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Somerset, NJ -- Following six straight top-three Commissioner’s Cup finishes, Saint Francis U can finally stake its claim to being the best-of-the-best in the Northeast Conference.
The Red Flash won their first ever Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup in 2017-18, while also taking home their fourth Joan Martin Women’s Commissioner’s Cup crown. Bryant completed its drive for five, winning yet another NEC Men’s Commissioner’s Cup.
A perennially strong program with four runner-up and 10 third-place Cup finishes in its history, Saint Francis U put it all together this past year, racking up a school record 202.70 points to dethrone two-time defending champion Sacred Heart (193.14) by over nine points. SFU won NEC titles in women’s soccer, women’s basketball, women’s bowling, and softball. The Red Flash also collected NEC regular season titles in women’s soccer, women’s basketball and softball, and earned top-three finishes in the NEC regular season standings in five different round-robin sports (men’s and women’s basketball, women’s bowling, women’s soccer, women’s bowling).
With its runner-up finish, Sacred Heart has now finished first or second in the overall cup standings 11 of the last 12 years. The Pioneers have won all seven of their Cups since the 2007-08 academic year. Bryant finished third with 181.32 points, marking the Bulldogs’ fifth straight top-three showing.
Central Connecticut finished fourth for the second straight year with 179.30 points, the highest total for the Blue Devils since the 2000-01 season. The Blue Devils were followed by LIU Brooklyn (175.63), which won an NEC-high five tournament championships in 2017-18. Wagner (145.69) finished sixth and FDU landed in seventh (143.14) with Mount St. Mary’s (135.33), Robert Morris (118.89) and St. Francis Brooklyn (85.83) rounding out the list.
Boosted by winning four NEC women’s titles, Saint Francis U also took home its fourth Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cup and first since the 2013-14 season. The Red Flash recorded the second-highest point total in school history with 125.78 points to edge out Sacred Heart (122.23).
“We are grateful to have won the Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup and the Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cup in 2017-18,” said SFU Director of Athletics Susan Robinson Fruchtl. “Achieving these honors is a testament to our Red Flash student-athletes, coaches and staff. We couldn’t accomplish any of this without the support and leadership of our President, Fr. Malachi Van Tassell and his administration who have been so supportive over the years. We want to thank our student-athletes who continue to set records both in the classroom and in competition with their dedication and hard work. There is nothing better when a group of people work together to accomplish something that is hard to achieve. While there is much more to do here at SFU, we are very honored to reach these high standards.”
Bryant became the second school in NEC history to win five straight Men’s Commissioner’s Cups. The Bulldogs amassed 84.43 points on the year, winning the NEC men’s tennis crown and the NEC baseball regular season title. Bryant won by a razor thin margin over Central Connecticut (84.26 points).
“Our student-athletes have once again proven to be some of the best in the Northeast Conference,” Bryant Director of Athletics Bill Smith said. “This accomplishment is not only a testament to how hard our student-athletes worked this year, but the efforts put in by our coaches and support staff to build consistent programs that are at the top of the league every year. Congratulations to all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff on this tremendous honor.”
“Congratulations to Saint Francis University and Bryant University on their tremendous athletic accomplishments this year,” said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. “Both programs have built winning cultures on and off the playing fields, which is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of their student-athletes, coaches and administrators. Winning Commissioner Cups is no small feat and should be celebrated by the entire university community.”
Weare, who passed away in June, 2009, made a lasting impact in her three years as Commissioner of the NEC. In that time, she introduced a number of new programs aimed at upgrading the caliber of the league’s championship sports and enhancing the opportunities and experiences for the more than 4,000 student-athletes that compete in the conference. In addition to securing Bryant as an NEC full-time member, Weare was instrumental in the NEC gaining automatic access to the NCAA Division I Football Championship beginning in 2010, spearheading the conference’s Strategic Plan and implementing a new leaguewide sportsmanship policy. The Commissioner’s Cup was renamed in her honor in May, 2009.
Joan Martin played an integral part in Monmouth athletics for 33 years, serving as an Associate Athletics Director, Assistant Athletics Director, Senior Woman Administrator and Compliance Director, as well as a coach during her time in West Long Branch. Martin joined the Monmouth staff in as a coach in 1969 and continued until 1982, when she joined the athletic administration. Martin was the women’s basketball coach for 13 years, and mentored the softball (11 years) and field hockey (eight years) programs as well. Along with the NEC Women’s Commissioner Cup bearing her name, she was inducted into the Monmouth University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
About the Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup
The NEC Commissioner’s Cup was instituted during the 1986-87 season with LIU Brooklyn winning the inaugural award. Sacred Heart leads all current NEC schools with seven Cups to its credit. Cup points are awarded in each NEC sponsored sport. For men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, football, women’s bowling, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and baseball, the final regular season standings are used to determine Cup points. Starting with the 2012-13 season, the Conference began awarding three bonus points to the NEC Tournament champion in those sports. In all other sports, points are awarded based on the finish at NEC Championship events.
About the Northeast Conference
Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.