CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Boston University, winner of the last six America East Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cups and nine of the last 10, continues to lead the 2012 standings following a winter season in which the Terriers won three conference titles and a regular-season crown. The Terriers grew their lead over University at Albany, which was just eight points back after the fall season, to 29 points.
The Commissioner’s Cup annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in America East as determined by a scoring system which rewards a school for success both during the regular season and at championship competition in the conference’s 20 sports.
With 12 of the conference’s 20 championships in the books, first-place Boston U. has 288 points, the most by any program through the winter season in seven years under the current scoring format. Albany, which won two league championships during the winter, follows the Terriers in second place with 259 points. University of New Hampshire (193 points) and Stony Brook University (184) come in at third and fourth, respectively. University of Vermont (167) jumped one spot to sixth place, while just one point separates University of Hartford (147) and UMBC (146), which sit in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Binghamton University (135 points) and University of Maine (99) round out the standings.
Boston U., which became the league’s all-time leader by winning its 11th Cup last year, earned 142 points over the winter, 21 more than any other school. The Terriers won three conference titles over the winter, including a sweep of the men’s and women’s swimming & diving titles for the first time since 1994. Boston U. also captured its fifth women’s indoor track & field crown in seven years and finished second on the men’s side. Forty-nine of the Terriers’ points were accumulated in women’s basketball, which won the regular-season title for the second time in four years.
Albany, the only other active member to have won a Commissioner’s Cup (2004-05), picked up the most points of any women’s basketball program by finishing second in the regular season and capturing the school’s first-ever league title. The men’s basketball team also picked up significant points, finishing fourth in the regular season and reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The Great Danes also won their seventh straight men’s indoor track & field title and placed second on the women’s side.
New Hampshire maintained its third-place standing after placing third in women’s swimming & diving for the fifth time in the last six years. The Wildcats placed fourth in men’s indoor track & field, the seventh time in eight years they’ve finished fourth or better. UNH also finished in fourth place in women’s basketball during the regular season, its best showing since the 2004-05 season.
Stony Brook stayed in fourth place by earning the most points of any school in men’s basketball. The Seawolves won their second regular-season title in three years and also reached the league title game for the second straight season. Lucy Van Dalen, the national champion, in the women’s indoor mile ,also helped the Seawolves earn points.
Vermont earned the majority of its points (50-of-91) in men’s basketball by capturing the program’s fifth conference crown since 2003. The Catamounts, whose men’s hoops team was second during the regular season, also finished fourth in both women’s indoor track & field and women’s swimming.
Hartford picked up a combined 67 points in men’s and women’s basketball, the fourth-most of any school. The women placed third in the regular season, the seventh time in eight years they’ve been third or better. The men also reached the America East semifinals for the second straight season.
UMBC, which along with Vermont was one of just two schools to improve its standing, picked up 96 points during the winter, the third-most in the league, by finishing as runner-up in three sports: women’s basketball and men’s and women’s swimming & diving.
Binghamton earned the bulk of its points in women’s basketball by reaching the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years. The Bearcats also finished third in men’s indoor track & field, the fifth straight year they’ve been third or better.
Maine’s best winter showing was a sixth-place finish in men’s indoor track & field. The women’s basketball team also won its first conference tournament game since 2006.
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.
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 & field, swimming & 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.