TCNJ Lions

The TCNJ Lions are the athletic teams representing The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). They are a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and compete within Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Overview

In 1957, TCNJ, then known as Trenton State College, was a founding member of the NJAC (then called the New Jersey State Athletic Conference) along with five other state institutions. Since then, and after the conference allowed women's sports in 1985, the school has been a powerhouse winning the most titles in men's cross country, women's cross country, field hockey, women's tennis, women's soccer.

The school fields 11 varsity sports teams for men and women each and has captured 44 team national championships, as well as more than 40 individual and relay national championships, across multiple programs. The school's two most successful are the Women's Lacrosse team with 12 NCAA Division III Championships and the Women's Field Hockey team with 11 Division III NCAA Championships, the most of any team in D-III for either sport.

Varsity sports

TCNJ's varsity teams are the top combined first- and second-place finishers of all 424 Division III schools in the nation over more than 25 years.

Lacrosse

The women's lacrosse team has played in the championship game 16 out of 20 possible times, winning 11 (though the 1992 title was later vacated) and qualifying for the NCAA tournament 21 consecutive times through 2005, highlighted by a 93–1 record from 1991 to 1996. The women's field hockey team has won 10 Division III crowns in 14 championship appearances (both twice as many as any other school).

Soccer

The TCNJ men's soccer team won the 1996 National Championship and was the National Championship Runner-up in 1997.

Track and field

The track and field teams have especially dominated the NJAC since the title was first contested in 1997, winning each year in both indoor and outdoor.

In 2017–18, TCNJ captured its first NJAC cup, after claiming titles in women’s cross country, field hockey, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track & field, and women’s lacrosse, and NJAC regular season titles in softball and baseball.

Wrestling

The wrestling team hosts has placed in the top 20 nationally for 30 consecutive years, including 5 national championships (1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987), 5 runner-up finishes, and numerous finishes in the top 5.

The TCNJ wrestling team has placed in the top 20 nationally for 30 consecutive years, including 5 national championships (1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987), 5 runner-up finishes, and numerous finishes in the top 5.

Varsity championships

National and NCAA championships

Source
List of individual TCNJ national champions

*The NCAA vacated the 1992 Women's Lacrosse title due to use of an ineligible player during the tournament

Conference championships

Club sports

Outside of varsity athletics the school also hosts 15 club sports including a men's ice hockey team that competes within the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) at Division I. The team is a member of the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League. Prior to 2022, the team competed in ACHA Division II and won championships in various conferences such as the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference (2012, 2014) and the Colonial States College Hockey Conference (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). Following the jump to ACHA Division 1, a second men's ice hockey team was launched which currently competes in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (Men's 2A Tri-State Division).

The TCNJ cheerleading team has found success in the collegiate cheerleading world since its inception in 2000. In 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2020, the program was recognized as National Champions at Universal Cheerleaders Association's College championship.

Ice hockey

The school's club ice hockey team have found success as a member of multiple American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) conferences since the group's creation in 1977.

The team currently plays in the Colonial State College Hockey Conference where it began play as a founding member in 2014, has won four conference championships (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), and earned bids to the ACHA Southeast Regional Tournament. Prior to this as a member of the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference the team won two conference titles in 2012 and 2014.

Facilities

The main athletic facility, Lions Stadium, holds 6,000 spectators and is home to the football, field hockey, lacrosse, and intramural teams. The stadium opened in the fall of 1984 and featured the first North American installation of AstroTurf's vertical-drainage system. This system prevents the "duck-pond effect" commonly seen with other artificial surfaces.

In 2008, reports indicated that the turf contained higher-than-acceptable levels of lead and was subsequently removed. Now, the stadium is furnished with ''Tiger Turf'', which is the first installation of the ''Trophy Turf'' in the United States. The stadium has hosted multiple NCAA tournaments and championship games, as well as the annual Special Olympics New Jersey and the annual USSBA Central Jersey Regional marching band competition.

References

External links

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{{NewYorksports

Sports clubs and teams in the New York metropolitan area