About SNHU Athletics
Athletics Overview
The rich tradition of athletics has long been the source of pride for the family and friends of Southern New Hampshire University. Since the glory days of the Greater Boston Small College Conference, to the present status as a NCAA Division II power, the Penmen have maintained a level of excellence that is second to none.
SNHU is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Northeast-10 Conference. An original member of the now-disbanded New England Collegiate Conference, SNHU became a member of the Northeast-10 Conference prior to the 2000-01 academic year.
Men's teams are fielded in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. Women's teams include basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Cheerleading is also offered as a co-ed varsity sport.
Numerous individual and team achievements in recent years have brought SNHU both regional and national recognition.
Topping the list of recent success stories is the 1989 NCAA Division II National Championship in men's soccer. Consistently ranked among the top programs in the country, the men's soccer team has participated in 12 of the last 20 NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the NCAA Tournament national championship game in 2002. In addition, the women's soccer team claimed seven of a possible 13 ECAC Division II titles from 1984 to 1996 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 2003.
The men's basketball team, a long-time New England power, has participated in 16 NCAA Tournaments since 1980. The Penmen have claimed six NCAA Regional titles and advanced to the Division II Final Four in 1993 and 1994. The women's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1988 and 1990 and captured the ECAC Division II title in 1991. The SNHU hockey team participated in the final NCAA Division II Championship Series in 1999 and has advanced to a post-season tournament each of the last nine seasons.
The baseball team claimed its first-ever ECAC Division II title in 1997, while the softball team made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2006. The golf team claimed back-to-back Northeast-10 Conference championships in 2001 and 2002 and participated in the 2003 and 2006 NCAA Tournament. The men's lacrosse team advanced to the ECAC Tournament in 1995, while the women's lacrosse team advanced to the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament in just its third season as a varsity sport in 2006. The men's and women's tennis and volleyball teams have all qualified for the NE-10 Tournament in recent years, while the cheerleading team placed sixth nationally in 2006.
SNHU student-athletes succeed off the playing field as well. Proof of this came in September of 2001 when the University was one of nine recipients of the inaugural USA Today NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Award, in recognition of high graduation rates among student athletes. SNHU took home the award for the highest graduation rate among all Division II schools.
SNHU also earned the Northeast-10 Conference Academic Achievement Award following the 2001-02 school year.