Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine placed second for the second-straight year in the 2023-24 Walter Harrison Academic Cup standings with an institutional grade point average (GPA) of 3.48, as announced by the America East conference on Friday, July 26.

The Black Bears finished just 0.02 point shy of the Academic Cup Champions Vermont (3.50 GPA).

Individually, UMaine women's basketball (3.86 - highest GPA in America East across all sports), men's cross country (3.59 - third-straight year ranking first in its sport), field hockey (3.68 - fourth-straight year ranking first), softball (3.68 - second-straight year ranking first) and women's track and field (3.63 - tied with Vermont) all were crowned as individual sport GPA champions for the 2023-24 season.

Maine is one of four schools in the America East who had all teams in the conference achieve a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 2023-24 academic year.

Overall, America East student-athletes averaged a 3.40 GPA in 2023-24, the second-highest in conference history. This is the 19th consecutive year 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-