The old switcheroo
Northeast-10 conference sees changes in participating teams

Kayla Sibilia | staff writer

Where Bryant's banner hangs in Ross Sports Center at St. Michael's College, a University of New Haven flag will replace it as the newest NE-10 team. Alex McIntire, photo

Since Bryant University’s declaration of its departure from the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) in late October, the conference of which St. Michael’s is a member of has gone through significant changes.

With the void in the conference, new teams such as Adelphi University, Long Island C.W. Post University, and the University of New Haven (UNH) have had the opportunity to join the NE-10.  Adelphi University will have a decision by mid-December and C.W. Post rejected the offer. UNH has taken the opportunity to join the conference.

On its way out

Bryant has been plugging in its time and money to advance its athletic department.  The school has built new facilities, heavily recruited potential athletes, and hired new athletic staff to help them win championships, Chris Kenny St. Michael’s associate athletic director says.

Mike Pressler, the former Duke University men’s lacrosse coach was recently hired by Bryant.

“Mike Pressler is considered one of the best coaches today; he has the ability to progress the team to a nationally ranked level,” says Alex Paulhus, a St. Michael's men's lacrosse player.

With Bryant’s exit, UNH has entered the conference.

 “The University of New Haven has wanted to come into our division for a long time,” Kenny says.  

UNH joined the East Coast Conference (ECC) five years ago.  At the time, UNH had a football team but was part of an independent NCAA champion conference because the ECC didn’t allow football teams.  New Haven ultimately had to drop the football program because it became too expensive.  Deborah Chin is the athletic director for UNH and wanted the football program to return.

 “In order for us to bring back football we joined the NE-10 conference because they needed additional colleges to have football teams, and we became the perfect fit,” Chin says. 

UNH understands that this transition will be hard for a few of its teams, but is up for the challenge, Chin says.

“The NE-10 conference is an established conference and has a lot of success, and our teams will be challenged,” Chin says.  “My philosophy is that to be the best you must play the best, so let’s get it done.”

The University of New Haven will be the newest team of the NE-10 to walk through to doors of the Ross Sports Center to take on the Purple Knights beginning next winter. Alex McIntire, photo

St. Michael’s will miss Bryant, but is ready for the fresh new university

 Bryant’s removal and UNH’s acceptance to the NE-10 D-II conference will have an impact on the team’s scoreboards next year.  Bryant University gave St. Michael’s a few memorable games in the past and has created a massive rivalry.

 “I’m sorry to see Bryant leaving; they are a very dominant and aggressive team,” Kenny says.

While, the NE-10 is losing an aggressive athletic program, it is gaining a new vibrant athletic college that will help out its conference, he says.

 “The more schools, the stronger the conference,” Kenny says.

 A few St. Michael’s teams have already played UNH. 

“We have a relationship with most NE-10 schools,” Chin says.  "We aren’t playing opponents we don’t already know.”

Even though in the past few years UNH has played teams in the conference, the games never counted in the NE-10 rankings, Kenny says.

The student-athlete’s take

The student-athletes at St. Michael’s have mixed emotions on Bryant’s departure and New Haven’s arrival. 

“We are losing a really competitive team, which will help the men’s lacrosse team go farther in the playoffs, but we will be losing a team that will challenge us,” Paulhus says.  “It’s no surprise to me that Bryant University will be going to Division I.”

 Lindsay Horne plays on the women’s tennis team at St. Michael’s and agrees with Paulhus.

 “Last year Bryant was our biggest challenge in tennis,” Horne says. 

Horne understands that this year will be her last match against Bryant and would like for them to never forget its last match in NE-10 conference against the St. Michael’s women’s tennis team.

“Since this is our last year playing Bryant University we definitely want to go in there with a winning attitude,” she says.