Meet Canisius’ newest conference foe: Le Moyne College

By Cassandra Ercoli, Assistant Sports Editor

Le Moyne College has accepted an invitation to join the Metro Conference beginning in fall 2027 as the 13th institutional member, the conference announced last week. 

The Dolphins, who currently sponsor 22 sports, currently compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The college also recently completed the move to Division I athletics, making the move from Division II’s Northeast 10 (NE10) in July 2023. 

“Le Moyne’s leadership has taken an aggressive approach to building its Division I athletics program, and demonstrated a strong commitment to investing in its future success. With significant economic development and investment taking place throughout central New York, this is an exciting time for Le Moyne and the Syracuse region,” said Metro Commissioner Travis Tellitocci in the conference’s press release.

Located in Syracuse, N.Y., Le Moyne College provides a closer regional opponent for both Canisius and Niagara, who stand as the only two schools in the Metro west of Albany. The Dolphins sponsor 10 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams as well as 21 of the conference’s 23 sports.

 "This move will allow Le Moyne to compete against peer institutions with similar missions and values that are committed to academic excellence and that have legacies of on–field achievement and institutional support for athletics,” added Le Moyne President Linde LeMura.

The 2026–2027 academic year will mark the school’s first year with full National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I active member status. Since joining the NEC and Division I, the Dolphins have captured one regular season title in both men's and women’s lacrosse. 

Founded in 1946 by the Society of Jesus and with an undergrad enrollment of around 2,500 students, Le Moyne College will join Canisius and Saint Peter’s as the third Jesuit institution in the Metro and the conference’s 10th Catholic school. The conference will be one of just four NCAA Division I conferences with at least three or more Jesuit institutions, joining the Big East, Atlantic 10 and West Coast Conference (WCC).

While at the Division II level, the Dolphins claimed 44 conference titles to go with eight national titles, six of which were garnered by the men’s lacrosse teams. Le Moyne’s athletic teams have combined for a total of 136 NCAA tournaments, with 27 of them coming in the last five years as a member of the NE10. 

Despite the school’s recent move to the Division I level, this is not Le Moyne’s first time as part of the Metro. The Dolphins were members of the then Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) from 1990 to 2007 in baseball and women’s lacrosse. During that time, the baseball team enjoyed eight conference championships and four tournament championships while winning more than 300 games against conference opponents. The women’s lacrosse team also earned great success from their first stint, taking home four conference tournament championships during their nine years of membership.  

While the Metro Conference currently has 13 institutions, Fairfield University announced in June that they will be departing the conference in favor of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) come Fall 2027. Le Moyne will become the fourth school to join the Metro since 2022, with the latest additions coming in 2024 with the welcoming of Merrimack and Sacred Heart. 

Last year, the Golden Griffins posted a record of 4–2 against the Dolphins, including a 24-11 win in baseball and a sweep for the lacrosse teams. This year, the Griffs are 2-1 against their newest conference rival, with the Canisius women’s volleyball team earning their first win in a sweep against Le Moyne on Sept. 18. 

The next meeting between the Griffs and Dolphins is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2027 when Le Moyne travels to Buffalo for a dual meet against Canisius’ swimming and diving teams.