ROCHESTER, NY - Utica University athletics completed the 2023-24 year with a third place finish in the Empire 8 Commissioner's Cup, as announced by the league on Wednesday, May 29.
Utica finished third overall with a percentage total of 0.712 after earning the 2024 Empire 8 men's outdoor track and field championship in addition to runner-up finishes in baseball, softball, men's golf and women's outdoor track and field in the spring. In addition, the Pioneers won the 2023-24 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship and competed in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament for the second straight season.
The Pioneers completed the fall 2023 season with a 0.6129032258 points percentage, earning 38 of 62 possible points. Following the 2023-24 winter season, Utica totaled a 0.8046875 points percentage (25.75 out of 32 possible points) to increase its total percentage to 0.6781914894 before raising it once more to 0.71153846 after the spring 2024 season (38 out of 49 possible points).
Commissioner's Cup points are awarded based on each team's finish in the Empire 8 conference standings at the completion of the regular season and postseason. Points are awarded on a scale dependent upon the number of schools that sponsor the sport (affiliate members are not calculated into the point scale). A team's regular season finish will be added to its postseason finish and divided by two for the final total for that sport. Teams tied for a position in the regular season standings are ranked based on tiebreaker scenarios. The actual number of points earned is then divided by the number of possible points for each school based on conference-sponsored sports to determine their overall percentage.
Final 2023-24 Empire 8 Commissioner's Cup Standings
| Institution |
Actual |
Possible |
Percentage |
| St. John Fisher |
128.25 |
152 |
0.84375 |
| Nazareth |
109.75 |
154 |
0.71266234 |
| Utica |
101.75 |
143 |
0.71153846 |
| Houghton |
69.25 |
128 |
0.54101563 |
| Alfred |
74.25 |
139 |
0.53417266 |
| Hartwick |
61.5 |
128 |
0.48046875 |
| Russell Sage |
55.25 |
144 |
0.38368056 |
| Elmira |
29.75 |
79 |
0.37658228 |
| Keuka |
31.25 |
104 |
0.30048077 |
2023-24 Empire 8 Champions
Fall
Men's Cross Country: Houghton
Women's Cross Country: Nazareth
Field Hockey: Hartwick
Football: SUNY Cortland (Utica top full-member E8 finisher)
Men's Soccer: Elmira
Women's Soccer: Nazareth
Women's Volleyball: Alfred
Women's Tennis: Alfred
Winter
Men's Basketball: Utica
Women's Basketball: St. John Fisher
Men's Swimming and Diving: Hartwick
Women's Swimming and Diving: Nazareth
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Nazareth
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Nazareth
Spring
Baseball: St. John Fisher
Men's Golf: St. John Fisher
Men's Lacrosse: St. John Fisher
Women's Lacrosse: St. John Fisher
Softball: St. John Fisher
Men's Tennis: Houghton
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Utica
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Nazareth
Men's Volleyball: St. John Fisher
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
