The Merrimack Warriors are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Merrimack College, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sporting competitions. All of the Warrior athletic teams compete at the Division I level. Men's and women's ice hockey compete in the Hockey East conference and football competes as an FCS Independent, while the remaining teams are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[3]
| Merrimack Warriors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Merrimack College |
| Conference | MAAC Independent (football) Hockey East (men's and women's ice hockey) Northeast Conference (field hockey) |
| NCAA | NCAA Division I |
| Athletic director | Jeremy Gibson |
| Location | North Andover, Massachusetts |
| Varsity teams | 22 |
| Football stadium | Duane Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Hammel Court/Lawler Arena |
| Ice hockey arena | Lawler Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Greater Lawrence Technical School |
| Softball stadium | Martone-Mejail Field |
| Soccer stadium | Martone-Mejail Field |
| Lacrosse stadium | Duane Stadium |
| Nickname | Warriors |
| Fight song | Down in the Valley of Victory |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
| Website | merrimackathletics |
| Team NCAA championships | |
| 4[2] | |
The college's combination of academic and athletic success has garnered Merrimack the #4 ranking in the country among NCAA Division II schools in the Top 100 Collegiate Power Rankings that are published by the National College Scouting Association. In addition, Merrimack finished 96th in the overall NCSA Power Rankings across all three NCAA divisions.
During the 2019–20 season Merrimack began their four-year transition from Division II to Division I and became a full Division I member in the 2023–24 season, making Merrimack eligible for all NCAA tournaments.[4]
History
editHighlights of Merrimack athletic history includes three national championships: the 1978 men's hockey team won the Division II men's ice hockey championship; the 1994 women's softball team won the Division II Women's College World Series and men's lacrosse won the 2018 National Title. In 2006, Merrimack football became Northeast-10 co-champions and received their first NCAA Division II playoff bid to go on to win their first NCAA playoff game. In 2012, Merrimack men's tennis became Northeast-10 champions, led by senior captains Max Eppley and Sean Pahler, and first-year head coach Sean Tully. This was Merrimack's first-ever men's tennis championship.[5]
Varsity teams
edit| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Bowling |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Football | Dance |
| Golf | Field hockey |
| Ice hockey | Golf |
| Lacrosse | Ice hockey |
| Soccer | Lacrosse |
| Tennis | Rowing |
| Track & field† | Soccer |
| Volleyball | Softball |
| Swimming & diving | |
| Tennis | |
| Track & field† | |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. | |
Football
editMerrimack has made one appearance in the NCAA Division II football playoffs; their record is 1–1.[6]
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | First Round Second Round |
Southern Connecticut Shepherd |
W, 28–26 L, 7–31 | |
| Playoff record | 1–1 | |||
Conferences
edit- 1985–1995: Independent
- 1996: Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
- 1997–2000: Eastern Football Conference
- 2001–2018: Northeast-10 Conference
- 2019–present: Northeast Conference
Soccer
editMerrimack College men's soccer team made school history in 2012 with the program's first-ever NCAA Division II national tournament berth. After finishing in first place in the Northeast-10 regular season, the men's soccer team went on to win the first round of the tournament against rivals Franklin Pierce University, but were knocked out the following round by Northeast-10 rivals Southern New Hampshire University. The 2012 men's soccer team was led by head coach Anthony Martone and assistant coaches Derek Valego, Michael Allen, Eric Ernst and Sam Nunes. The team was led on the field by captains Alejandro Fuchs of Caracas, Venezuela and Nelson da Graca of Gothenburg, Sweden.
NCAA championships
edit
National championships
edit- Men's ice hockey: 1978
- Softball: 1994
- Men's lacrosse: 2018, 2019
Regional championships
edit- Women's basketball: 2004, 2005
- Women's soccer: 1996
Appearances
edit- Baseball: 1995, 1996, 2018
- Men's basketball: 1977, 1978, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Women's basketball: 2003, 2004, 2005
- Football: 2006
- Men's ice hockey:
- Division II: 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984
- Division I: 1988, 2011
- Men's lacrosse: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Women's soccer: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
- Softball: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011
- Men's tennis: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
- Women's tennis: 2009
- Women's volleyball: 2007, 2008
- Women's Cross Country: 2018
- Women’s Bowling:2024
Conference championships
editNortheast
edit- Men's basketball regular season: 2020,2023,2024
- Men’s Basketball Tournament champions: 2023
- Men's soccer regular season: 2019
- Women's soccer regular season: 2023
- Women’s Bowling tournament: 2024
Northeast-10
edit- Baseball: 1990, 1995, 1996, 2018
- Men's basketball: 2000, 2019
- Women's basketball: 2004
- Women's cross country: 1997, 1998, 1999[7]
- Men's lacrosse: 2000, 2010, 2018
- Men's soccer: 1995, 1996, 1997, 2017
- Women's soccer: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999
- Softball: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002
- Men's tennis: 2012, 2013, 2015
ECAC
edit- Hockey: 1967, 1968, 1977, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989
- Men's soccer: 1997
- Women's soccer: 1988, 2000
References
edit- ^ "Merrimack College Brand Guidelines". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "CHAMPIONSHIPS SUMMARY" (PDF). NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join the Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ^ Dauster, Rob (September 10, 2018). "Division I men's basketball set to add another member". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "Merrimack Claims First Men's Tennis Championship in School History". April 21, 2012 – via www.northeast10.org.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "2006 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ Northeast-10 Women's Cross Country All-Time Champions