Saint Francis University won the Joan Martin Commissioner's Cup for the fifth time in program history. This cup is for the most points in women's sports among the Northeast Conference.
"It is exciting for our Red Flash family to win the Joan Martin Commissioner's Women's Cup and third place overall in the Northeast Conference Commissioners Cup," said Saint Francis Director of Athletics
Jim Brazill. "The award is a testament to the tremendous support from the university administration, coaches, and staff and our student-athletes hard work, dedication, and commitment. Â The award highlights the accomplishments of our student-athletes who have represented Saint Francis University in the classroom, in service, and competition."
Points are awarded based on league standings, and since 2012-13, NEC Tournament champions receive three points.Â
The Red Flash softball team finished second in the regular season and then won the NEC Tournament, earning 15.43 points.Â
The women's cross country team registered its best standing at the NEC Cross Country Championships since 2018, finishing second to earn the second most points for Saint Francis with 12.63. The Red Flash women's tennis team recorded a program-record 14 team wins and advanced to its first NEC Championship Match in team history to earn 12.17 points, while the women's golf team finished third for its best finish since 2014 to earn 12 points for the cup.
Women's indoor track and field (10.86 points), women's swimming (10.33 points), and women's volleyball (10.08 points) also had double-digit points for Saint Francis. All three teams finished third, while women's swimming's third-place finish was its highest mark since 2018-19.
Women's basketball (9.88 points), outdoor track and field (9.29 points), and women's lacrosse (9.11 points) each finished fourth in the standings. On the hardwood, the Red Flash hosted its first NEC Tournament game since 2020-21, while women's lacrosse made its third-straight NEC Tournament in program history.
Field hockey (9.19 points) just missed out on the postseason with a fifth-place standing, while women's soccer placed sixth in the NEC (7.95 points) but finished strong, winning two of its last three matches, including its first victory against CCSU since 2017.
Saint Francis sponsors women's water polo, but the sport is not part of the NEC, so it did not count in the cup standings.
The Red Flash also won the Martin Commissioner's Cup in 2004-05, 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2017-18.
Saint Francis finished third in the Brenda Weare Commissioner's Cup standings, the combined cup for men's and women's sports, with 190 points behind LIU (198.67) and Wagner (194.16). The Red Flash also finished sixth in the Men's Cup with 61.08 points.
Thanks to the Frankies' men's basketball run to the NEC Tournament title for the first time since 1991, the men on the hardwood earned the most points for the Loretto school with 12.19 points after finishing fifth in the standings.Â
Men's volleyball won its third-straight NEC regular season title, but cup points are not awarded to any sport with fewer than five full-time NEC members. LIU did finish second in the men's volleyball standings, so that would not have pushed the Red Flash past LIU and Wagner for the overall title. However, the Red Flash does not sponsor baseball, but LIU earned 14 points, and Wagner received 12.35 points, which means that without those two scores, Saint Francis would have been the Brenda Weare Commissioner's Cup champion, too.
Saint Francis won the Brenda Weare Commissioner's Cup in 2017-18 but has never won the Men's Cup.Â