Baruch wins Commissioner Cup for 2011-2012 season

For the third year in a row Baruch College won the Commissioner Cup, the trophy awarded to the best program in the CUNY Athletic Conference each season. To determine the winner of the Cup, each school is awarded up to 10 points in every sport based on how they fared in the regular season and playoffs. The Bearcats accumulated a total of 156 points over the season, 58 more than Hunter who finished second with 98 points. College of Staten Island finished third with 73 points.

Ray Rankis, Athletics Director described the victory as ‘very important.’ “This is what we strive for,” he said, “we look for excellence in all sports.” He found it difficult to pick the most impressive achievement from last season. “Like trying to ask a parent who is their favorite child,” Rankis said. But he had high praise for the coaching staffs of Baruch’s softball and baseball team. “I do, however, want to highlight Jose Torres and Jose Negroni, our baseball and softball coaches. Any time a team which has no home field and is able to win a CUNY championship makes it special.”

His statements were backed up by first basemen and team captain Thomas Daly who was finally able to bring a title back in his senrior year at Baruch. “What I’m most proud of is that unlike most colleges and programs we really have it rough, we have no field and we have to commute everywhere, practices, games etc.” he said. “Even our home games really aren’t home games, so the season really takes its toll on the guys but they pushed through it just like teams prior.”

Without a ballpark to call their own the teams have had to split their “home games” between Randall’s Island, MCU Park in Coney Island (Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones) and other colleges like Lehman College, Bronx Community College and Kingsborough Community College.

The mens team grabbed the number one seed in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 9-1 conference record. During a three-day playoffs in late April they fought off Lehman, John Jay and Staten Island to win the title.

The women’s team entered the playoffs as underdogs, they were the third seed With an 8-4 record behind Hunter (9-3) and Staten Island (11-1). But the Bearcats caught fire in the playoffs and blew away the competition. After beating John Jay, Hunter and Brooklyn by the scores 9-1, 2-1 and 2-0, the softball team was set to face Staten Island in the final. In the championship game Baruch overpowered the number one seed Staten Island and won the trophy in a 5-0 shutout.

In addition to the softball and baseball championships the Bearcats racked up six additional titles giving them a total of eight CUNY Championships throughout the 2011-2012 season. The titles were split evenly between the men’s and women’s teams as the men also succeeded in swimming, tennis and volleyball while the women won basketball, swimming and volleyball championships.

The women’s basketball team dded four more trophies to Baruch’s collection in as many years. The swimming teams, withtheir three straight CUNYAC titles, are almost on par with the women’s basketball dynasty. Meanwhile, the men’s tennis team won their first CUNYAC title since the 2008-2009 season.

The men’s soccer team came up short in their championship game when they suffered a heartbreaking loss in a penalty shootout in November. But their second place finish provided the points that helped Baruch finish atop the standings.

Rankis believes that the expectations for next season are the same as this year and that the only thing that can stop the Bearcats is injuries. “Injuries, not withstanding, we expect great things from all our teams,” he said. “We know they will always be doing their best, and that, too, is winning.”

The women’s volleyball team will kick-start Baruch’s Fall season on Friday, August 31st when they face off against Nazareth in the SUNY Cortland Invitational. The next day the men’s soccer team will open their season against Montclair State in the Rogers Williams Tournament. The women’s tennis team will put a finish to Opening Week on Thursday, September 6th when they go on the road to play SUNY Purchase. The men and women’s basketball teams will open their seasons on November 16th and November 17th respectively. The women will participate in the John Hopkins Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland while the men will play in the Radisson Invitational in Scranton, Pennsylvania.