ATHLETICS
Corsairs post best ever finish in LEC Commissioner's Cup competition's 11-year history with second place
Corsairs post best ever finish in LEC Commissioner's Cup competition's 11-year history with second place
Boosted by a strong Spring sport performance, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth finished second in the 2011 Little East Conference Commissioner’s Cup. The Corsairs finished first or second in five of seven Spring sports to give UMass Dartmouth its best finish in the 11-year history of the conference competition.
“I am gratified with our achievement because it represents a department-wide effort by coaches, athletic staff and student- athletes,” said UMass Dartmouth Athletic Director Ian Day. “What is even more important than the continued improvement of our teams on the field has been the continued excellence of our student-athletes in the classroom at the same time.”
Keene State captured an unprecedented 11th consecutive Commissioner’s Cup posting 7.931 points with UMass Dartmouth placing second at 6.709. The Corsairs edged third-place Eastern Connecticut State University (5.69) and Western Connecticut State University in fourth-place (6.565).
“I want to recognize UMass Dartmouth for its outstanding performance as the runner-up in this year’s standings,” said LEC Commissioner Jonathan Harper in announcing the final standings.
Among the top team performances at UMass Dartmouth during the 2010-11 season were LEC Conference championships in field hockey and men’s tennis. Field hockey earned its second consecutive LEC title and NCAA Division III Tournament berth, while the men’s tennis team earned its second LEC crown and NCAA Tournament invitation in the last three years. Men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams gave UMass Dartmouth a boost in the standings. Men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field place second during their seasons and both Corsair cross country teams were third in the LEC championships.
UMass Dartmouth’s second-place finish for the 2010-11 Commissioner’s Cup marks a significant turnaround over the past four years. Prior to this year’s finish, the Corsairs’ best performances were a pair of third places in 2001 and 2002. Most recently, the Corsairs were seventh in during 2007-08, improving one spot each year to fifth in 2009-10.
“As we head into the 2011-12 season this coming Fall, we are anxious to keep the momentum moving forward,” said Day who is wrapping up his fourth full year as the AD at UMass Dartmouth.
The LEC Commissioner’s Cup measures an institution’s overall performance in the 19 sports sponsored by the Little East Conference. Point totals are determined by the order of finish of teams in the sports in which the conference conducts in-season play with bonus points awarded to conference tournament champion in each sport. Sports which do not have in-season play are awarded points based on the order of finish at the conference championship meet in that respective sport.
