The New York Tech Bears refer to the mascot and sports teams of the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...

(NYIT), located in

Old Westbury Old Westbury is a village in the Towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Old Westbury i ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. All of New York Tech's teams compete in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

. The Bears are part of the

East Coast Conference The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of C ...

(ECC). Tech is best known for its men's

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

team, which has won four

national championships. Tech also sent several runners to the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, in 1980, 1988, 1992, and in 2000. As of August 2020, NYIT has its intercollegiate NCAA D-II athletics activities currently suspended for at least two years, and will be expected to return back to active competition by the 2022-23 academic year.

Current sports programs

* Men's programs **

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

** Cross country **

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

* Women's programs **

** Cross country **

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Facilities

President's Stadium: A 1,000-seat stadium that is the home of the men's and women's lacrosse teams and men's and women's soccer teams. In 2006, the NYIT replaced the natural grass of the field with FieldTurf. Angelo Lorenzo Memorial Field: The home of the Tech baseball program. The field was resurfaced in the 2012-2013 academic year, with raised dugouts, a new press box behind home plate and will FieldTurf both the infield and outfield. Recreation Hall: A 500-seat arena, Recreation Hall is home to men's and women's basketball and features a new hardwood floor installed in 2019. Tech Softball Complex: The home of the Tech softball team.

Achievements

Baseball

Led by Bob Hirschfield until 2012, the NYIT baseball team was the only sport that competed at the NCAA Division I level, as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

. With over 650 wins, Coach Hirschfield helped over 60 players reach the next level and sign professional contracts. The most recent signings were Joe Esposito, Mike Laluna, Kraig Binick, Mike Roth, Lou Bernardi, Jon Burke, Andrew Gurassi, Steve Faulkner, George Carroll, Danny Lackner and Frank Valentino. Some of the more notable professional signings in recent and past years were Al Watson, Al Labozetta, Bill DaCosta, Alan Ashkinazy, Mike Gaffney, Chris Rojas, Brian Goelz, and Jimmy Goelz. The Bears opened their newly renovated ball park in 2014 and also began playing as an independent, following the demise of the

Great West Conference The Great West Conference (GWC) was an NCAA college athletic conference in the continental United States. Originally a football-only league, it became an all-sports entity during the 2008–09 season. The GWC stopped sponsoring football following ...

In the fall of 2017, Tech moved its baseball program to Division II, matching the rest of its athletic programs. The school requested that the NCAA grant the team immediate eligibility rather than going through the usual two-year transition period, and this was granted, allowing the team to immediately compete in the

and able to qualify for the NCAA Division II championship. Under first-year coach Frank Catalanotto in 2019, the program reached the College World Series for the first time in program history.

Lacrosse

During lacrosse coach Jack Kaley's tenure (1993-2009), Tech's lacrosse team rose to become a national powerhouse. Under Kaley, the Bears had a record of 152-28. They won the East Coast Conference championship four consecutive years (2002-2005). They have reached the NCAA Division II national championship game six times, and have won the national championship four times, including an undefeated season in 2003. Upon Kaley's retirement, Bill Dunn was appointed head coach. Since Bill Dunn has been appointed head coach, the Bears have won the East Coast Conference Championships in 2017 and 2018. * NCAA National Finalists: 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 *

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

National Championships: 1997, 2003, 2005, 2008

Men's basketball

In 1980, the men's basketball team made its first and only appearance in the NCAA Division II national championship game, losing 80-74 to Virginia Union. Several Bears have gone on to play professionally overseas including Bryant Lassiter, Manix Auriantal, and Kirk Stewart. After serving as interim head coach for the final two games of the 2018-19 season, Evan Conti became head coach for the 2019-20 season. * NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1978, 1980, 2004 * ECC Championship: 2006-2007

Women's basketball

In 2005-2006, the women's basketball team made its first appearance in the East Coast Conference tournament. The Bears advanced to the championship game. NYIT made another run at the ECC title in 2006-07. In 2009-2010, Anthony Crocitto was named head coach of the women's basketball program and since then the Bears have doubled their wins total each season. In 2011-2012, NYIT produced the program's best record in school history (16-13). The Bears made it back to the ECC Tournament but lost in the first round to neighboring LIU Post. In the 2014-15 season, the Bears lost in the ECC Championship to Queens College (N.Y.). Under third-year coach Kenny Parham, the program won its first East Coast Conference postseason championship in 2019.

Men's soccer

Since coach Carlos Delcid took over in 2001, NYIT's soccer team has become one of the best in the nation. In 2003, the Bears advanced to the NCAA playoffs after an absence of 18 years, when the Bears advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1985. They have established a school record of 13 wins in a row and have been ranked as high as no. 7 in the nation. In 2005, the men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. They lost on penalty kicks to

Franklin Pierce College Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional development, professional preparation. The scho ...

. The Bears won their first ECC Championship in 2011 off a goal from Senior Danilo Hernandez. NYIT men's soccer has four All-Americans: Vinny Caccavale (2012), Kyle Cupid (2007), Eduardo Anacelto (2005), and Algernon Lawrence (1984).

Softball

The softball team made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2009.

Notable alumni

Don Cooper Donald James Cooper (born January 15, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who spent parts of four seasons with the Minnesota Twins (1981–1982), Toronto Blue Jays (1983) and New York Yankees (1985). He was the pi ...

(Pitching Coach,

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, Member of

2005 World Series The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...

Championship team) * Ray Giannelli:

* Allen Watson:

(Member of

2000 World Series The 2000 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2000 Major League Baseball season, 2000 season. The 96th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between crosstown opponents, th ...

Champion

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

)

References

External links

* {{New York Sports