SYRACUSE, N. Y. (NCC News) — You can understand Le Moyne College’s move up Division I athletics by simply looking at its values guide, which describes the school’s “distinctly Jesuit approach.”
“If we let the weight of our foot slip to the moral character side in neglect of performance character,” reads the first chapter. “We lose the ‘restless discontent with mediocrity.’”
Or, just talk to athletic director Bob Beretta. He referenced that principle, also known by the Latin word “magis” — translation: more, better, fuller — in discussing the seismic change his program is undergoing this fall.
“This was an opportunity, a moment in time that we needed to capitalize as an institution,” said Beretta.
Le Moyne was getting restless at the Division II level, where it had achieved 44 conference championships in its 27 years as a member of the Northeast-10. Its lacrosse programs, in particular, have stood out above the rest: the women’s team claimed its first national championship in 2018, while the men’s squad has won six since 2004.
Back in May, the school’s Board of Trustees voted to accept an invitation from the Northeast Conference, bringing each of its 21 programs to the highest level of collegiate athletics for the first time. The change took effect on July 1, and this fall is the first season for teams against Division I competition.
While wins have been hard to come by for programs like the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Dolphins have been competitive. In games this Sunday, both teams played top NEC opponents to a draw.
“[They’re] proving not only that they belong at this level, but that they can compete at this level and get the positive results out of the games,” said Jaro Zawislan, the head coach of the Le Moyne women’s soccer team.
Due to an NCAA rule for reclassified programs, Le Moyne is ineligible to compete in postseason NCAA Tournaments for the next four years. Beretta hopes the Dolphins will be in competition at the national postseason before 2027.
The school was also barred from conference championships for two years, but it successfully petitioned the NEC Board of Governors, allowing its teams to be competitive in conference play this season.
One of the biggest perks of playing at the Division I level, according to Beretta, is the exposure.
Le Moyne College has never appeared on national television in any sport. Even its last men’s lacrosse championship in 2021 was live streamed.
That will change in November, when the men’s basketball team will be seen on national television twice in four days, in games against Georgetown and Villanova.
“I tell people they’ll be sitting home in January and watching the ESPN ticker at night, and you’re going to see Le Moyne scores scroll on the bottom,” said Beretta.
Things aren’t just changing on the field. The college is also upping its level of investment in athletics, leaning on donors as it builds new dugouts for its baseball field, and constructing an outdoor concessions area.
Beretta also said that the school is looking into adding more sports to its portfolio, namely men’s and women’s hockey, women’s bowling, and men’s volleyball.
About 3,500 students attend Le Moyne College, roughly 350 of whom are athletes. The school’s move comes at a challenging time for small, private colleges. Cazenovia College closed in the spring after 200 years.
Beretta says that he hopes Le Moyne’s move to Division I has raised the school’s profile, not just in athletics.
