Championship seasons by Panther lacrosse and tennis teams, along with outstanding showings in other spring and fall sports, led Adelphi to its third-straight trophy as the Northeast 10 Conference top all-around program.
For the third consecutive year, the stands atop the , and this time, the Panthers didn’t just win the NE10 Presidents Cup, the annual trophy given to the conference鈥檚 top all-around program. They made history doing it.
Adelphi’s three-peat marks the first such accomplishment by any institution since 2009鈥�2012, pushing the Panthers’ all-time Cup total to seven, third-most in conference history. On top of that, Adelphi also won the NE10 Founders Cup and Pioneers Cup as the best men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 programs, respectively. It is the second time Adelphi has swept those trophies in the three years they have been awarded.
Most telling, however, is what the Brown and Gold have done in the modern era: Since 2012鈥�2013, no program has been more dominant, with Adelphi now claiming seven of the last 14 Presidents Cups.
A Dynasty Defined: Men’s Lacrosse Falls One Step Short of Immortality
For 14 consecutive weeks, the two-time defending national champion chased history, bidding to become the first three-peat in NCAA Division II history.
In near-identical fashion to in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Cats and University of Tampa once again needed extra time to settle the score, this time in a 12-11 loss at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
The defeat stings, but the r茅sum茅 endures. At 19-1, the Panthers were the first program to appear in three consecutive national title games since 2017鈥�2019.
Goaltender led all of Division II with a 5.61 goals-against average and a .663 save percentage while limiting opponents to a nationwide-low 6.25 goals per game.
received the title of Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year, the third consecutive season a Panther has claimed the honor, while also repeating as the Lt. J.G. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder of the Year. Tomei attained an Ensign G. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie citation, and was named Long Pole Midfielder of the Year. and hold on to their honors from the 2025 season, being named the Lt. Col. JI Turnbull Outstanding Attackman and the William C. Schmeisser Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
A Grand Slam in the Desert: Women’s Tennis Makes Program History
While the men’s lacrosse team was making its stand in Virginia, the was writing its own chapter in the NCAA Tournament in Surprise, Arizona.
Under ’18, MS ’21, herself a former NE10 Player of the Year for the very program she now leads, the Panthers posted a perfect 12-0 NE10 regular-season record, their first unblemished conference mark since ’26 was a Panther in 2015鈥�2016, before claiming the NE10 Championship in dominant fashion at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The historic run culminated in the program’s first-ever appearance in the .
Fakas was coined as the NE10 Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year, and the ITA/Dunlop Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s programs, having guided her teams to a combined 33-12 record.
’26, who pushed the nationally fourth-ranked Emily Buchanan of Mississippi College to a first-set tiebreak in Adelphi’s debut at nationals, was named the ITA East Region Senior Player of the Year, adding to a decorated r茅sum茅 that includes , , an NE10 Elite 24 Award and First Team NE10 All-Conference praise in both singles and doubles.
Men’s Tennis: Three’s Not a Crowd, It’s a Dynasty
The men’s tennis team became the NE10’s first three-time tournament champion since 2019, joining three other universities as the only programs in conference history to claim that distinction.
, MS ’26, was labeled the Vern Cox NE10 Player of the Year, the fourth-consecutive Panther to do so, while earned his second career NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Player honor.
Softball’s Remarkable Resurrection
In just her second season at the helm, Head Coach engineered one of the most impressive single-year turnarounds in recent program memory.
After a sub-.500 finish in 2025, the Panthers rebounded to go 37-23 overall with a 27-9 conference record, earning the No. 2 seed in the NE10 Championship, hosting an NCAA Tournament regional pod within the friendly confines of Janet L. Ficke Field, and .
“Carv”-ing Up the Opposition
A live fastball that sat in the 90s was just the beginning for fifth-year senior ’26.
Under the mentorship of first-year , the right-hander put together the finest season of his career in Garden City, going 7-1 with a 2.67 earned-run average to earn NE10 Pitcher of the Year honors, as well as draw some eyes from Major League scouts.
In doing so, Carver joined a short list of distinguished Cats to earn All-America recognition, following in the footsteps of T.J. Santiago ’17 (2017), Ed Baram ’19 (2019) and Dawson Montesa (2025) in bringing the conference’s top pitching honor back to Adelphi for the second time in as many years.
A Rising Tide
The NE10 Presidents Cup isn’t won by two or three programs alone. It is a collective achievement.
The Adelphi men’s and went a combined 17-0 against conference opponents, outscoring them 299-122. The women’s tennis team’s 12-0 regular season run complemented the men’s team, capturing three of the last four NE10 regular season championships.
volleyball program recorded its fourth consecutive 20-win season. And on the links, the , paired with runner-up finishes from the , , and at their respective NE10 Championships, ensured no points were left on the table.
The Panthers aren’t just winning. They’re redefining what sustained excellence looks like in NCAA Division II athletics.