Major Events in Bentley Athletic History

1963	Bentley fields its first varsity athletic teams, competing in basketball, skiing, tennis, golf and cross country.
1967	Bentley is elected to membership in the NCAA.
1969	Baseball and track become the college's newest varsity sports.
1970	Bentley's first on-campus athletic facility, a baseball field, is constructed.
1972	Men's basketball competes in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. It was the first of five straight regional appearances for the Falcons.
1972	Men's varsity soccer and club football programs begin
1973-74	Bentley fields its first intercollegiate women's teams, with field hockey, basketball and softball gaining varsity status a year later.
1973	Opening of the Dana Physical Education Center. Men's basketball defeats Lowell Tech, 105-63, in the first-ever on-campus game in the program's history.
1974	Bentley hosts the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball New England Regionals for the first time.
1977-78	Women's tennis is added, and hockey is elevated from club to varsity status.
1979	Men's basketball is ranked number one in Division II for the first time ever.
1980	Bentley becomes a charter member of the Northeast-7 (now Northeast-10) conference.
1981	Women's volleyball team makes its debut
1981	Field hockey falls to Pfeiffer College, 5-3, in the first NCAA Division II national championship game in Meisenheimer, N.C.
1982	Women's basketball competes in the first NCAA Division II tournament.
1983	Women's cross country is added as a varsity sport, and women's track follows a year later.
1984	The Dana Center is expanded with the addition of a pool.
1988	Football is elevated to varsity status.
1989	Men's basketball again climbs to the top of the Division II rankings.
1989	Women's basketball captures its first-ever NCAA Division II regional championship and competes in the NCAA Division II Championships in Cleveland, Miss. The Falcons finish third in the country after edging Central Missouri, 83-81, in the third-place game.
1989	A new football field and synthetic turf field expand Bentley's outdoor facilities.
1990	Women's basketball reaches the NCAA Division II national championship game for the first time ever, which is televised nationally by ESPN2.
1991	Women's basketball earns a third straight trip to the NCAA Division II national semifinals, which are held in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
1991	Women's soccer becomes Bentley's newest varsity sport
1991	Bob DeFelice is named just the second Director of Athletics in the college's history.
1992	Incredibly, it's a fourth straight national semifinal appearance for Bentley women's basketball, with the 1992 championship held in Fargo, N.D.
1993	Bentley hosts the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships in the Dana Center, with the field including North Dakota State, Michigan Tech and Delta State.
1993	Men's lacrosse gains varsity status.
1993-95	Football enjoys a 30-game winning streak, longest by a New England team in the 20th century. Included are back-to-back unbeaten, untied seasons in 1993 and 1994.
1994-95	Swimming is elevated to varsity status.
1995-96	Bentley captures the first of seven Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cups in eight years, emblematic of the best overall athletic program in the conference.
1997	Women's basketball reaches the NCAA Division II national semifinals for the sixth time in nine years.
1999	Barbara Stevens becomes the winningest women's basketball coach in Division II history.
1999	Women's lacrosse becomes Bentley's newest varsity sport.
1999	Hockey becomes Bentley's first Division I sport.
1999	Field hockey falls to Bloomsburg, 2-0, in the NCAA Division II national championship game
2000	Field hockey reaches the NCAA Division II national championship game for the third time, but falls, 2-0
2001	Baseball sets an NCAA Division II record by averaging a remarkable 2.39 home runs per game.
2001	The field hockey team captures Bentley's first-ever NCAA Division II Championship, defeating East Stroudsburg 4-2 in the national championship game at home.
2002	The baseball team moves into brand-new Robert DeFelice field as part of the development of the former DeVincent property. A new track, soccer field and tennis courts are also added.
2002	Field hockey competes in the NCAA Division II national championship game for the fourth straight year, but the defending champions are dethroned by Bloomsburg University.
2002	Hockey is a charter member of the new Atlantic Hockey Association.
2002	Sports Information Director Dick Lipe is inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame
3/27/2003	Women's basketball comes within a buzzer-beating three of reaching the NCAA Division II national championship game before falling to South Dakota State in overtime in St. Joseph, Mo.
11/22/2003	Football makes its NCAA Division II playoff debut, hosting two-time defending national champion Grand Valley State.
2004	The grass surface of the football field is replaced by FieldTurf, enabling daily use of the facility.
11/13/2004	Football earns an NCAA Division II playoff berth for the second time and hosts Edinboro University.
4/29/2006	Barbara Stevens is inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.
2006	Expansion of the Dana Center concludes with the addition of a new fitness center, lobby and food court.
2006	During the NCAA Division II Fall Festival in Pensacola, Fla., field hockey drops a 1-0 decision to Bloomsburg University in the national championship game.
Mar. 2007	Men's basketball makes its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning 32 straight games before falling to undefeated Winona State in the national quarterfinals at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
2007	Mackenzy Bernadeau becomes Bentley's first NFL draft pick as he's taken in the 7th round by the Charlotte Panthers. Bernadeau goes on to a nine-year NFL career.
Mar. 2008	It's a return trip to the Elite Eight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield with this year's team winning its first 34 games before falling to eventual champion Winona State in the national semifinals.
Nov. 2008	In men's basketball, Bentley's 55-game regular season winning streak comes to an end. The streak broke the Division II record that had stood since the 40's.
Mar. 2010	Men's basketball punches its ticket for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the third time in four years and once again reaches the national semifinals.
3/23/2010	Jason Westrol named the Division II Men's Basketball Player of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches Association
2012	It's another appearance for women's basketball in the NCAA Division II national semifinals with the Falcons falling to eventual national champion Ashland in San Antonio.
11/24/2013	Tara Dooley finishes 4th in the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championships, the highest finish ever for a Bentley individual in a national championship.
3/28/2014	Women's basketball completes a undefeated season by capturing the NCAA Division II national championship with a come-from-behind win over West Texas A&M in Erie, Pa.
4/7/2014	During the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Awards Show in Nashville, Lauren Battista is named the WBCA Division II National Player of the Year and Barbara Stevens received the Pat Summitt Trophy as the Division II National Coach of the Year. It was the record fifth time she's earned the prestigious honor.
6/9/2014	Former soccer player Terry Carleton was inducted into the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Carleton served Bentley as chair of the Board of Trustees and interim president.
6/13/2014	Women's basketball great Lauren Battista was named the 2014 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year by THE Collegiate Women's Sports Awards (CWSA). She received the award June 30 during a nationally-televised awards show in Los Angeles.
7/30/2014	Women's basketball's Lauren Battista is named the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year, for all sports, by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
8/31/2015	Longtime Bentley women's volleyball coach Sandy Hoffman passes away after a long battle with cancer. Hoffman led the Falcons from 1982-2013 and also served as an assistant athletics director.
3/23/2016	Women's basketball advances to the NCAA Division II national semifinals for the 10th time before falling to undefeated and number one ranked Lubbock Christian, 67-57
1/17/2018	Barbara Stevens wins her 1,000th career game, becoming the fifth women's basketball coach and seventh basketball coach overall to reach that special milestone, as her Falcons defeat Adelphi 78-66
2/16/2018	The first hockey game is held in the Bentley Arena with the Falcons coming up short against Army West Point
6/2/2018	Bob DeFelice statue is unveiled outside the Bentley Arena.
1/19/2019	The basketball court in the Dana Center is dedicated as Barbara Stevens Court.
4/4/2020	Women's basketball coach Barbara Stevens is announced as a member of the 2020 Class for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The inductees also include basketball legends Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
2020	Coach DeFelice retires as Director of Athletics, but will continue his 50+ year run as the university's baseball coach.
6/23/2020	Hall of Fame coach Barbara Stevens announces her retirement following a 44-year coaching career that included 1,058 victories.
8/17/2020	Vaughn Williams is hired as the third Director of Athletics in Bentley history.
5/6/2022	Coach DeFelice wraps up his 54-year career as Bentley's head baseball coach with a 4-1 loss at Stonehill College.
6/13/2023	Former Bentley soccer goalie Rick Miller '80 is inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame by the College Sports Communicators for his lifetime success in his professional career and his commitments to philantropic causes.
2024	Women's golf becomes Bentley's 24th varsity sport.
9/20/2024	The Bentley football field is named after longtime head coach Peter Yetten.
10/6/2024	Coach DeFelice, Bentley's Director of Athletics from 1991-2020 and the baseball coach from 1969-2022, passes away at the age of 82 at his home in Winthrop.
12/12/2024	Bentley becomes the first team in Northeast-10 history to win a match at the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Elite Eight, taking down number one-ranked Ferris State in five sets.
3/22/2025	With a come-from-behind 6-3 win at Holy Cross, Bentley claims its first-ever Atlantic Hockey Championship.
3/28/2025	Bentley hockey competes in the NCAA Championships for the first time ever with the Falcons falling in a nationally-televised game (ESPN2) to top-seeded Boston College at the Verizon Arena (Manchester, N.H.). It was a 1-1 game until the Eagles scored twice in the final 90 seconds.
2025	The first major renovation of the interior of the Dana Center takes place with the field house being split into two separate gyms.