Susquehanna University Wins 2009-10 Landmark Conference President's All-Sports Cup

MADISON, N.J., May 27 -- Susquehanna University won the 2009-10 Landmark Conference President's All-Sports Cup, becoming the first school in the three-year history of the Landmark to lead the All-Sports standings in all three seasons of the same school year--fall, winter and spring.

Susquehanna recorded a final cumulative score this academic year of 6.850 points to wrestle the Cup away from two-time defending champion Moravian College, which finished in second place with 6.667 points. The University of Scranton placed third with 5.984 points, followed by The Catholic University of America (5.713).

The Landmark does not release the full standings, but the conference's other schools (in alphabetical order) are Drew University, Goucher College, Juniata College and the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

The All-Sports Cup is awarded based on a formula that rewards institutions for their finishes in regular-season conference standings as well as results in Landmark postseason play. The formula also takes into account the number of sports that a school sponsors.

Susquehanna sponsors all 20 Landmark sports.

SU earned this school year's Cup thanks to remarkable consistency. The Crusaders earned one championship (men's cross country) but finished as runners-up in 11 other sports (women's cross country, field hockey, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field and women's volleyball).

To boot, SU qualified for the Landmark playoffs in baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's lacrosse and women's tennis. Susquehanna's men's lacrosse, men's soccer and men's tennis teams all at least tied for fifth place in the conference, just one spot shy of the postseason.

The Landmark All-Sports Cup victory all but caps off an amazing 2009-10 school year for Susquehanna Athletics. The department also captured a Liberty League football championship in the fall and an Empire 8 Athletic Conference men's golf title in the spring. SU women's golf also debuted as a scoring team in the Centennial Conference in the spring, blazing the trail for SU football's move to that conference in the fall of 2010.

Susquehanna's accomplishments in the Liberty, Empire 8 and Centennial do not count toward the Landmark All-Sports Cup.

"The All-Sports Cup is a great accomplishment," says SU's Director of Athletics Pam Samuelson, who just completed her seventh year at the university.

"It's a testament to the strength of our entire staff and, of course, our student-athletes.

"This is a great time to wear Orange and Maroon."