PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Little East Conference (LEC) debuted its newest institutional accolade Tuesday, the LEC Sportsmanship Cup, with the University of Southern Maine taking top-honors in its first year.
“Congratulations to Al Bean and all in Huskies’ Athletics,” said LEC Commissioner Pamela S. Samuelson. “This recognition by their peers is a tribute to the efforts of the coaches, student-athletes and staff in setting the standard for the LEC in this inaugural year of the award. Al and his team have proved that you can have success on the field and achieve it in a first-class way as well.”
The Huskies, who finished second in the this year’s LEC Commissioner’s Cup standings, won the LEC Sportsmanship Cup with a point average of 6.68 across their 19 LEC sports, with 12 of those sports ranking in the top-three and all but one ranking in the top-four. Southern Maine was the highest-ranked team in men’s basketball, men’s soccer, and was ranked second in men’s indoor track & field and women’s cross country.
“I'm very pleased that our opponents and colleagues in the Little East Conference have voted USM as the top school with regard to the Sportsmanship Cup,” said Southern Maine Director of Athletics Al Bean. “As administrators, we all understand the importance of sportsmanship and ethical conduct and the role it plays in intercollegiate competition. In addition, this award honors the way we treat our opponents in all facets of their visit to our campus and the way we manage home athletic events. I'm very proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff for their good work and outstanding performance in this area.”
Finishing close behind Southern Maine were Castleton University (6.58) and Eastern Connecticut State University (6.42), who finished second and third in the LEC Sportsmanship Cup standings, respectively.
Castleton’s six programs to earn a top-ranking – men’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, women’s volleyball - were tied for the most in the LEC. The Spartans’ men’s basketball, women’s lacrosse and men’s tennis teams took second-place. Eastern Connecticut had the top-rated field hockey and women’s basketball programs, and was second in men’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s outdoor track & field, women’s indoor and outdoor track & field, and softball.
To determine the ranking, primary member head coaches across all 21 LEC sports ranked their peers in the areas of conduct of student-athletes, coaches and spectators, and interactions with event management and operations. The team with the top ranking was awarded nine points, second was awarded eight points, and so on. Point averages were then determined based on the number of LEC sports sponsored by each institution, as is done with the LEC Commissioner’s Cup.
About the Little East Conference
The Little East Conference (LEC) was formed in 1986 when six public institutions gathered to create a single sport athletic conference, and has expanded into what is now New England’s premier athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III. The LEC features 21 championship sports and sponsors quality competition for our student-athletes, while following the Division III mission of “passion, responsibility, sportsmanship and citizenship.”
The Little East consists of nine primary institutions that encompass all six New England states – Castleton University (Vt.), Eastern Connecticut State University, Keene State College (N.H.), UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, Plymouth State University (N.H.), Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, and Western Connecticut State University.