, RI/Tabor Academy) gave Sacred running, the NEC Women's Championship Game will reach a National TV Heart a 14-point lead, its largest of the game, when she scored two of her 20 points to put audience via ESPNU. In addition to its cable TV package, the NEC will the score at 63-49 with 6:57 remaining in regulation, but a pair of Saint Francis broadcast eight league games on the world wide web in a partnership with underclassmen were quick to answer. Pack Network. Log onto northeastconference.org for more details. All-Tournament selections Brittany Lilley (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park) and Allison 2010 NEC Tournament Bracket Daly (Harrisburg, PA/Trinity) scored four points apiece over the next 4:37 to bring the Pre-determined Site Host - Saint Francis (PA) Flash within reach. Lilley’s steal and subsequent jumper capped an 11-2 run and brought Saint Francis within 65-60 with 2:20 to play. March 6 March 7 March 14 (Quarterfinal) (Semifinal) (Championship) #1 Seed The Flash could get no closer thanks to the free throw shooting of Sacred Heart sophomore Game 1 Game 1 Winner guard Alisa Apo (Freehold, NJ/St. John Vianney). The 2009 NEC Player of the Year went Time TBA 8-for-8 from the charity stripe over the final 2:03 to seal SHU’s second league title during #8 Seed Game 5 Game 5 Winner its 10 seasons of NEC membership. #4 Seed Time TBA Game 2 Northeast Conference Tournament Champions (Year-by-Year) Time TBA Game 2 Winner 2008-09 Sacred Heart 1996-97 Saint Francis (PA) #5 Seed 2010 2007-08 Robert Morris Game 7 NEC Champion 1995-96 Saint Francis (PA) 3:00 pm EST 2006-07 Robert Morris 1994-95 Mount St. Mary's #2 Seed NCAA (LIVE on ESPU) Tournament 2005-06 Sacred Heart Game 3 Winner 1993-94 Mount St. Mary's Game 3 Automatic Bid Time TBA 2004-05 Saint Francis (PA) 1992-93 Mount St. Mary's #7 Seed 2003-04 Saint Francis (PA) 1991-92 Fairleigh Dickinson Game 6 #3 Seed Time TBA Game 6 Winner 2002-03 Saint Francis (PA) 1990-91 Robert Morris Game 4 2001-02 Saint Francis (PA) 1989-90 Fairleigh Dickinson Time TBA Game 4 Winner 2000-01 Long Island 1988-89 Wagner #6 Seed 1999-00 Saint Francis (PA) 1987-88 Robert Morris All quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played at Saint Francis 1998-99 Saint Francis (PA) 1986-87 Monmouth University's Maurice Stokes Center in Loretto, PA. The Championship 1997-98 Saint Francis (PA) Game will be played in the home facility of the highest remaining seed.

14 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference NEC League Notes NEC in the Postseason Dancin' Since 1994 NEC Teams with... The Northeast Conference Champion began receiving an NCAA automatic berth in 1994 when At Least Five Straight Years With 18+ Wins Mount St. Mary's, seeded 14th, took on No. 3 Iowa in the NCAA First Round. The Mount earned Team No. Time Period the right to face Iowa as a result of a NEC title game victory over Saint Francis (PA). Mount St. Sacred Heart 8 2001-09 Mary's claimed the bid again in 1995, beating the Red Flash for a second time. Saint Francis, which Saint Francis (PA) 6 1994-00 was the 2009 NEC runner-up, eventually bested the rival Mount for the auto berth in 1996 to Mount St. Mary’s 5 1991-96 spark a NEC record run of nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years. Sacred Heart will At Least Seven Straight Years at .500 Or Better make its second NCAA appearance when it faces Ohio State. The then 15th-seeded Pioneers Team No. Time Period fell, 95-54, in the 2006 NCAA First Round to eventual National Champion Maryland. Mount St. Mary’s 13 1989-02 NCAA First Round - #3 Ohio State 77, #14 Sacred Heart 63 Sacred Heart 10 1999-09 Quinnipiac 9 2000-09 Despite a career-high 24 points from freshman Callan Taylor and 14 from NEC Player of the Year Alisa Apo, Sacred Heart had its 21-game win streak snapped on Saturday with a 77-63 setback Wagner 9 1994-03 at Ohio State in an NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament first round matchup at Nationwide Monmouth 9 1998-07 Arena in Columbus, OH. Fresh off winning their second NEC women's basketball title on March Saint Francis (PA) 7 1993-00 15, the Pioneers closed out the year with a 25-8 record Wagner 7 1986-93

The Pioneers opened the season 0-5 before going on the second-longest tear in the country, 2008-09 Final RPI Rankings trailing only No. 1 and unbeaten in-state rival Connecticut (33-0) - which lies just 70 miles away from Sacred Heart's campus in Fairfield. School Rank (out of 340) Bryant* 302 The Pioneers trailed just 46-44 with 12:50 left, but foul trouble and the Buckeyes' transition game CCSU 209 helped Ohio State pull away. Fairleigh Dickinson 280 Long Island 305 CCSU Captures First-ever Postseason WNIT Bid, Falls to Regional Rival Boston U. Monmouth 161 Appearing in postseason play past a conference tournament for the first time in its history as Mount St. Mary’s 245 an NCAA Division I program, Central Connecticut lost, 79-60, against Boston University in WNIT Quinnipiac 163 first round action at Case Gymnasium. Kerrianne Dugan (Waterford, CT/Waterford) , a second Robert Morris 237 team All-NEC selection, put up 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of Sacred Heart 82 the season. Sophomore Leanne Crockett (Manchester, CT/Manchester) and freshman Shontice St. Francis (NY) 335 Simmons (Fort Washington, MD/Academy Holy Cross) each added 17 points for CCSU. Saint Francis (PA) 194 Wagner 312 "It's a step for our program," said CCSU head coach Beryl Piper. "I am so proud, because people are starting to have a better understanding of Central Connecticut women's basketball." NEC 27/31 conferences *- Bryant was classified as an Independent in 2008-09 Central Connecticut led 41-38 at the half, but the Terriers went on a 16-0 run to turn a 45-40 deficit into a 56-45 advantage. The run grew to 24-3, giving BU a 16-point lead with 7:00 left to play in the game. The lead grew to 22 points before the game's end. Boston University shot 14- 2008-09 Northeast Conference vs... of-24 (58.3%) in the second half. America East 8-1 Mid-American 0-6 ACC 0-5 MEAC 2-2 Atlantic Sun 0-0 Missouri Valley 0-1 Atlantic 10 1-9 Mountain West 0-0 Big East 1-9 Ohio Valley 0-0 Big Sky 0-0 Pac 10 0-0 Big South 1-0 Patriot 5-8 Big Ten 0-1 SEC 0-1 Big-12 0-1 Southern 0-0 Big West 0-0 Southland 0-1 Colonial 1-2 Summit 0-0 Conference USA 1-0 SWAC 0-0 Division II 0-0 Sun Belt 0-0 Division III 0-0 WCC 0-1 Horizon 2-0 WAC 2-0 Independent 10-9 Ivy 6-9 MAAC 5-10 Overall 45-76* *Regular Season Games Only

Sacred Heart’s Callan Taylor (R) controls the ball against Ohio State in the 2009 NCAA First Round.

15 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide 2009-10 NEC Composite Schedule

NOVEMBER Wednesday, November 25 Wednesday, December 9 Friday, November 13 ROBERT MORRIS at Wright State 7:00 pm Lafayette at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at Maine 7:00 pm Fairfield at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm MONMOUTH at Penn State 7:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Syracuse 7:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Virginia Tech 5:00 pm Kent State at ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm Thursday, November 27 SACRED HEART at Saint Peter’s 5:30 pm SACRED HEART at Columbia 7:00 pm LIU Turkey Classic (Brooklyn, NY) ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Manhattan 7:00 pm Brown at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm Thursday, December 10 WAGNER at Army 5:00 pm UNC-Wilmington Thanksgiving Tourney (Wilmington, NC) CENTRAL CONN. ST. at New Hampshire 7:00 pm MONMOUTH at UNC Wilmington 6:00 pm LONG ISLAND at St. John’s 7:00 pm Saturday, November 14 Vanderbilt at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm BRYANT at Dartmouth 7:00 pm Friday, November 28 Canisius at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 3:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at Colgate 1:00 pm Saturday, December 12 QUINNIPIAC at Hartford 4:30 pm LIU Turkey Classic (Brooklyn, NY) Saint Peter’s at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 4:30 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at Marquette 2:00 pm Seton Hall/Ga. Tech at LONG ISLAND 2/4:00 pm Maine at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm UNC Wilmington Thanksgiving Tourney (Wilmington, NC) Colgate at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm Sunday, November 15 MONMOUTH vs. Davidson/Duquesne 1/3:00 pm WAGNER at Albany 2:00 pm La Salle at LONG ISLAND 5:00 pm Loyola at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 3:00 pm Coppin State at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm Sunday, December 13 Monday, November 16 Manhattan at SACRED HEART 2:00 pm BRYANT at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm Holy Cross at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 7:00 pm American at WAGNER 3:00 pm MONMOUTH at Columbia 1:00 pm Howard at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at Marquette 2:00 pm Lafayette at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm Sunday, November 29 SACRED HEART at Fairfield 1:30 pm Villanova at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm BRYANT at St. Bonaventure 1:00 pm New Hampshire at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm Tuesday, December 15 Tuesday, November 17 ROBERT MORRIS at Wisconsin 7:00 pm Delaware at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm Monday, November 30 WAGNER at NJIT 7:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Lafayette 6:00 pm Thursday, December 17 Army at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm Youngstown State at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm Wednesday, November 18 Holy Cross at BRYANT 7:00 pm DECEMBER Sunday, December 20 Fordham at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 7:00 pm Tuesday, December 1 Lehigh at BRYANT 2:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Lehigh 5:00 pm BRYANT at Colgate 7:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at Rutgers 2:00 pm Columbia at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at Duquesne 7:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Saint Bonaventure 3:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Duquesne 7:00 pm Hartford at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at George Washington 2:00 pm Hofstra at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at Bowling Green 7:00 pm Morehead State at ROBERT MORRIS 5:00 pm

Thursday, November 19 Wednesday, December 2 Monday, December 21 MONMOUTH at Rider 7:00 pm Rhode Island at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 7:00 pm Yale at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm Akron at ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Army 7:00 pm SACRED HEART at Binghamton 7:00 pm Delaware State at LONG ISLAND 7:00 pm Duquesne at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm Friday, November 20 Stony Brook at MONMOUTH 7:00 pm WAGNER at Saint Peter’s 7:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at Lehigh 7:00 pm St. Bonaventure at QUINNIPIAC 7:00 pm WAGNER at Syracuse 7:00 pm Tuesday, December 22 Saturday, November 21 Troy at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm Lafayette at BRYANT 1:00 pm Thursday, December 3 CENTRAL CONN. ST. at Brown 2:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Fairfield 7:00 pm Monday, December 28 LONG ISLAND at Howard 2:00 pm BRYANT at Florida Int'l 5:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Radford 7:00 pm Friday, December 4 Santa Clara at ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm Stony Brook at ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at BRYANT 7:00 pm Yale at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm Harvard at SACRED HEART 2:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Iona 7:30 pm WAGNER at Colgate 7:00 pm Saturday, December 5 Tulane Doubletree Classic (New Orleans, LA) CENTRAL CONN. ST. at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm LONG ISLAND at Tulane 6:00 pm Sunday, November 22 SACRED HEART at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 2:00 pm Univ. of Miami Holiday Tournament (Coral Gables, FL) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Rider 2:00 pm MONMOUTH at Boston College 2:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at Miami 7:00 pm Pacific at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm WAGNER at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm Hatter Classic (DeLand, FL) Brown Tournament (Providence, RI) SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at Stetson 5:30 pm Monday, November 23 QUINNIPIAC vs. Morgan State 4:00 pm Tuesday, December 29 ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Albany 7:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Penn 7:00 pm Sunday, December 6 Hilton Garden Classic (Blacksburg, VA) Tuesday, November 24 MOUNT ST. MARY’S at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 2:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. vs. Charlotte 5:00 pm Brown at BRYANT 7:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Stony Brook 2:00 pm MU Holiday Tournament (West Long Branch, NJ) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at Fordham 7:00 pm Brown Tournament (Providence, RI) TBA at MONMOUTH TBA UMES at LONG ISLAND 5:00 pm QUINNIPIAC vs. UMass/Brown 4:00 pm Tulane Doubletree Classic (New Orleans, LA) Colgate at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 7:00 pm LONG ISLAND vs. Texas Tech/NDSU 6/8:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at Providence 7:00 pm Monday, December 7 Univ. of Miami Holiday Tournament (Coral Gables, FL) SACRED HEART at Stony Brook 7:00 pm Binghamton at BRYANT 7:00 pm QUINNIPIAC vs. Texas/Central Michigan TBA SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at Pittsburgh 7:00 pm LONG ISLAND at Lafayette 7:00 pm Hatter Classic (DeLand, FL) Siena at WAGNER 7:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) vs. American/Buffalo 3:00 pm Tuesday, December 8 Christmas City Classic (Bethlehem, PA) Columbia at WAGNER 5:00 pm WAGNER at Lehigh 4:30 pm

16 Women's Basketball Guide Northeast Conference 2009-10 NEC Composite Schedule

Wednesday, December 30 Thursday, January 21 Thursday, February 18 SACRED HEART at Siena 7:00 pm BRYANT at SACRED HEART 5:30 pm BRYANT at WAGNER 5:00 pm Columbia at ROBERT MORRIS 7:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at QUINNIPIAC 5:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm Princeton at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 7:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at LONG ISLAND 5:00 pm Hilton Garden Classic (Blacksburg, VA) WAGNER at LONG ISLAND 5:00 pm MONMOUTH at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. vs. NJIT/Va. Tech5/7:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at MONMOUTH 5:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 5:00 pm MU Holiday Tournament (West Long Branch, NJ) MOUNT ST. MARY’S at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm SACRED HEART at ROBERT MORRIS 5:00 pm TBA at MONMOUTH TBA Christmas City Classic (Bethlehem, PA) Saturday, January 23 Saturday, February 20 WAGNER vs. Stony Brook/IUPUI 2/4:30 pm BRYANT at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm BRYANT at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 3:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at SACRED HEART 1:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at WAGNER 3:00 pm Thursday, December 31 SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm MONMOUTH at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Penn 7:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at South Florida 2:00 pm WAGNER at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm SACRED HEART at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 4:00 pm

JANUARY Thursday, January 28 Thursday, February 25 Saturday, January 2 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at BRYANT LONG ISLAND at BRYANT 5:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm 5:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm MONMOUTH at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 5:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at SACRED HEART 5:30 pm Sunday, January 3 LONG ISLAND at ROBERT MORRIS MONMOUTH at QUINNIPIAC 5:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at ROBERT MORRIS 5:00 pm 5:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm SACRED HEART at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at WAGNER 5:00 pm Monday, January 4 QUINNIPIAC at WAGNER ST. FRANCIS (NY) at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 7:00 pm 5:00 pm Saturday, February 27 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at New Jersey Tech 7:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 5:00 pm BRYANT at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm MONMOUTH at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm LONG ISLAND at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 3:30 pm WAGNER at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 7:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm Saturday, January 30 SACRED HEART at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm MONMOUTH at BRYANT 1:00 pm Thursday, January 7 ROBERT MORRIS at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 3:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 3:30 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at WAGNER 3:00 pm BRYANT at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm LONG ISLAND at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 4:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at MONMOUTH 12:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 3:00 pm END of Regular Season ROBERT MORRIS at LONG ISLAND 5:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at QUINNIPIAC 5:00 pm SACRED HEART at WAGNER 3:00 pm WAGNER at SACRED HEART 5:30 pm MARCH SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm Saturday, March 6 FEBRUARY NEC Tournament Quarterfinals (Loretto, PA) Saturday, January 9 Thursday, February 4 BRYANT at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at BRYANT 5:00 pm Sunday, March 7 CENTRAL CONN. ST. at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm MONMOUTH at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm NEC Tournament Semifinals (Loretto, PA) SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm LONG ISLAND at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 5:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at SACRED HEART 1:00 pm WAGNER at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm Sunday, March 14 WAGNER at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at SACRED HEART 5:30 pm NEC Championship at Highest Remaining Seed ROBERT MORRIS at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 2:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 5:00 pm *ALL DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Monday, January 11 Saturday, February 6 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at QUINNIPIAC 5:00 pm BRYANT at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 1:00 pm Columbia at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 7:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at LONG ISLAND 2:00 pm Thursday, January 14 MOUNT ST. MARY’S at WAGNER 3:00 pm SACRED HEART at BRYANT 5:00 pm SACRED HEART at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm QUINNIPIAC at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 5:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at ROBERT MORRIS 5:00 pm LONG ISLAND at WAGNER 5:00 pm Thursday, February 11 MONMOUTH at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 5:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at BRYANT TBA ST. FRANCIS (NY) at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 5:00 pm WAGNER at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm Saturday, January 16 LONG ISLAND at SACRED HEART 5:30 pm QUINNIPIAC at BRYANT 1:00 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at MONMOUTH 5:00 pm SACRED HEART at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 1:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at QUINNIPIAC 5:00 pm FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 4:00 pm LONG ISLAND at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 5:00 pm Saturday, February 13 MONMOUTH at ROBERT MORRIS 4:00 pm SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at BRYANT 1:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at WAGNER 3:00 pm ROBERT MORRIS at CENTRAL CONN. ST. 3:30 pm MOUNT ST. MARY’S at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 5:00 pm Monday, January 18 LONG ISLAND at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm Yale at BRYANT 2:00 pm WAGNER at MONMOUTH 3:00 pm ST. FRANCIS (NY) at SACRED HEART 1:00 pm

17 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Guide Sacred Heart Claims Second Weare’s Legacy Will Straight Commissioner’s Cup Live On Through Cup For the second straight year, Sacred Heart was the recipient of the Northeast Conference (NEC) Commissioner’s Cup, renamed in honor of the late NEC Commissioner Brenda Weare. Sacred Heart finished the 2008-09 athletic season as the Joan Martin Women’s Commissioner’s Cup champion for the third year in a row and also earned the Men’s Commissioner’s Cup award for the first time to complete the clean sweep. The awards were presented to C. Donald Cook, Sacred Heart Director of Athletics, at the league’s annual spring meetings in West Long Branch, NJ last May.

Sacred Heart shattered the conference record with 244.07 Cup points on the year, nearly 22 more than the former mark of 222.09 points set by UMBC in 2000-01. The Pioneers also established a new Women’s Cup record with 140.85 points, eclipsing the standard set by UMBC in 2001-02 with 131.17 points. Sacred Heart finished with 103.22 men’s points to edge Monmouth (96.66 points) and snap the Hawks’ seven-year run as the Men’s Cup winner.

Sacred Heart broke open a close race for the Cup with a memorable spring that featured NEC Tournament Championships in men’s golf, women’s lacrosse, Brenda Weare (middle), SHU AD Don Cook (L) SHU SWA Alicia Alford (R) softball and men’s tennis. The Pioneers also won the women’s basketball title over the winter. In May 2009, the Northeast Conference Commissioner's Cup was renamed in honor of the late Brenda Weare, who passed away in “Winning the overall Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Cup is a special June following a courageous fight against cancer. capstone achievement for Sacred Heart University,” commented Cook. “Winning in both the men’s and women’s categories just adds an extra measure of During her short time as the NEC's third-ever Commissioner, she satisfaction to what was an immensely satisfying accomplishment a year ago introduced a number of new programs aimed at upgrading the when the University won its first overall Commissioner’s Cup. This year’s sweep caliber of the league's championship sports and enhancing the of all three categories (men, women, overall), including setting a new NEC record opportunities and experiences for the more than 4,000 student- for overall and women’s points, is the wonderful validation of hard work and athletes that compete in the conference. In addition to securing dedication at every level of the University.” Bryant as the NEC's 12th full-time member, Weare was instrumental in the NEC gaining automatic access to the NCAA Division I Football Championship beginning in 2010, spearheading the conference's Sacred Heart outdistanced second place Monmouth (199.55 points) by nearly 45 new strategic plan and implementing a new league-wide sports- points in the standings. In its highest Cup finish since 1987-88, Long Island placed manship policy. third with 171.62 points. Quinnipiac was fourth with 162.01 points, followed by Saint Francis (PA) in fifth with 161.57 points. Central Connecticut State ended the "I am deeply touched by this tremendous honor," said Weare year in sixth place (158.45 points), with Robert Morris (157.25) in seventh, Mount following the announcement. "I truly was overwhelmed, not just St. Mary’s in eighth (150.30), Fairleigh Dickinson (134.26) in ninth, Wagner by the recognition, but by everyone's kind words that were shared. (119.94) in tenth and St. Francis (NY) (74.766) in eleventh. It was an amazing night for me and my family. This gesture on the part of the League was above and beyond what I ever expected for my work. I'm looking forward to continuing to do great things with 2008-09 Commissioner’s Cup NEC Commissioner’s Cup this group of exceptional administrators for years to come." Overall Standings Past Champions "The conference is fortunate to have found and landed Brenda as 2008-09 Sacred Heart our Commissioner," said Monmouth President Paul Gaffney, who 1. Sacred Heart 244.07 2007-08 Sacred Heart also serves as the Chair of the NEC Presidents Council at the time. 2. Monmouth 199.55 2006-07 Monmouth "She has done wonders in the conference with automatic quali- 3. Long Island 171.62 2005-06 Monmouth fication, inspiring management and improved conference visibil- 4. Quinnipiac 162.01 2004-05 Monmouth ity and reputation." 5. Saint Francis (PA) 161.57 2003-04 Monmouth 6. Central Connecticut State 158.45 2002-03 UMBC "Brenda Weare's leadership of the Northeast Conference has dis- 7. Robert Morris 157.25 2001-02 UMBC played vision, passion and integrity providing for a dynamic 8. Mount St. Mary’s 150.30 2000-01 UMBC framework for the administrators and student-athletes at each 9. Fairleigh Dickinson 134.26 1999-00 UMBC conference institution," said Bob Krimmel, Director of Athletics at 10. Wagner 119.94 1998-99 UMBC Saint Francis (PA) and Chair of the NEC Athletic Directors Commit- tee. "The renaming of the Commissioner's Cup, which is the symbol 11. St. Francis (NY) 74.76 1997-98 Monmouth 1996-97 Mount St. Mary’s of athletic excellence in the Northeast Conference, reflects the 1995-96 Mount St. Mary's impact Brenda Weare has made on the league as our Commissioner. 1994-95 Mount St. Mary's As a conference family, we have been blessed to have Brenda 1993-94 Fairleigh Dickinson leading us to new opportunities and in meeting the challenges that 1992-93 Fairleigh Dickinson conferences face in today's world of college athletics. Brenda truly 1991-92 Fairleigh Dickinson represents the best of college athletics and the Brenda Weare The Commissioner's Cup is 1990-91 Monmouth Commissioner's Cup will forever reflect the excellence she has awarded annually to the school 1989-90 Fairleigh Dickinson inspired in all who are part of the Northeast Conference." that fares best in the 1988-89 Fairleigh Dickinson league's championship sports. 1987-88 Fairleigh Dickinson 1986-87 Long Island

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