Skyhawks recognized by league coaches following inaugural NCAA Division I season

NEC Announces Winter Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

EASTON, Mass. (June 15, 2023) – The Stonehill College women's basketball program has joined four Skyhawk programs from the fall season in receiving a Northeast Conference Team Sportsmanship Award the league announced.

Stonehill's five NEC Team Sportsmanship Awards from its inaugural NCAA Division I season lead the way in the Conference at the conclusion of its first season as members. Instituted by league Presidents in 2008, the NEC Team Sportsmanship awards are designed to acknowledge 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.

"It is with tremendous pride that we recognize those teams that prioritize fair play and value winning with integrity at the highest level," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "It takes everyone from our student-athletes to coaches to administrators to Presidents to create an environment of respect and support during NEC athletic competitions. To be recognized by your peers for upholding these standards is the ultimate honor."

The Stonehill women's basketball program joins the College's field hockey, football, men's soccer and volleyball programs in earning NEC Team Sportsmanship Awards during the academic year. The women's basketball program closed out its inaugural NCAA Division I season with a 9-20 record overall, including 5-11 in its first NEC season to finish seventh in the Conference's regular season standings after being picked ninth by the league's head coaches in the NEC preseason poll. The Skyhawks notched a win in their NEC debut at Central Connecticut State University (73-66) on January 2 and completed a regular season series sweep of the Blue Devils – its first as an NEC member. Stonehill also logged non-conference wins at University of New Hampshire and Bryant as well as University of Hartford and NEC wins against LIU, St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner College, finishing the year winners of three of their last five. Recent graduate Emily Bramanti earned All-NEC first team accolades. 

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