Click Here For PDF Release
Click Here For Commissioner's Cup Homepage
Somerset, NJ -- After ceding the trophy a year ago, Sacred Heart came back with a vengeance in 2019-20 to take home its record eighth Brenda Weare Commissioner’s Cup. The Pioneers also collected an 11th Joan Martin Women’s Commissioner’s Cup to extend their own NEC standard. Bryant remained atop the pecking order, winning its sixth straight NEC Men’s Commissioner’s Cup.
SHU’s eight all-time Cup victories are now two more than any other school with all coming since the 2007-08 campaign. The Pioneers outlasted Saint Francis U this spring, racking up 201.65 points compared to 192.86 for the Red Flash. SHU won the NEC football and women’s bowling crowns, and finished in the top-three in the NEC standings and/or NEC championships in 12 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s bowling, women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s outdoor track and field, softball and women’s tennis.
With its runner-up finish, Saint Francis U has now finished first or second in the overall cup standings in each of the last three years, including the program’s first Cup win in 2017-18. Likewise, the Red Flash have posted top-three finishes in each of the last eight years. Bryant finished third with 172.54 points, marking the Bulldogs’ sixth straight top-three showing.
The biggest mover this year was Mount St. Mary’s. The Mount moved up four spots to fourth place, marking the highest placing for the program since finishing second in 1997-98. The Mountaineers amassed a school record 167.39 points, a 32+ point improvement from a year ago.
The Mount was followed by LIU Brooklyn (164.36) and Fairleigh Dickinson (153.83) in fifth and sixth place, respectively. CCSU landed in seventh (151.71) with Wagner (147.61), Robert Morris (118.59) and St. Francis Brooklyn (76.57) rounding out the list.
Sacred Heart recorded consistent performances across the board in its women’s sports, highlighted by women’s bowling claiming the NEC title in March. The Pioneers amassed 120.49 points to beat out 2017-18 champion Saint Francis U (114.90) in a close race for the top spot. SHU’s 11 all-time Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cups are six more than any other school has won.
“We are tremendously proud of to have earned the NEC Brenda Weare and Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cups,” said Sacred Heart Executive Director of Athletics, Bobby Valentine. “These awards are earned only with a complete team effort and are a testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. I am honored to be associated with this talented group and extend my heartfelt thanks for their contributions in continuing to build on the tradition of greatness that is SHU Athletics.”
Bryant became the second school in NEC history to win six straight Men’s Commissioner’s Cups. The Bulldogs piled up 85.06 points on the year to edge Sacred Heart (81.16). Bryant won its sixth straight NEC tennis tile and also captured the NEC baseball regular season title.
“I am so proud of the work ethic and accomplishments of our student-athletes at Bryant University,” Director of Athletics Bill Smith said. “They continue to raise the bar year after year, both on the courts and fields and in the classroom. I’d also like to highlight the efforts 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.”
“I congratulate Sacred Heart University and Bryant University for once again performing at an elite level on the field of play,” said Noreen Morris, NEC Commissioner. “In a conference that values broad-based athletic achievement, winning Commissioner’s Cup awards reflect an unwavering commitment to excellence by student-athletes, coaches and administrators. Even more impressive is each school’s sustained success, with Sacred Heart breaking its own record for most Brenda Weare & Joan Martin Commissioner’s Cup wins, and Bryant capturing its sixth straight title on the men’s side.”
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 38th 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. Merrimack will join the NEC as a full-time member in July, 2019. 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.