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For Immediate Release April 11, 2018

Northeast Conference Announces Winter Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference (NEC) revealed its 2017-18 Winter Team Sportsmanship Award winners this afternoon with Bryant 2017-18 Northeast Conference and St. Francis both earning double-winner status. Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

Bryant was honored in both men’s basketball and women’s and Winter . St. Francis Brooklyn’s women’s basketball program was recog- Men’s Basketball - Bryant nized for its commitment to sportsmanship for the fifth time in six years, Women’s Basketball - St. Francis Brooklyn while its women’s indoor track and field team earned distinction for the Women’s Bowling - Caldwell second straight year. Caldwell three-peated as the women’s bowling re- Men’s Indoor T&F - Mount St. Mary’s cipient. Mount St. Mary’s collected the men’s indoor track and field award. Women’s Indoor T&F - St. Francis Brooklyn Women’s Swimming & Diving - Bryant Instituted by league Presidents in 2008, the awards are designed to ac- knowledge the team in each conference sport that, in the opinion of its peers, most closely demonstrates good sportsmanship based on the NEC Principles of Sportsmanship and Standards of Conduct. Voting is conducted at the conclusion of each season by each team and head coach, who rank teams within the conference based on a set of criteria.

Since the NEC Team Sportsmanship program was instituted in 2008-09, Saint Francis U has won a conference-best 35 awards. The Red Flash led the NEC in team sportsmanship honors each year from 2008-13.

“When I think of the traits common to Northeast Conference student-athletes, fair play and winning with integrity always come to mind first,” said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. “I couldn’t be prouder of all the NEC student-athletes and coaches who continue to prioritize these values year after year, and congratulate those teams that have been recognized by their peers with this prestigious honor.”

About The Northeast Conference Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - (#1), (#23), (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball- only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central , Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: WWW.NORTHEASTCONFERENCE.ORG • DIGITAL NETWORK: WWW.NECFRONTROW.COM • SOCIAL MEDIA: @NECSPORTS

Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • • St. Francis Brooklyn • •