ORONO, Maine -- University of Maine student-athletes participating in America East sponsored events posted a 3.18 grade point average during the 2017-18 season, as announced by the league's annual Walter Harrison Academic Cup release on Tuesday, June 26.

Overall in the Walter Harrison Academic Cup standings, the University of Maine placed sixth out of the league's nine member schools. The Black Bears' overall GPA was up from 3.13 a year ago.

Hartford repeated as the Walter Harrison Academic Cup champion with an institutional 3.37 institutional GPA, the highest mark in America East history. America East student-athletes averaged a 3.22 GPA overall in 2017-18, a four-point increase from 2016-17 and the highest single-year mark in league history; the sixth-straight year a new standard has been set.

All nine of the league's competing schools averaged better than a 3.0 GPA in 2017-18 with 83-percent (115 of 139) teams posting a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The figure marked the 13th consecutive year in which America East student-athletes have averaged better than a 3.0 GPA.

The Academic Cup, established by the America East Board of Directors in 1995, is presented to the institution whose student-athletes post the highest grade-point average during that academic year. The award was named for long time University of Hartford President Walter Harrison last year.

-UMaine-