NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 16, 2019) - After one of the tightest races in league history, Hunter College was presented with the 2018-19 CUNYAC Commissioner's Cup Thursday at the 33rd Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner at John Jay College in New York City.

In a race that was decided by one point, Hunter (124 points) edged Lexington Avenue rival Baruch College, which finished second with 123 points. College of Staten Island was a close third with 104.5 points.

The Hawks, who won their league-leading 12th Cup all-time, pulled out the victory in the spring, with a conference title in women's outdoor track and field, and a CUNYAC regular-season crown and runner-up finish in softball.

"Well, we are thrilled with a broad brush of 18 teams and trying to get everyone to raise their bar and expectations," said Hunter Director of Athletics, Recreation and Intramurals Terry Wansart. "It was a battle of inches. Baruch, Hunter and CSI have been battling for a while. We lost it by 2.5 points last year, and won it by 1 point this year. Sometimes, that's just how it goes."

Wansart also added: "For the women's outdoor track and field team to win in the pouring rain at Icahn Stadium was unbelievable. Their backs were against the wall. They knew they needed to win (to secure the Commissioner's Cup)."

Additionallty, Hunter won the CUNYAC's regular-season and tournament championships in women's basketball and women's volleyball, in addition to capturing regular-season titles in men's volleyball and women's swimming.

Baruch won the most CUNYAC Tournament championships in 2018-19, hoisting the hardware seven times.

The Bearcats won three titles in both the winter (men's and women's swimming and men's basketball) and spring (men's volleyball, men's tennis and baseball) seasons, and triumphed over CSI in penalty kicks in the fall in the CUNYAC men's soccer final.

Defending Cup champion Staten Island was a championship runner-up in five different sports this year, but wrapped up the season on a high note with its seventh-consecutive CUNYAC softball crown.

The Dolphins led the Cup race through the fall, after the men's and women's soccer teams both earned berths in their respective CUNYAC finals and had the best conference records in the regular season. The CSI women's team also won the tournament title, with a 6-2 victory against John Jay.

Behind a combined four league championships in cross country and track and field, City College of New York placed fourth with 51 points. Meanwhile, Brooklyn captured a regular-season and tournament championship in women's tennis and a runner-up trophy in women's basketball, en route to attaining a fifth-place finish (42 points).

2018-19 CUNYAC Commissioner's Cup - Final Standings
1. Hunter - 124 Points
2. Baruch - 123 Points
3. Staten Island - 104.5 Points
4. CCNY - 51 Points
5. Brooklyn - 42 Points
6. John Jay - 29 Points
7. Lehman - 28 Points
8. Medgar Evers - 1.5 Points
9. York - 0 Points