LIU Sharks

The LIU Sharks are the athletics teams representing Long Island University's (LIU) campuses in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York.[2] The Sharks compete in NCAA Division I athletics[3] and are members of the Northeast Conference.[4] The LIU Sharks are the result of the July 1, 2019 unification of the athletic departments which had previously represented two separate campuses of LIU, the NCAA Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and the NCAA Division II LIU Post Pioneers.[5][6]

LIU Sharks
UniversityLong Island University
ConferenceNortheast Conference
NCAADivision I
Athletic directorWilliam Martinov Jr.
LocationBrooklyn, New York
Brookville, New York
Varsity teams29
32 in 2020–21
Football stadiumBethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium
Basketball arenaSteinberg Wellness Center
Baseball stadiumLIU Baseball Stadium
Softball stadiumLIU Softball Complex
Soccer stadiumLIU Soccer Park
NicknameSharks
ColorsBlue and Gold[1]
         
Websiteliuathletics.com

History

Following Long Island University's founding in 1927, its sports teams wore blue uniforms and became known as the Blue Devils. After the school's uniforms were changed to black in 1935, a Brooklyn Eagle reporter from the Midwest saw the new look as the basketball team dribbled up and down the court and stated that the team looked like the blackbirds from back home; the comment struck home, and a new nickname was born. During the 1930s and '40s, the basketball team was often called the "Beemen," while they were coached by the legendary Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach, Clair Bee.[7] LIU Post opened in 1954 as C.W. Post College and began athletic competition in 1956–57.

The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and LIU Post Pioneers combined for 23 national championships (7 team, 16 individual), 215 conference titles, and 362 All-Americans.[8]

Unification
See also: LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and LIU Post Pioneers

On October 3, 2018, Long Island University announced that it was unifying the athletic programs of its two campuses into one Division I program, effective with the 2019–20 academic year. The unified LIU program will continue to sponsor all varsity sports that either campus sponsored before the merger.[9] The new program's nickname of Sharks was announced on May 15, 2019.[10]

The LIU Sharks inherited the Northeast Conference membership of the Brooklyn campus.[11][12] The Division II LIU Post teams for sports that had not been sponsored by LIU Brooklyn immediately moved to Division I without the usual transition period for an institution moving to a different division. Teams for sports sponsored by both campuses were merged. LIU added two completely new women's sports effective in 2019–20. Shortly before the athletic merger was announced, LIU Brooklyn announced that it would add women's ice hockey and shortly after the merger announcement, LIU announced it would add women's water polo, placing that sport in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[13][14]

The university incorporated athletic facilities on both the Brooklyn and Brookville campuses with basketball, bowling, fencing, ice hockey, swimming, track and field (indoor & outdoor), volleyball, and water polo based out of the Brooklyn campus while baseball, cross country, esports, equestrian, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, tennis, and wrestling operating from the Brookville campus.[15]

Teams

Long Island University fields 29 teams that compete in 10 men's and 18 women's sports and a co-ed Esports team.[2] Most teams compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The new water polo team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC); the wrestling team joined the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA); and the new ice hockey team joined the nascent New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA); women's rugby competes in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA); and the new Esports team competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); the equestrian and fencing teams are independents. In March 2020, the school announced that women's gymnastics would be added for the 2020–21 season, as part of the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL).[16]

Men's sports Women's sports Co-ed sports
BaseballBasketballESports
BasketballBowling
Cross CountryCross country
FootballEquestrian
GolfFencing
Ice hockey (2020–21)Field hockey
LacrosseGolf
SoccerGymnastics (2020–21)
Track and field†Ice hockey
WrestlingLacrosse
Swimming (2020-21)Rugby
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and field†
Volleyball
Water polo
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

NCAA team championships
  • Men's Division II Lacrosse Championship – 1996, 2009, 2010
  • Women's Division II Lacrosse Championship – 2001, 2007, 2012, 2013

* Both competing as LIU Post Pioneers.

References
  1. Long Island University Style Guide for Print and Visual Application (PDF). July 25, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  2. "The Official Website of the LIU ..." Long Island University. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  3. "NCAA Directory". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  4. "The Official Site of the Northeast Conference". CBS Sports & Northeast Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  5. "LIU combining Post and Brooklyn athletic programs". Newsday. October 3, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  6. "#OneLIU website". Long Island University. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  7. "Why the Blackbirds?". Long Island University Brooklyn. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  8. "Welcome to the Shark Tank..." Long Island University Brooklyn. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  9. "One LIU: Frequently Asked Questions". Long Island University. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  10. "Welcome to the Shark Tank: Long Island University Chooses the Shark as New Mascot" (Press release). Long Island University. May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  11. "LIU combining Post and Brooklyn athletic programs". Newsday. October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  12. "#OneLIU website". Long Island University. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  13. "LIU Adds Women's Ice Hockey, Rob Morgan Named Head Coach". NCAA. September 18, 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  14. "Women's Water Polo Added as Varsity Sport at LIU; Juarez Tabbed as Inaugural Head Coach" (Press release). LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  15. "Frequently Asked Questions". Long Island University. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  16. "LIU to Launch Division I Women's Gymnastics". Long Island University. March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
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