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Sacred Heart Pioneers
University	Sacred Heart University
Conference	MAAC Independent (football) Atlantic Hockey America (men's ice hockey) New England Women's Hockey Alliance (women's ice hockey) Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (wrestling) ECAC (equestrian) NEIFC (fencing)
NCAA	Division I (FCS)
Athletic director	Judy Ann Riccio
Location	Fairfield, Connecticut
Varsity teams	32
Football stadium	Campus Field
Basketball arena	William H. Pitt Center
Ice hockey arena	Martire Family Arena
Baseball stadium	Veterans Memorial Park
Mascot	Big Red the Pioneer
Nickname	Pioneers
Colors	Red and white
Website	www.sacredheartpioneers.com

The Sacred Heart Pioneers are the 32 sports teams (14 men, 18 women) representing Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in intercollegiate athletics. The Pioneers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC; the school's primary conference), Atlantic Hockey, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, and New England Women's Hockey Alliance.

History

Nearly 800 students participate in the university's 31 athletic teams (17 female teams and 14 male teams) along with more than 500 students who participate in 23 club sports.

The football team plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level and claims an FCS title in 2001. Their biggest rivalry is with the oldest public university in Connecticut, Central Connecticut State University, in what has been dubbed the Constitution State Rivalry.

The men's basketball team won the Division II national title in 1986.

The women's basketball team won the Northeast Conference regular season title five times and the conference tournament three times and earned three trips to the NCAA Tournament.

The baseball team has won four Northeast Conference tournament titles and made four NCAA tournament appearances, formerly led by Super Bowl XVII champion, Nick Giaquinto. The four conference titles are tied for the most in the conference.

The men's golf team won the Northeast Conference title in May 2008, 2009 and 2011.

The men's fencing team won the Northeast Conference title five years in a row (2010–14) and was ranked #9 in 2011.

On February 21, 2013, the Sacred Heart University athletics department hired longtime Major League Baseball player and manager Bobby Valentine as the athletic director.

On June 8, 2021, the Sacred Heart University athletics department named Judy Ann Riccio as its interim athletic director, replacing Bobby Valentine who took a leave of absence.

The men's ice hockey program competes in the Atlantic Hockey America conference, and the women's hockey program competes in the newly created New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) and won the conference's initial tournament title in the 2017-18 season, beating out institutions such as the College of the Holy Cross and Saint Anselm College.

The wrestling team competes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association and the field hockey team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Men's volleyball competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association through the 2022 season, after which the NEC began sponsoring that sport; however, SHU will return to the EIVA after the 2024 season.

On September 21, 2020, Sacred Heart announced the addition of a women's wrestling program, the second for a Division I institution (the first being Presbyterian College) and the first in the Northeast region. The program started in the fall of 2021.

Sacred Heart earned their first NCAA in lacrosse, winning the MAAC tournament and getting the automatic conference bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament.

Sports sponsored

Club sports

Currently there are twenty-eight club sports active on campus. The active clubs are:

• Baseball
• Men's Basketball
• Women's Basketball
• Bowling
• Dance Team
• Field Hockey
• Figure Skating
• Gymnastics
• Golf
• Esports
• Men's Football
• Men's Ice Hockey
• Men's Lacrosse
• Women's Lacrosse
• Men's Rugby

• Running
• Sailing
• Chess
• Men's Soccer
• Women's Soccer
• Softball
• Men's Swimming
• Tennis
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Men's Volleyball
• Women's Volleyball
• Weightlifting

References

1. SHU Pioneers Official Logo Art. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
2. "Sacred Heart returning to EIVA family in 2025" (Press release). Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
3. *Women's Rugby - NIRA D1

External links

• Official website

v t e Sports teams based in Connecticut
Baseball	EL Hartford Yard Goats FCBL New Britain Bees Norwich Sea Unicorns NECBL Bristol Blues Danbury Westerners Mystic Schooners
Basketball	WNBA Connecticut Sun
Football	WFA Connecticut Hawks Northern Connecticut Nightmare NEFL Connecticut Reapers
Gaelic games	USGAA: Northeast Division Hartford
Ice hockey	AHL Bridgeport Islanders Hartford Wolf Pack PHF Connecticut Whale FPHL Danbury Hat Tricks
Soccer	USLC Hartford Athletic MLSNP Connecticut United FC (2026) USL2 AC Connecticut NPSL Hartford City FC USASA Newtown Pride FC
Roller derby	WFTDA Connecticut Roller Derby Hartford Area Roller Derby MRDA Connecticut Death Quads
Rugby union	NERFU Fairfield Yankees RFC Hartford Wanderers RFC New Haven Old Black RFC New London County RFC
Softball	ASA Connecticut Brakettes
College athletics	NCAA Division I Bridgeport Purple Knights (women's gymnastics) Central Connecticut Blue Devils Fairfield Stags Quinnipiac Bobcats Post Eagles (women's bowling and women's ice hockey) Sacred Heart Pioneers Southern Connecticut Owls (women's gymnastics) UConn Huskies Yale Bulldogs NCAA Division II Bridgeport Purple Knights New Haven Chargers Post Eagles Southern Connecticut Owls NCAA Division III Albertus Magnus Falcons Coast Guard Bears Connecticut College Camels Eastern Connecticut Warriors Hartford Hawks Mitchell Mariners Saint Joseph Blue Jays Trinity Bantams Wesleyan Cardinals Western Connecticut Colonials NJCAA Division III Gateway Lions Lincoln Wildcats UConn-Avery Point Pointers

v t e Sport teams based in the New York metropolitan area
Australian rules football	USAFL New York Magpies
Baseball	MLB New York Mets New York Yankees EL Somerset Patriots SAL Brooklyn Cyclones Hudson Valley Renegades ALPB Long Island Ducks Staten Island FerryHawks FL New Jersey Jackals New York Boulders Sussex County Miners
Basketball	NBA Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks WNBA New York Liberty G League Long Island Nets Westchester Knicks ABA Jersey Express Entertainment Teams Harlem Wizards
Esports	CDL New York Subliners OWL New York Excelsior
Football	NFL New York Giants New York Jets WFA New York Sharks
Hockey	NHL New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers AHL Bridgeport Islanders PWHL New York Sirens FPHL Danbury Hat Tricks
Rugby league	USARL White Plains Wombats NARL New York R.L.F.C.
Rugby union	MLR Rugby New York USAR New York Athletic Club RFC Old Blue
Soccer	MLS New York City FC New York Red Bulls NWSL NJ/NY Gotham FC USLS Brooklyn FC USLC Brooklyn FC MLSNP New York City FC II New York Red Bulls II USL1 Westchester SC USL2 Cedar Stars Rush F.A. Euro Long Island Rough Riders Manhattan SC Westchester Flames NPSL FC Monmouth FC Motown New York Athletic Club S.C. USLW Long Island Rough Riders Manhattan SC Westchester Flames
Roller derby	WFTDA Gotham Roller Derby Jersey Shore Roller Girls Long Island Roller Rebels Suburbia Roller Derby MRDA New York Shock Exchange
Team tennis	WTT New York Empire
College athletics	NCAA Division I Army Columbia Fairfield Fairleigh Dickinson Fordham Hofstra Iona LIU Manhattan NJIT Princeton Quinnipiac Rider Rutgers Sacred Heart St. John's Saint Peter's Seton Hall Stony Brook Wagner Yale NCAA Division II Adelphi Bridgeport East Stroudsburg New Haven NYIT Southern Connecticut NCAA Division III Merchant Marine NYU TCNJ
Ultimate	AUDL New York Empire
Gaelic games	New York GAA: Gaelic football Hurling
Main article: Sports in the New York metropolitan area

• Sacred Heart Pioneers
• Sports clubs and teams in the New York metropolitan area
• Rugby union teams in Connecticut