PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Little East Conference (LEC) announced that Castleton University has been named the recipient of the 2022-23 LEC Sportsmanship Cup. The Spartans are the second-ever conference member to win the award.
“The LEC Sportsmanship Cup is an incredible honor to receive as an athletic department, and so many people are responsible for this award,” said Castleton Director of Athletics Tim Barrett. “To be recognized by the eight other programs around the league for the quality of our event management, our crowds, and our game operations is truly special. Division III athletics puts the student-athlete experience at the forefront, and we always strive to give student-athletes—both from Castleton and from opposing institutions—the best possible experience when they step foot on our campus. We are proud of our student-athletes, our coaches, our game staff and our fans for being incredible stewards of Castleton University.”
The Spartans won the LEC Sportsmanship Cup with a scoring average of 6.92 points across their 19 LEC sports, with 11 of those sports ranking in the top-three in the conference. Castleton was the highest-ranked team in men’s basketball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball, ranked second in women’s basketball, and ranked third in baseball and men’s soccer.
“Congratulations to Tim Barrett and the entire Spartan athletics community on earning the LEC Sportsmanship Cup,” said LEC Commissioner Pamela S. Samuelson. “To be recognized by your peers is a testament to the efforts of the student-athletes, coaches, staff, parents and supporters in providing a positive and supportive experience.”
Finishing close behind Castleton was inaugural LEC Sportsmanship Cup winner University of Southern Maine (6.66), and Plymouth State University (6.13), who finished second and third in the LEC 2022-23 LEC Sportsmanship Cup standings, respectively. The Huskies had 11 teams ranked in the top-three, and had the top-ranked program in baseball, field hockey, men’s soccer and women’s basketball The Panthers led the way in women’s indoor track & field while seeing nine programs rated in the top-three in their respective sports.
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.