Boston University Maintains Commissioner's Cup Lead After Winter Season - AmericaEast.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? After winning two conference championships, a regular-season title and earning a runner-up finish during the winter season, Boston University continues on course to capture its fourth straight America East Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup. The Terriers, who have won six of the last seven Cups overall, lead the 2008-09 standings after the completion of the winter season. 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 21 sports.
Following the six winter championships, Boston University has 248 points and holds a 41-point edge over Binghamton University, which is in second place with 207 points. University at Albany, the 2004-05 Cup winner, has 193 points and has a slim one-point lead over New Hampshire for third place. University of Vermont is fourth (151 points), followed by Stony Brook University (141), UMBC (127), University of Maine (123) and University of Hartford (100).
Boston University, which already held an 18-point edge after the fall season, had the largest point jump from the fall of any school, earning 91 points after capturing team titles in women’s indoor track & field, as well as women’s swimming & diving. The Terriers also had runner-up finishes in women’s basketball and men’s indoor track & field. Additionally, Boston U. won the regular-season crown in women’s hoops, becoming just the fourth America East squad ever to complete the regular season unbeaten.
Binghamton moved up from fourth to second after earning 84 points this winter, the second-most in the league. The Bearcats earned over a third of those points in men’s basketball, sharing the regular-season title with Vermont and winning the program’s first-ever conference title with a victory over UMBC in the championship game. The Bearcats also placed second on the men’s side at the Indoor Track & Field Championship.
Albany is third, just 14 points out of second, after winning its fourth straight men’s indoor track & field title. The Great Danes also placed second in women’s indoor track & field and reached the semifinals of the Men’s Basketball Championship.
New Hampshire remains fourth after third-place performances in both men’s and women’s track & field. The Wildcats also earned significant points in men’s basketball, finishing the regular season tied for fourth and reaching the semifinals of the conference championship.
Vermont climbed to fifth after being ranked seventh following the fall season. The Catamounts captured their first women’s basketball championship since 2000 and also posted a third-place showing at the Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship.
Stony Brook fell one spot to sixth, but earned signifcant points in men’s basketball after tying for fourth place during the regular-season. It was the Seawolves’ best finish since joining the league in 2001.
UMBC picked up the third-most points during the winter season (80) and moved up to seventh place. The Retrievers took the men’s swimming & diving title for the sixth straight year and also posted runner-up finishes in men’s basketball and women’s swimming & diving.
Maine, which is just four points behind UMBC and 14 back of Stony Brook for sixth, gained its most points with a fifth-place showing at the Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship.
Hartford garnered the third-most points of any school in women’s basketball after finishing second during the regular season and reaching the semifinals of the conference championship.
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, golf, 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.