University of Maine won the America East Academic Cup with a record-setting grade-point average it was announced today by Chris Monasch, Commissioner of America East. Maine student-athletes compiled a grade-point average of 3.12 during the 2003-04 academic year. It is the highest grade-point average by an institution in the nine-year history of the award.
University of Vermont (3.10), University of Hartford (3.08), University of New Hampshire (3.05) and Binghamton University (3.02) were other institutions to compile grade-point averages of 3.00 or better. Binghamton, which had won the Academic Cup in each of its first two years in America East in 2001-02 and 2002-03, established the conference record with a 3.07 grade-point average last season.
Maine fielded teams in 16 of the 22 sports sponsored by the conference during the 2003-04 academic year and saw 13 of those teams post grade-point averages of 3.05 or better. The Black Bears had three sport leaders: women’s swimming and diving (3.28), men’s cross country (3.10) and field hockey (3.10), which shared the honor with Northeastern University and Vermont.
"Maine’s student-athletes, coaches and administrators should take great pride in their commitment to academics," Monasch said. "The Academic Cup is a tribute to the leadership of athletic director Patrick Nero and the hard work and dedication of all those associated with the Black Bear athletic programs. Maine fans should take great pride not only in their team’s accomplishments in the athletic arena but in the academic sector as well."
Maine’s student-athletes are part of the nearly 3,500 student-athletes who compete at 10 America East institutions. The conference’s student-athletes compiled a 2.97 grade-point average for the 2003-04 academic year.
Vermont’s women’s cross country team posted the highest grade-point average of any of the 22 sports with a 3.54. Cross country and field hockey were two of seven sports winners for the Catamounts, with women’s tennis (3.45), women’s basketball (3.35), men’s golf (3.02), men’s basketball (2.94) and women’s lacrosse (3.03), which shared the honor with Binghamton, also earning that distinction.
Other sport winners were: baseball, Binghamton (3.16); women’s golf, University at Albany (3.43); men’s lacrosse, Hartford (2.76); men’s soccer, Hartford (3.20); women’s soccer, Hartford (3.28); softball, Hartford (3.29); men’s swimming and diving, Boston University, (3.08); men’s tennis, Stony Brook University (3.32); men’s indoor track and field, New Hampshire (3.39); women’s indoor track and field, New Hampshire (3.47); men’s outdoor track and field, New Hampshire (3.46); women’s outdoor track and field, New Hampshire (3.44); and volleyball, Hartford (3.30).
The Academic Cup, established by the America East Board of Directors in 1995, is presented to the institution whose student-athletes post the highest grade-point averages during that academic year. The grade-point averages of all student-athletes who compete in the 22 championship sports sponsored by America East are averaged to determine the winner.
Vermont won the inaugural Academic Cup in 1995-96. Hartford was the winner in 1996-97. New Hampshire won the Academic Cup in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
America East institutions for 2003-04 included Albany, Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, Maine, UMBC, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Stony Brook and Vermont.