Cortland Athletics wins third straight SUNYAC Commissioner's Cup for all-sports excellence

05/18/2026

The SUNY Cortland intercollegiate athletics program finished first in the Dr. Patrick R. Damore State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Commissioner's Cup standings for the 2025-26 school year.

Cortland won the Commissioner's Cup, which is awarded for overall sports excellence, for the third straight year and the 20th time overall. The Red Dragons placed second the other eight times since the competition originated in the 1996-97 season.

Cortland finished with an average score of 9.47 points. New Paltz finished second with an average of 7.02 points and Oneonta was third with a 6.96 average.

Commissioner's Cup points are awarded based on each team's finish in the SUNYAC standings, both during the regular season and in league postseason tournaments, when applicable. A team's regular-season finish is added to its postseason finish and is divided by two to determine the points for each sport. The total points earned are then divided by the number of conference sports the school sponsors.

Cortland teams won 14 of a possible 22 SUNYAC titles in 2025-26. In all, Cortland won 16 conference titles - 14 SUNYAC along with the Empire 8 football title and Northeast Women's Golf Conference (NWGC) title. Those additional two championships are not included in the Commissioner's Cup standings.

Cortland won four SUNYAC titles in the fall: men's cross country, women's cross country, women's soccer and women's volleyball. The Red Dragons then claimed four conference crowns in the winter: men's basketball, women's swimming and diving, men's indoor track and field and women's indoor track and field. Cortland closed the year with a sweep of the six SUNYAC spring titles: baseball, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, softball, men's outdoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field. In addition, six teams, field hockey, women's tennis, men's swimming and diving, wrestling, women's ice hockey and women's basketball, were conference runners-up. Men's soccer and men's ice hockey both tied for third place in the SUNYAC postseason, with men's soccer winning the regular-season title.

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2025-26 SUNYAC Commissioner's Cup - Final Standings

# of league Total Avg. Points

Rank, School sports Points per sport

1. Cortland....................22 208.25 9.47

2. New Paltz.................15 105.25 7.02

3. Oneonta................... 20 139.25 6.96

4. Oswego....................22 134 6.09

5. Plattsburgh...............18 104 5.78

6. Buffalo State.............15 82 5.47

7. Fredonia...................18 95.75 5.32

8. Canton......................13 39.25 3.02

9. Morrisville.................17 48.25 2.84

10. Potsdam.................18 38.5 2.14

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Graphic by Erin Locascio, EDL Photography