Dover, Del. (Sep. 27, 2022) – Delaware State University Athletics has announced that two additional Hornet teams will join the Northeast Conference (NEC) next year.
Delaware State has accepted an invitation from the NEC Council of Presidents to join the conference in the 2023-24 academic year as associate members in women's soccer and women's lacrosse.
The announcement comes two months after the NEC established a unique three-sport associate member partnership with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The collaboration between the two conferences in the sports of baseball, men's golf and women's golf welcomed a host of MEAC schools under the NEC banner beginning with the 2022-23 academic year.
As part of that partnership, Delaware State accepted associate member invites in baseball and women's golf and will begin competition this spring. While retaining primary membership in the MEAC, the Hornets will now compete as an NEC associate in four sports beginning in the 2023-24 academic year.
"We are thrilled to add Delaware State women's lacrosse and women's soccer as associate members in 2023-24," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "This expansion of our partnership with DSU to four sports will help grow rivalries, enhance the student-athlete experience and bolster our depth. It's a win-win for the NEC and we look forward to welcoming the Hornets with open arms."
NEC women's soccer will feature 11 sponsoring programs next season with the addition of Delaware State. The Hornets join fellow MEAC member Howard, which began its tenure as an NEC women's soccer affiliate member in 2021. All nine NEC full-time members sponsor women's soccer.
NEC women's lacrosse membership will increase to nine teams in 2023-24 with Delaware State joining CCSU, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill, Wagner and fellow associate Howard. The Bison began competed under the NEC umbrella last spring.
"Delaware State is honored to accept the invitation to join the highly respected Northeast Conference as an associate member in the sports of women's soccer and women's lacrosse," said Alecia Shields-Gadson, DSU Director of Athletics. "With this move, each of our 19 sports has conference affiliation and the opportunity to compete in national post-season championship tournaments, in addition to establishing new relationships and rivalries with Northeast Conference members."
This will be the first conference affiliation for the Delaware State women's soccer program since 2015. The Hornets  previously competed in the United Soccer Conference in 2006 and '07, the Great West Conference from 2009-to-12, and the Independent Conference from 2013-to-15.
Delaware State women's lacrosse is currently in its second stint as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (2017; 2021-to-present). The Hornets were members of the Southern Conference from 2018-to-20. 
The NEC will showcase associate members in 12 sports in 2022-23, including baseball (Coppin State, Delaware State, UMES and Norfolk State), women's bowling (Duquesne), field hockey (Fairfield and Rider), football (Duquesne), men's golf (Howard, UMES and North Carolina Central), women's golf (Delaware State, Howard, UMES and North Carolina Central), women's lacrosse (Howard), men's soccer (Howard), women's soccer (Howard), men's swimming and diving (Howard), women's swimming and diving (Howard) and men's volleyball (Daemen and D'Youville).
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.