CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- By winning its first men’s basketball title since 2002 and finishing as runner-up in four other winter championships, Boston University remains in first place in the America East Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup standings following the winter season. The Commissioner’s Cup annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in America East as determined by a scoring system which rewards schools for success both during the regular season and at championship competition in the conference’s 20 sports.
Seeking its sixth straight cup and ninth in the last 10 years, Boston U. has 284 points and holds a 63-point advantage over University at Albany, which has 221 points, following the six winter championships. UMBC is in third with 187 points and is followed closely by New Hampshire, which sits in fourth with 183 points. Stony Brook University and Binghamton University are fifth and sixth with 178 and 170 points, respectively. University of Maine (134 points), University of Vermont (131) and University of Hartford (130) round out the standings.
Boston U., which is tied with Delaware for the most Cups all-time with 10, earned 148 points over the winter, 47 more than any other school. Fifty of those came in men’s basketball as the Terriers finished second during the regular season, their best finish since 2004, and captured their first league crown since 2002. Boston U. also earned significant points in women’s basketball, placing second during the regular season and reaching the league title game for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons. Additionally, the Terriers posted runner-up finishes in men’s and women’s swimming & diving and women’s track & field.
Albany, which was in fifth place at this time a year ago, earned the bulk of its points by sweeping the indoor track & field titles for the second straight season. The championship was the men’s sixth straight and women’s second consecutive. Winners of the 2004-05 Commissioner’s Cup, the Great Danes also succeeded in men’s and women’s basketball, with the men earning their best regular-season finish in four seasons (T-3rd) and the women placing fifth.
UMBC, which was in eighth place following winter sports last season, earned the second-most points (101) of any school during the winter. The Retrievers swept the men’s and women’s swimming & diving titles for the third time in the last five years and also earned the most points of any school in women’s basketball, winning their first-ever America East regular-season crown and reaching the semifinals of the league championship for the first time since 2007.
Stony Brook, which had its best-ever Commissioner’s Cup finish last season placing second, gained the bulk of its points (36) in men’s basketball. The Seawolves finished fifth in the regular season and reached the conference championship game for the first time in school history.
New Hampshire maintained its fourth-place standing after placing third in women’s swimming & diving for the fourth time in the last five years. The Wildcats also placed fourth in women’s indoor track & field.
Binghamton finished in a tie for third in women’s basketball, its best regular-season finish since 2006. The Bearcats also placed second in men’s indoor track & field for the fourth straight year.
Maine tied for the third-most points in men’s basketball, finishing in a tie for third place in the regular season. The Black Bears also placed third in women’s indoor track & field, their best finish since 2006.
Vermont earned the majority of its points (49) in men’s basketball and second-most of any America East school by winning the league’s regular-season title for the fifth time in the last 10 years.
Hartford earned the third-most points (44) of any school in women’s basketball after winning its fifth league title since 2002. The Hawks also reached the league semifinals in men’s basketball for the first time since 2008.
The scoring system for the Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup is as follows: In sports where regular-season round robin competition is conducted, the first-place institution in the final standings receives four points times the total number of teams involved in conference play. The second-place institution receives four less points; third place receives eight less points, and so on. Additionally, the America East (tournament) champion receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two less points; third place receives four less points and so on down to the last-place institution which receives two points.
In sports where regular-season round robin competition is not conducted (cross country, tennis, track and field, swimming and diving), the first-place institution at the America East championship receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two less points; third place gets four less points and so on down to the last place team which receives two points.
The Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup is named in honor of the first commissioner of America East. Haskell served as commissioner of the conference from 1987 until his retirement in 1997.
For more information on the Commissioner’s Cup, including past winners, visit the Commissioner's Cup page.