Sacred Heart established a new Cup record by racking up 245.10 points. The Pioneers broke their own mark of 244.07 points set in 2008-09. With 140.29 points, Sacred Heart also fell just shy of eclipsing the all-time women’s mark (140.85) it set in that same 2008-09 campaign. On the men’s side, the Pioneers finished with a conference-high 104.81 points.

Sacred Heart captured NEC Tournament Championships in baseball, men’s golf, softball and men’s tennis, all of which came during a terrific spring season. The Pioneers also finished in the top three in the league standings or at NEC championships in 15 different sports on the year.

"Four consecutive NEC Commissioner’s Cups and the second time winning both the men’s and women’s divisions, is somewhat surreal, if not difficult to wrap my brain around," said Don Cook, Sacred Heart Director of Athletics. "When our student-athletes can so successfully achieve in the classroom, and simultaneously achieve competitively and in the community it reaffirms that our University, its coaches, athletic administrators and student-athletes understand the spirit of the University and Athletics mission, which underscores the importance of a full educational experience preparing young men and women to live each day making a contribution to the human community through competition and service to others. As a University athletics director many years running, I can’t think of a more important set of standards by which to live by. Thankfully, we have a conference, an institution and an athletics program that’s committed to doing what’s right by how we live each day through sports."

Monmouth finished second in the overall, men’s and women’s standings. With 203.47 points, the Hawks finished just ahead of Robert Morris, which shattered its program record with 199.29 points. Saint Francis (PA) took the fourth spot (179.45 points), followed by Central Connecticut State in fifth place (167.29). Long Island (162.32) edged out Quinnipiac (160.92) for sixth place with Mount St. Mary’s in eighth (146.69) and Fairleigh Dickinson (133.51) in ninth. Bryant ended the year in tenth (127.78), followed by Wagner (113.99) and St. Francis (NY) (84.54).

“Sacred Heart University epitomizes the values and mission of college athletics,” said Morris. “Not only does it provide over 770 student-athletes with an opportunity to combine athletics and education, but it does so with the utmost success. With four Northeast Conference championships and 15 top three finishes, the Pioneers dominated the Commissioner’s Cup race by bringing home all three trophies. On top of their athletic success, Sacred Heart student-athletes stood out with their tireless community service efforts throughout the year. Congratulations to the Sacred Heart student-athletes, coaches and administrators, true winners on and off the playing fields.”

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 the NEC’s 12th 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.

The NEC Commissioner’s Cup was instituted during the 1986-87 season with Long Island winning the inaugural award. Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth lead all NEC schools with six Cups to their 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, field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and baseball, the final regular season standings are used to determine Cup points. In all other sports, points are awarded based on the finish at NEC Championship events.