The Stags won their first overall cup since 2012 and their third straight women's cup.
For the first time since 2011-12, Fairfield University Athletics has won the MAAC Richard J. Ensor, Esq. Commissioner's Cup. The Stags also earned the MAAC Women's Commissioner's Cup for the third straight season and placed second in the Men's Commissioner's Cup standings.
"At the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, we selected the motto 'Compete, Every Play, Every Day' as our guidepost for year. For this memorable journey to culminate with the MAAC Commissioner's Cup is a testament to our entire University community for embracing and embodying that mindset," said Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann. "This is a team award reflective of an exceptional commitment to the pursuit of comprehensive excellence in every aspect of the student experience here at Fairfield, including a belief in Stags Athletics as a vehicle to achieve at the highest level – by our Board, by President Nemec and across our senior leadership group. Congratulations to all our Stags coaches, staff, and student-athletes for their relentless approach in building our culture, for their competitive spirit and for their contributions to our success. This is another significant step in our University and departmental trajectory."
The Richard J. Ensor, Esq. MAAC Commissioner’s Cup is awarded annually as a symbol of overall excellence in athletics in the 23 championships conducted within the MAAC. Only the scores from men’s & women’s basketball, plus the top six men’s and top six women’s scores are used to determine an institution’s total points.
Fairfield scored a total of 161.50 points in the Commissioner's Cup standings to mark the most in program history and the second highest total in conference history, trailing only Monmouth's 167.25 points in 2015-16. The Stags won MAAC Championships in volleyball, women's basketball and women's tennis, also earning the regular season crown in all three of those sports in addition to men's tennis, women's lacrosse, and baseball.
Fairfield also racked up points with runner-up postseason finishes in women's soccer, women's swimming & diving, men's basketball, men's tennis, men's & women's golf (including MAAC individual champion Maria Beltran), women's lacrosse and baseball. In total, 11 of Fairfield's 17 MAAC sports finished first or second in the conference postseason.
The Stags have won a total of five MAAC Commissioner's Cups, trailing only Marist (12) among current conference members. Fairfield's 29.45-point cushion over second-place Rider is the largest in the overall standings since 2007-08.
Fairfield had finished second in the Commissioner's Cup standings in three consecutive years, including a slim 0.25-point margin behind Quinnipiac on the 2022-23 ledger. The Stags are the only MAAC program to finish in the top-three in the standings in each of the last five seasons.
The MAAC Women's Commissioner's Cup win is Fairfield's third straight and fourth in the last five seasons. The Stags' 96.50 points on the women's side are the most in MAAC history on either the women's or men's ledger. The 15.50-point margin of victory over Niagara is the largest in the women's standings since 2008-09.
The second-place performance in the men's standings is Fairfield's best since 2020-21, improving upon consecutive fifth-place finishes in the last two years. The Stags' 65.00 points are a Fairfield record on the men's ledger.
The 2023-24 Stags are the first program to finish in the top two in the overall, women's, and men's standings since Fairfield placed second on all three ledgers in 2020-21. The last non-Fairfield team to accomplish that feat was Monmouth in 2017-18.
In addition to success within the MAAC, Fairfield teams participated in the NCAA postseason in volleyball, women's tennis, and women's lacrosse – with the latter earning the first NCAA at-large bid in Fairfield and MAAC women's lacrosse history. Maria Beltran became the first student-athlete to represent the Fairfield Women's Golf program at an NCAA Regional and posted the best-ever performance at a regional by a MAAC women's golfer. Women's basketball and women's lacrosse both earned national rankings during their respective campaigns.
Fairfield also won a Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship in field hockey, and men's lacrosse posted a third-place finish in the Coastal Athletic Association and qualified for the CAA postseason for the first time since 2016.
