Thursday, June 12, 2008

MORAVIAN EARNS NARROW WIN IN LANDMARK ALL-SPORTS PRESIDENTS CUP RACE

MADISON, N.J. – By a remarkably narrow margin Moravian College finished atop the inaugural Landmark Conference All-Sports standings to earn the first Landmark Conference All-Sports Presidents Cup. The Greyhounds finished with 6.86 points, edging out The University of Scranton which accumulated 6.85 points.

The Landmark All-Sports Presidents Cup is awarded based on a formula that rewards institutions for its finishes in the regular season conference standings as well as results in Landmark postseason competition. Institutions also earn points for individual event wins in sports such as track and field and swimming and diving. The formula also takes into account the number of sports a school sponsors.

Moravian rose from second place after the winter season on the strength of four championships during the spring season. The Greyhounds won team titles in men’s and women’s outdoor track & field at the Landmark Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In addition the school won regular season, and Landmark postseason titles, in softball and women’s tennis and earned a spot in the Landmark men’s tennis postseason. Moravian earned a total of six Landmark Championships over the entire year.

Scranton held the points lead heading into the spring season and nearly held on to claim the award as the Royals reached the conference postseason in five of the six sports they sponsor during the spring. The women’s tennis team and softball teams both finished second during the regular season and the women’s tennis team also reached the postseason championship match. For the year, Scranton qualified for the Landmark postseason in 10 different sports and claimed four conference titles.

Juniata College and The Catholic University of America rounded out the top half of the standings finishing with 6.13 and 5.97 points respectively. Juniata finished at the top of the baseball regular-season standings and earned Landmark postseason berths in six sports. Catholic broke through and earned two Landmark championships in the spring as the Cardinals won the baseball and women’s lacrosse championships and were the runners-up in the softball and men’s tennis championships. On the year Catholic appeared in the conference postseason in eight sports.

In its first year of competition the Landmark Conference saw all eight Landmark institutions qualify for Landmark postseason play in at least two sports, and each institution also had at least one team earn a spot in a Landmark Championship match.

The first season of conference competition was completed with Catholic winning the baseball championship on May 4. Over the first year the Landmark crowned 20 team championships, sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament, qualified numerous individuals for the NCAA Track and Field and Swimming and Diving Championships, and sent another nine teams to ECAC postseason tournaments.

Release courtesy of Landmark Conference office.