STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s College has been awarded the 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men’s Commissioner’s Cup. The high conference honor is a first for Saint Joseph’s in five years as a GNAC member.

The GNAC Commissioner’s Cup is awarded annually to the member institutions with the highest number of points, in both men’s and women’s sports collectively, received from winning conference championships and conference tournament placement. Point allocations are as follows: five points for winning a championship, four for a championship game appearance, three for advancing to the semifinal round, two for competing in the quarterfinal round, and one for sponsoring a sport.

Driven by championships won by the Monks’ men’s soccer and baseball programs as well as a GNAC Tournament semifinal appearance by the SJC men’s basketball team, Saint Joseph’s tallied 19 points and shares the Men’s Commissioner’s Cup honor with Johnson & Wales University. The St. Joe’s golf and cross country teams posted respectable finishes in the programs’ respective GNAC Championship events and the SJC men’s lacrosse team advanced to the postseason for the second time in two years as a GNAC participant.

The Commissioner’s Cup honor is even more impressive considering the fact that the College does not field men’s tennis or men’s volleyball, as many GNAC institutions do.

Saint Joseph’s narrowly missed an opportunity to capture both Commissioner’s Cup accolades, as the SJC women finished in a tie for second with 20 points, only four behind the 2012 recipient, Simmons College. All six of the Monks’ GNAC women’s programs – basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and volleyball – advanced to the postseason last year and the SJC softball team captured the GNAC Championship for the second consecutive season. Also, the hoops team made the program's first appearance in the GNAC Championship last February.

The women’s teams’ success does not include the achievements posted by the field hockey team, which competes as an associate member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and advanced to the tourney championship last fall for the third time in the last four seasons. 

(L-R) GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh, Simmons Athletic Director Ali Kantor, Johnson & Wales Athletic Director John Parente, Saint Joseph's Athletic Director Brian Curtin

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.