Albany Takes Commissioner's Cup Standings Lead With Strong Winter Showing - AmericaEast.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- By winning four of the six America East championships held during the winter season, the University at Albany has taken the lead in the 2012-13 Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup standings, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon.
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, Albany has 236 points and holds a 48-point lead over second-place New Hampshire (188 points) following the winter season. Stony Brook University remained in third place, five points behind UNH, with 183 points, followed by University of Vermont in fourth with 177 points and UMBC in fifth with 167 points. Boston University (138 points), University of Hartford (133), Binghamton University (117) and University of Maine (111) round out the standings.
Albany, which is in position to claim its second Commissioner’s Cup in school history (2004-05), won conference titles in men’s and women’s basketball, as well as men’s and women’s indoor track & field in addition to a regular-season championship in women’s hoops to gain 118 points during the winter season, 25 more than any other school. The Great Danes are just the sixth school in league history to win both basketball crowns in the same season and have won eight-straight men’s indoor track & field titles. The women’s track & field crown was Albany’s third in four years.
New Hampshire, which led the standings following the fall season after winning a regular-season title and posting four runner-up finishes, stands in second place following the winter season. The Wildcats earned one of the league’s six titles, winning the women’s swimming & diving crown, the program’s first since 2006. UNH also tied for the fourth-most points in women’s basketball, reaching the tournament semifinals for the first time since 2005.
Stony Brook stayed in third place by earning the most points of any school in men’s basketball. The Seawolves captured their third America East regular-season crown in four years and reached the semifinals of the league championship for the fourth-straight year. SBU also earned significant points in women’s basketball, tying for fourth place during the regular season.
Vermont gained the second-most points of any school during the winter (93) to maintain its hold on fourth place. The Catamounts earned the second-most points in men’s basketball by tying for second in the regular season and reaching the league title game for the eighth time since 2003. Vermont also tied for the fourth-most points in women’s basketball, finished third in women’s swimming & diving and fourth in women’s track & field.
UMBC stayed in fifth place after winning its ninth men’s swimming & diving crown in the last 10 years. The Retrievers also had a pair of runner-up finishes, placing second in women’s swimming & diving and women’s indoor track & field. The men’s hoops team reached the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
Boston University remained in sixth place after having strong regular seasons in both men’s and women’s basketball. The men tied for second, while the women went 14-2 in league play, good for second place.
Hartford moved up two spots, the biggest climb of any America East school, to seventh place after earning significant points in both men’s and women’s basketball. The Hawks earned the second-most points on the women’s side, finishing third in the standings and reaching the championship game. The men were fourth in the regular season, their best showing since 2008.
Binghamton earned the majority of its points in indoor track & field as the men finished second for the fifth time in six years while the women were third.
Maine’s best winter showing was a fourth-place finish in men’s indoor track & field, its best since 2001.
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 2012-13 winner will be announced at the conference’s annual awards dinner on June 4.
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.
2012-13 Stuart P. Haskell, Jr.
Commissioner’s Cup Winter Standings
Rank Team Points
1. Albany 236
2. New Hampshire 188
3. Stony Brook 183
4. Vermont 177
5. UMBC 167
6. Boston University 138
7. Hartford 133
8. Binghamton 117
9. Maine 111