BOSTON – An unprecedented year that featured fall sports shifting to the spring and 16 conference championships taking place over a 13-week span resulted in the closest America East Commissioner’s Cup race in a decade. In a historic race, Stony Brook claimed the 2020-21 Stuart P. Haskell Cup barely edging out UAlbany by just two points, the league announced Wednesday morning.
The two-point margin is tied for the smallest all-time, matching the 2011-12 race. 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 championship competition across all conference-sponsored sports.
It is the second-straight first-place finish for the Seawolves, who also claimed the 2018-19 cup. The Commissioner’s Cup was not awarded last year when the COVID-19 pandemic halted competition in March.
Full Commissioner’s Cup standings:
2020-21 Final Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner's Cup Standings
Rank School Points
| 1. Stony Brook |
|
|
296 |
| 2. UAlbany |
|
294 |
| T3. UMass Lowell |
|
245 |
| T3. UMBC |
|
|
245 |
| 5. Vermont |
|
223 |
| 6. UNH |
|
|
212 |
| 7. Binghamton |
|
|
186 |
| 8. Maine |
|
|
167 |
| 9. Hartford |
|
135 |
| 10. NJIT |
|
101 |
Need to Know
- Every school reached the championship game in at least one sport.
- Eight schools won championships with seven claiming regular-season titles.
- Stony Brook joins UAlbany, Boston University and Delaware as multi-time Commissioner’s Cup winners.
- The Seawolves won a league-best three conference championships and a pair of regular-season crowns.
- UAlbany narrowly placed second and has finished first and second in the Commissioner’s Cup standings every year since 2010-11.
- UMBC’s third-place finish is its best since the 2014-15 academic year and matches its best-ever finish.
- UMass Lowell’s third-place finish matches its best-ever Commissioner’s Cup finish (2018-19).
- In addition to Stony Brook’s three championships, four schools won two, including UAlbany, UMBC, UMass Lowell and New Hampshire while Binghamton, Hartford and Vermont each captured one title.
- The Indoor Track & Field Championship were not held this year due to COVID-19.
"All of our schools, programs and student-athlete deserve immense credit for persevering through an incredibly challenging year," said America East Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen. "Congratulations not only to Stony Brook on its impressive achievement but all of our schools, which each experienced successes this year."
"Winning the Commissioner's Cup is a testament to the belief and dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Stony Brook Director of Athletics, Shawn Heilbron said. “It is especially meaningful this year because we were forced to be nimble and adapt to significant challenges beyond our control. We have very high expectations for competitive success across all of our sports, which is why winning the Commissioner's Cup is so important to us.”
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. Slight adjustments were approved for the 2020-21 academic year to account for regular-season formats that included divisions and pods. Additionally, programs that did not complete its season due to COVID-19 were slotted in the standings based on contests completed.
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, 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.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
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