June 18, 2010
Coming in at No. 10 in this year's Terrier Twelve is the Boston University athletic department capturing its fifth-straight America East Commissioner's Cup behind six league titles and three runner-up finishes. Without the benefit of additional points from the women's ice hockey team earning its first-ever Hockey East title, the Terriers were awarded their eighth honor in the last nine years and 10th overall, tying Delaware for the most ever.
Last fall, conference commissioner Patrick Nero presented President Robert A. Brown, his wife Dr. Beverly Brown, and Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike Lynch the department's fourth-consecutive Cup in front of a women's soccer program-record 4,963 fans at Nickerson Field. The excitement from the memorable day carried over to the rest of the school year, as BU finished with 345 points, 17 more than Stony Brook.
The Terriers, who swept regular-season and tournament titles in women's soccer, field hockey and softball, also captured championships in women's lacrosse, women's swimming & diving and women's tennis. BU earned runner-up finishes in men's swimming & diving, women's indoor track & field and men's basketball, in which the Terriers reached the league title game for the first time since 2003 under first-year head coach Patrick Chambers.
Though not included in the point total due to competing in another conference, the women's ice hockey team's success under head coach Brian Durocher made the year all the more special for the department. In only its fifth-year at the varsity level, the team won the Hockey East tournament by toppling fifth-ranked New Hampshire and then-No. 7 Connecticut in overtime to reach the NCAA tournament.
The success of two individuals at the national stage did not factor in as well. Senior Andrea Walkonen earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000-meter, while sophomore Freddy Santaite fell one win short of All-America status at the NCAA Wrestling Championships after posting a thrilling 2-1 victory over the defending national champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner's Cup is named in honor of the first commissioner of America East. Haskell served as commissioner of the conference from 1987 until his retirement in 1997. The cup is now in its 21st year, and BU has won it a total of ten times while finishing runner-up seven other times. The Terriers have never finished lower than third in the point standings.
The scoring system for the Stuart P. Haskell, Jr. Commissioner's Cup is as follows: In sports where regular-season round robin competition is conducted, the first-place institution in the final standings receives four points times the total number of teams involved in conference play. The second-place institution receives four fewer points; third place receives eight fewer points, and so on.
Additionally, the America East (tournament) champion receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two fewer points; third place receives four fewer points and so on down to the last-place institution which receives two points.
In sports where regular-season round robin competition is not conducted (cross country, tennis, track and field, swimming and diving), the first-place institution at the America East championship receives two points times the total number of teams participating in the championship. The second-place institution receives two fewer points; third place gets four fewer points and so on down to the last place team which receives two points.
The Terrier Twelve
No. 11 - Men's Ice Hockey Plays to Sellout Crowds at Fenway, MSG
No. 12 - Freshman Eight Post Undefeated Regular Season, Help Men's Crew Finish Sixth at IRAs
