CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Winner of the last six America East Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cups, Boston University leads the 2011-12 standings after capturing one championship and three regular-season titles during the fall season with University at Albany lurking right behind in second place, just eight points off the pace. 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.
Following the six fall championships, Boston U. has 146 points ahead of Albany with 138. University of New Hampshire is in third with 109 points and followed closely by Stony Brook University, which has 104. University of Hartford follows in fifth with 77 points, one point ahead of University of Vermont, which has 76. Binghamton University (63 points), UMBC (54) and University of Maine (48) round out the standings.
Boston U., which set a new conference standard by winning its 11th Commissioner’s Cup last year, netted a third of its points by sweeping the women’s soccer regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth straight year. Nancy Feldman’s squad became the first America East team to advance to the second round of the NCAA College Cup since 2005. The Terriers also won regular-season titles in field hockey and men’s soccer while also reaching the field hockey title game for the sixth time in eight years. Boston U’.s cross country teams also picked up points, each finishing as runner-up at the league championship.
Albany won a pair of conference titles, its first-ever in men’s cross country and its sixth in eight years in volleyball after winning the regular-season for the fourth straight season. The Great Danes also had its most successful women’s soccer season in program history, finishing third in the regular-season standings and reaching its first ever America East championship game. Albany also made the men’s soccer tournament for the first time in three seasons and reached the semifinals for the fourth time since 2004.
Stony Brook took home a pair of conference crowns during the fall, winning its fifth consecutive women’s cross country championship and capturing its second men’s soccer title in three years after tying for second during the regular season. The Seawolves also picked up significant points in volleyball, reaching the conference final for the first time since 2007.
New Hampshire swept the regular-season and tournament titles in field hockey for the first time in program history and captured the America East crown for the first time since 2000. UNH, which placed second in women’s cross country, also finished second during the volleyball regular season and reached the women’s soccer tournament, its league-best 11th straight appearance.
Hartford earned the second-most points in women’s soccer and the third-most on the men’s side. The women’s soccer team, which went unbeaten through its first 15 games, was second in the regular season and reached the semifinals of the conference championship. The men’s team, which was fifth in the regular season, rode a five-game win streak into the league title game, its first appearance since 1999.
Vermont had success in both men’s and women’s soccer, tying for second during the regular season on the men’s side and reaching the conference tournament on the women’s side for the first time since 2006. The Catamounts also placed fourth in women’s cross country and fifth on men’s side.
Binghamton finished fifth during the regular season in women’s soccer and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament for the fourth time in five years. The Bearcats also placed fourth in men’s cross country.
UMBC earned 23 of its 54 points in men’s soccer, finishing fourth in the regular season. The Retrievers also picked up 19 points in volleyball, reaching the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed.
Maine accumulated the majority of its points in field hockey and men’s cross country, tying for third in the field hockey regular-season standings and placing third at the cross country 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, 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.