Keene State Secure's 10th Commissioner's Cup

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Keene State College is the top athletic program in the Little East Conference for the 10th consecutive season, according to the final 2009-2010 Commissioners Cup standings released by the conference office this afternoon. The Owls finished in the top-three of the final regular-season standings in 12 of their 17 (.706) conference sponsored sports to average 6.667 points. Eastern Connecticut State University (5.812) edged intra-state rival Western Connecticut State University (5.522) for the second position.

“Keene State’s impressive 10-year stint as the conference’s top overall athletic institution will be difficult to repeat,” said Commissioner Jonathan C. Harper. “The dedication and hard work the Keene State athletic department, coaches, and student-athletes have displayed over the past year continues to be a model for success in our conference.”

Keene State continued its unprecedented run of success as the Little East’s Commissioners Cup recipient, earning the award each of the 10 years it has been presented. The Owls captured or earned a share of six regular-season championships, including celebrating three conference tournament trophies. Keene State set the tone for a successful athletic season in the Fall, winning the women’s soccer and women’s cross country championships, while earning a share of the regular-season title in field hockey and men’s soccer. The Owls collected the program’s fourth-straight women’s swimming and diving championship in the Winter, before posting the conference’s highest seasonal average in the Spring (7.524). Each of Keene State’s six spring-sponsored sports ranked among the top-two in its respective team standings. The Owls won the men’s lacrosse league outright, and shared the baseball and women’s lacrosse regular-season championships. The men’s lacrosse team earned the program’s lone spring championship, returning the trophy to Keene, N.H. for the first time since 2007. Keene State’s exceptional play across the board during the past athletic year didn’t allow any institution to bridge the gap on its lead.

The Warriors earned the No. 2 ranking for the seventh time in the past 10 years after placing 10 of their 17 (.588) conference sponsored sports in the top-three of the regular-season standings. Eastern Connecticut became just the second institution to sweep the men’s and women’s soccer tournament championships (Keene State, 2002,’04), while also capturing the program’s first softball title during the 2009-10 campaign. The Warriors began their surge in the annual standings during the Winter (5.697) as the women’s swimming and diving team placed second at the conference championship, while the men’s and women’s basketball squads earned a share of second place. Eastern Connecticut continued to display its consistency in the Spring as the Warriors placed four of their six programs in the top-two of the final regular-season standings. Eastern Connecticut’s charge down the stretch allowed the Warriors to suppress the Colonials’ march towards second place.

Western Connecticut enjoyed the program’s most successful finish in the Commissioners Cup standings, raising three spots from last year’s sixth-place finish. The Colonials’ captured the men’s and women’s tennis tournament trophy for the first time in school history, while also winning the women’s basketball title for the first time since 1994. Western Connecticut posted the conference’s highest average in the Winter (6.857), led by the first and second place finishes by the women’s and men’s basketball squads, respectively. The Colonials closed out the campaign with a strong spring season as the men’s lacrosse and softball teams tied for third. Western Connecticut was in the top-three in the final regular-season standings in six of its 13 (.462) Little East sponsored sports.

The University of Southern Maine (4.78), University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (4.573), Rhode Island College (4.436), Plymouth State University (3.632), and University of Massachusetts Boston (2.901) complete the final 2009-2010 Little East Commissioners Cup standings.

The Commissioners 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 24th year of athletic competition during the 2009-10 academic calendar. 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