Skyhawks also seventh in most recent Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings
NE-10 Presidents Cup Fall Standings Announcement
Learfield Directors Cup Standings
Stonehill, which has finished in the top three of the final NE-10 Presidents’ Cup 11 straight years with first place finishes four of the last six, has accumulated 71 points through the fall sports season. Adelphi, the only athletic program other than Stonehill to win the Cup over the last six years, leads the Presidents’ Cup standings with 89 points, followed by Merrimack College in second (80.5 points), Bentley University (79.5) third and Southern New Hampshire University (78.5) fourth. Assumption College (70.5) is a half point behind Stonehill in sixth place before a seven point drop-off to seventh place American International College (63.5).
In addition to its fifth place standing in the NE-10 Presidents’ Cup, Stonehill is ranked seventh in the most recent Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings released following the conclusion of the NCAA Division II men’s and women’s soccer championships. The Skyhawks have earned 163.50 Learfield Cup points from NCAA Championship participation by men’s and women’s cross country and field hockey. Stonehill, which finished a Northeast-10 high 30th in the final 2014-15 Learfield Cup standings, leads all NE-10 member institutions again, with Merrimack ranked 14th (140 points) and Adelphi 23rd (114). The Learfield Cup is presented annually to signify success in 14 NCAA Division II Championships (seven men, seven women) over the course of the academic year.
NE-10 Champion Women's Cross Country |
NE-10 Tournament Champion Field Hockey |
Stonehill has won the NE-10 Presidents’ Cup five times, following the 2005-06, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2014-15 academic years. The Presidents' Cup is presented annually to signify overall athletic excellence in the Northeast-10. The honor is awarded to the institution that compiles the most cumulative points, based on finishes in the regular-season standings, from all of its programs competing in league championships. Points for men's and women's cross country, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, and men's golf are awarded based on placement in those sports’ respective conference championships.
Stonehill received maximum Presidents’ Cup points from its seventh straight women’s cross country NE-10 championship, which also earned 61.5 Learfield Cup points for its 14th place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Skyhawks collected 55 Learfield Cup points from a third place NCAA finish for field hockey, which captured its second straight NE-10 Tournament title, and 47 Learfield points from men’s cross country which finished 27th at the NCAA Championships after a second place finish at the NE-10 Championship and third at the East Regional. Five of Stonehill’s eight fall sports finished in the top five of their regular season or championship events, with field hockey and women’s tennis (third place) as well as football (fourth) joining the two cross country programs. Women’s tennis also reached the finals of the NE-10 Tournament for the seventh time over the last eight seasons this fall.
With 20 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. In addition to winning its fifth Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup following the 2014-15 academic year, the Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first five years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 96% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA two straight years, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for fifth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with 12 Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked third in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings for Division II used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs. Stonehill has also been selected as the host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships at W.B. Mason Stadium.
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