Football Earns NEC Team Sportsmanship Award
Blue Devils honored for sportsmanship during 2023 campaign
The Central Connecticut State football team was honored with the Northeast Conference Team Sportsmanship Award for the 2023 campaign, announced Friday by the league office.
The selection is the first for the Blue Devils football team and comes under direction of first-year head coach Adam Lechtenberg.
Instituted by league Presidents in 2008, the 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.
Since the NEC Team Sportsmanship program was instituted in 2008-09, Saint Francis U has won a conference-best 44 awards, followed by Sacred Heart (37), Wagner (33), CCSU (32) and LIU (30) to round out the top-five.
"As we honor the teams recognized by their peers for exemplifying the ideals of good sportsmanship, it stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to fair play and integrity," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "This acknowledgment further emphasizes the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and Presidents in fostering a culture of respect and camaraderie within the competitive landscape of our conference."
