On Thursday, NYIT announced that it would suspend all of its Division II athletics programs for at least two years, citing ongoing financial concerns largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have a rich legacy in competitive sports and are proud of everything our student-athletes have accomplished over the years. We thank everyone involved in our athletics program for their spirit, dedication, and professionalism,” NYIT president Henry C. “Hank” Foley said. “For the next two years, unfortunately, we will no longer be competing with our peers in the East Coast Conference (ECC) and NCAA Division II.”

In an official release, NYIT said all student-athletes would have their scholarships honored. There are about 250 student-athletes enrolled at the institution.

The future remains unclear for sports at the school. “At a future date, New York Tech will re-evaluate the decision to suspend its participation in NCAA competition,” the release said.

NYIT’s men’s lacrosse program has a history as one of the most storied D-II programs of the past 30 years.

After a 14-year hiatus, Jack Kaley resurrected the program in 1993 and proceeded to go 152-28 from 1993-2009. During that time, the Bears won four NCAA titles (1997, 2003, 2005, 2008) and finished as NCAA finalists six times (1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008).

At the height of their dominance in the East Coast Conference in 2003, the Bears finished undefeated.

Bill Dunn took over the program upon Kaley’s retirement and led NYIT to ECC championships in 2017 and 2018.

The NYIT women’s team is a relatively new program. When Dowling College went under in May 2016, NYIT absorbed its women’s lacrosse program. Kerri Handras was hired as the head coach on June 3, 2016, and 14 former Dowling players joined the team.

The Bears earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament in the program’s first season in 2017, and in 2019, the Bears earned a share of their first ECC regular-season championship.