NORTH DARMOUTH, Mass. - Keene State College is perched atop the Little East Conference Commissioner's Cup standings for the eighth consecutive year, averaging 6.8522 total points. The Owls consistently finished in the top-third of the conference regular season standings in 15 of their 17 (.882) sports to collect the annual trophy in each of the eight campaigns it has been offered.

"I applaud Keene State College for winning its eighth-straight Commissioner's Cup," said Little East Conference Commissioner Jonathan Harper." "Keene State can directly attribute their success to the leadership of its administration, the dedication of its coaches and its hard working student-athletes that pride themselves on the continuation of the institution's strong athletic and academic tradition."

Keene State College captured five conference championships during the 2007-08 academic year and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament in field hockey, men's soccer, and baseball. The Owls won two Little East Conference Championships in the fall (field hockey and women's cross country) and winter (men's indoor track and field and women's swimming and diving), while adding their final trophy in the spring (baseball). Keene State College was able to increase its overall lead in the standings with four second and four third place finishes in the regular season rankings, respectively.

For the second straight season, Eastern Connecticut State University charged down the stretch to close the gap on the Owls, posting the highest season average (7.4286) this past spring. The Warriors won the Little East Conference championship trophy in four sports (men's soccer, women's basketball, women's lacrosse, and volleyball) to average 6.1565 total points.

The University of Souther Maine averaged 5.8596 total points to edge Rhode Island College (5.0) for third place. The Huskies dominated the cross country and track and field seasons, wininng four of the possible six titles. The University of Southern Maine swept the men's and women's outdoor track and field events, while winning the men's cross country and the women's indoor track and field championships. The Anchormen won the Little East Conference Championship Tournament in men's basketball and softball for the second consecutive campaign.

Western Connecticut State University (4.8791), UMass Dartmout (3.438), Plymouth State University (3.3488) and UMass Boston (2.1481) round out the 2007-08 Little East Conference Commissioner's Cup standings.

The Commissioner's Cup measures an institution's overall performance in the 19 sports sponsored by the Little East Conference. For sports in which the conference conducts in-season play (baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball), point totals are determined by the order of finish in the final regular season standings with bonus points awarded to the champion of the ensuing postseason conference championship tournament. For sports that do not conduct in-season play (cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and swimming and diving) points are awarded based on the order of finish in the conference championship meet.

The Little East Conference completed its 22nd year of athletic competition during the 2007-08 academic year. Initially formed in 1986 as a six-team men's and women's basketball conference, the Little East Conference has grown to its present eight-team membership, sponsoring championship play in 19 intercollegiate athletic programs.