River Hawks Finish Fourth in America East Commissioner's Cup

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BOSTON, Mass. – Following another successful year, the UMass Lowell River Hawks finished fourth in the Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. America East Commissioner’s Cup standings, as announced by the conference office on Monday evening.

The Commissioner’s Cup annually recognizes the strongest athletic program in America East, as determined by a scoring system that rewards a school for success both during the regular season and championship competition in the conference’s 18 sports. UMass Lowell led all-conference programs with four runner-up finishes, while also claiming three championships to complete 2021-22 with a total of 269 points, only seven points shy of the school record. The performance marked UMass Lowell’s fourth straight top-four finish, an accomplishment that only one other America East institution has accomplished.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment that all of River Hawk Nation should be very proud of,” said Director of Athletics Peter Casey. “This is a great tribute to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. The effort, commitment, and resolve to always be a competitive opponent in the America East, while also providing a top-notch, student-athlete experience is what UMass Lowell continually strives for.”

The men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs led the way for the River Hawks, combining for 106 points. The men’s and women’s cross country teams swept the America East Championships for the second year in a row, earning 20 points each. In the winter, the men’s indoor track and field team also won the conference championship, earning 18 points, while the women’s indoor team earned 16 points for their runners-up finish. Lastly, in the spring, both the men’s and women’s outdoor teams claimed second to earn 16 points each.

Women’s soccer brought in 41 points after one of the best seasons in the program’s history at the Division I level. Starting off conference play with four straight wins, the River Hawks finished second in the regular season before eventually falling in the semifinals of the America East Championship.

After a deep postseason run that finished with the River Hawks in the championship game for the first time since moving to Division I, the UMass Lowell baseball program brought in 22 points.

The scoring system for the Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner’s Cup is as follows: In sports where regular-season round robin competition is conducted, the first-place institution in the final standings receives four points times the total number of teams involved in conference play. The second-place institution receives four less points; third place receives eight less points, and so on. Additionally, the America East (tournament) champion receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two less points; third place receives four less points and so on down to the last-place institution which receives two points.

In sports where regular-season round-robin competition is not conducted (cross country, tennis, track & field, swimming & diving), the first-place institution at the America East championship receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two less points; third place gets four less points and so on down to the last place team which receives two points.

	Institution	Points
1	UAlbany	380
2	Vermont	331
3	UMBC	284
4	UMass Lowell	269
5	New Hampshire	264
6	Binghamton	263
7	Stony Brook	256
8	Maine	198
9	NJIT	152
10	Hartford	112