PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Vermont State University Castleton has earned the Little East Conference (LEC) Presidents’ Cup for the 2022-23 academic year, announced LEC Commissioner Pamela S. Samuelson. Castleton student-athletes completed the year with a 3.33 average cumulative GPA among the University’s 19 athletic programs that compete in the conference. The formal presentation of the LEC Presidents’ Cup will take place at the October 2023 LEC athletic directors council meetings.
The LEC Presidents’ Cup measures the highest average cumulative grade point average among the student-athletes from the Conference’s nine primary member institutions that compete in the league’s 21 championship sports.
“Congratulations to the Castleton Spartans on winning the coveted Little East Conference Presidents’ Cup!” said Vermont State University Interim President Mike Smith. “This marks the second time in just five years in the league that Castleton has earned this honor, demonstrating that academic success is the highest priority for our student-athletes. We recognize the dedication of the Castleton campus coaches and faculty along with the student-athletes in achieving this honor.”
Castleton joined the league for the 2018-19 academic year, and earned the LEC Presidents’ Cup in the very first year as a Conference member with a 3.26 average cumulative GPA.
“This award is a culmination of the dedication to academics put forth by all members of our athletic department and faculty,” said Castleton Director of Athletics Tim Barrett. “To claim the Presidents’ Cup twice in five years and finish inside the top three in the standings each year in the league is a real testament to the hard work our student-athletes put in both on the playing surface and in the classroom.”
Eighteen of Castleton’s 19 LEC teams earned an average cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, 11 of which had an average cumulative GPA of at least 3.20, including nine teams with an average cumulative GPA above 3.40 and seven with an average cumulative GPA over 3.50. The women’s tennis program posted a department-best 3.86 average cumulative GPA; the top men’s team was golf with a 3.65 average cumulative GPA.
“Congratulations to the student-athletes at Castleton, and to the coaches, athletic department staff, faculty and family members who support them in their academic pursuits,” said Samuelson. “Castleton has been one of the top-ranking institutions for the Presidents’ Cup each year it has been a member of the LEC, and to be named the recipient of our highest honor twice in the first five years of Conference membership is a tremendous achievement.”
Five of the LEC’s nine member institutions have won the Presidents’ Cup in its history - Castleton, Eastern Connecticut State University, Keene State College, UMass Dartmouth and Plymouth State University. Eastern Connecticut, with seven wins, holds the record for the most LEC Presidents’ Cup wins after winning the award each of the previous three years.
2022-23 LEC Presidents’ Cup Standings
1. Castleton - 3.33
2. Southern Maine - 3.32
3. Plymouth State - 3.28
4. Eastern Connecticut - 3.26
5. Keene State - 3.22
6. UMass Dartmouth - 3.21
7. UMass Boston - 3.11
8. Western Connecticut - 3.09
9. Rhode Island College - 2.97