SPRING LAKE, N.J. – For the first time in school history, the Penn State Abington athletics department won the prestigious North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Presidents' Cup, which is awarded to the top overall sports program in the conference. The Nittany Lions took home third place in the women's standings and finished in second place on the men's side.
"I would like to congratulate our coaches, student-athletes, and support staff on capturing their first-ever NEAC Presidents' Cup," said Penn State Abington Director of Athletics
Shawne McCoy. "This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of everyone involved and I can't thank them enough for their contributions to the department. I would also like to thank our administration for their continued support of our athletic programs. This achievement is truly a team effort."
The award is presented annually at the NEAC May Retreat, and is based on a points system aggregating a school's combined level of success throughout all the sports in which the institution competes.
The Nittany Lions, which participates in 13 of the 17 sports sponsored by the NEAC, were able to capture the conference award after the men's and women's teams combined to earn 78 out of a possible 111 points for a .703 winning percentage. SUNYIT finished second with a winning percentage of .681, followed by Morrisville State with a .650 percentage for third place. Penn State Berks (.649), winner of last year's Presidents' Cup, and Keuka College (.605) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Women's tennis was the winner of the regular season, earning all seven possible points, while women's soccer finished in second place at the NEAC Championship and received 11 out of a possible 12 points. Softball finished in second place in the South Division regular season standings to collect five of the six possible points, whle the women's cross country team earned seven of the 11 points after finishing in fifth place at the NEAC Championship. The women's team had a .683 winning percentage, finishing in third place behind Keuka College (.738) and Penn State Berks (.736).
The men's tennis team earned four of the five points offered after winning the NEAC/NAC West Division title for the first time in program history. Men's soccer finished in second place in the regular season, while men's cross country finished in third place at the NEAC Championship and received eight of the nine possible points. Men's basketball finished in fourth place in the regular season and men's golf finished in fourth place at the NEAC Championship. Overall, the men had a total of 35 points out of 48 for a .729 winning percentage for a second place finish behind SUNYIT (.745).
There have only been four institutions to take home the Presidents' Cup since its inception in 2005-06. Villa Julie College (now Stevenson University) won the first two years, followed by Keuka (2007-08, 2008-09) and then a three-year run by SUNYIT before Penn State Berks took home the cup in 2012-13.
The NEAC has twelve NCAA Division III member institutions which includes: Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Institute of Technology, SUNY Morrisville State College, Wells College, and Wilson College. Bryn Athyn College and Pennsylvania College of the Technology will both join the conference as full members in 2014-15. Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (Women's Swimming), D'Youville College (Men's Volleyball), Hilbert College (Men's Lacrosse & Men's Volleyball), Medaille College (Men's & Women's Lacrosse & Men's Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (Men's Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (Men's Golf & Men's Tennis). The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men's and women's tennis.
The complete results for all three NEAC Presidents' Cups are as follows:
| Overall Standings |
| | Points | Points | |
| Rank | Institution | Earned | Possible | Percentage |
| 1 | Penn State Abington | 78 | 111 | .703 |
| 2 | SUNYIT | 71.5 | 105 | .681 |
| 3 | Morrisville State College | 65 | 100 | .650 |
| 4 | Penn State Berks | 65.5 | 101 | .649 |
| 5 | Keuka College | 75 | 124 | .605 |
| 6 | SUNY Cobleskill | 58 | 100 | .580 |
| 7 | Lancaster Bible College | 62.5 | 109 | .573 |
| 8 | Wells College | 57 | 115 | .496 |
| 9 | Gallaudet University | 39.5 | 83 | .476 |
| 10 | Cazenovia College | 54 | 129 | .419 |
| 11 | College of Saint Elizabeth | 17 | 69 | .246 |
| 12 | Wilson College | 9 | 69 | .265 |
| Women's Standings |
| | Points | Points | |
| Rank | Institution | Earned | Possible | Percentage |
| 1 | Keuka College | 46.5 | 63 | .738 |
| 2 | Penn State Berks | 39 | 53 | .736 |
| 3 | Penn State Abington | 43 | 63 | .683 |
| 4 | SUNYIT | 35 | 56 | .625 |
| 5 | Morrisville State College | 33 | 56 | .589 |
| 6 | Wells College | 40.5 | 69 | .587 |
| 7 | Lancaster Bible College | 36 | 63 | .571 |
| 8 | SUNY Cobleskill | 29.5 | 52 | .567 |
| 9 | Cazenovia College | 36.5 | 69 | .529 |
| 10 | Gallaudet University | 24 | 52 | .462 |
| 11 | Wilson College | 9 | 34 | .265 |
| 12 | College of St. Elizabeth | 17 | 69 | .246 |
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| Men's Standings |
| | Points | Points | |
| Rank | Institution | Earned | Possible | Percentage |
| 1 | SUNYIT | 36.5 | 49 | .745 |
| 2 | Penn State Abington | 35 | 48 | .729 |
| 3 | Morrisville State College | 32 | 44 | .727 |
| 4 | SUNY Cobleskill | 28.5 | 48 | .594 |
| 5 | Lancaster Bible College | 26.5 | 46 | .576 |
| 6 | Penn State Berks | 26.5 | 48 | .552 |
| 7 | Gallaudet University | 15.5 | 31 | .500 |
| 8 | Keuka College | 28.5 | 61 | .467 |
| 9 | Wells College | 16.5 | 46 | .359 |
| 10 | Cazenovia College | 17.5 | 60 | .292 |
