Athletics

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6/8/06 -- Long Island University claimed the women’s Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Cup award for the first time in school history, as announced by NEC Interim Commissioner Ron Ratner on Wednesday. The sensational year for the Blackbirds included NEC championships in women’s volleyball, women’s indoor track, women’s outdoor track and softball.

The Blackbirds wrapped up a remarkable volleyball season in the fall, winning 26 matches en route to their second straight conference title. LIU became the first NEC team to win a match in NCAA tournament action, sweeping Cornell. They fell in the second round to No. 5 Penn State.

The LIU women’s track program captured crowns in both major campaigns- indoor and outdoor. The women seized their third NEC indoor championship in February, winning the title with a victory in the final event of the meet. In May, the Blackbirds took top prize for the first time in school history at the outdoor championships.

The softball squad collected LIU’s fourth league title of the 2005-06 calendar year. The Blackbirds tied for the conference lead, their sixth regular season crown. The Blackbirds added a tournament title to their resume- the ninth – to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four years. In addition, LIU (34-23) faced four of the eight teams who participated in the College Softball World Series.

" We are very proud of this accomplishment," said John Suarez, LIU Director of Athletics. "Our women’s teams were very consistent and it culminated with four NEC championships. It’s a tremendous achievement for all our coaches and student-athletes."

LIU finished fourth in the NEC Commissioner’s Cup overall standings and saw 11 of its 17 teams –for the fourth straight year- close among the league’s top four.

The NEC Commissioner’s Cup was instituted during the 1986-87 season with Long Island winning the inaugural award. 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, softball, field hockey, 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. The Blackbirds do not compete in four of the 21 sports in which you can receive points.

2005-06 NEC Commissioner’s Cup Women’s Standings 1. Long Island 115.92 2. Sacred Heart 113.71 3. Saint Francis (PA) 108.20 4. Monmouth 100.05 5. Quinnipiac 96.80 6. Robert Morris 88.40 7. Wagner 88.21 8. Mount St. Mary’s 77.64 9. Central Connecticut State 72.05 10. Fairleigh Dickinson 41.94 11. St. Francis (NY) 35.37