It has been handed out since the 1976–77 season, but no institution has dominated it like Wilmington University.
No other men’s athletic department has won more than three Restaino Cups in a row.
It’s the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men’s Alfred R. Restaino Cup.
The Cup is awarded annually to the institution that performs at the highest level in all CACC-sponsored men’s sports, and it hasn’t left the Wildcats’ grip since the 2009–10 academic year.
The award is named after the late Bloomfield College Director of Athletics and Head Coach Alfred R. Restaino, Sr., who served a vital role in not just the school’s athletic department but also in the formation of the CACC.
The point system used for the award takes into account each athletic program’s finish in both CACC regular-season contests and conference tournaments. Each institution receives a combined point total and the sum is then divided by the number of sports the institution sponsors.
Since the inception of the award in 1976, the Wildcats have won the most Restaino Cups in the CACC, even though Wilmington did not join the conference until 1999.
Since the inception of the award in 1976, the Wildcats have won the most Restaino Cups in the CACC, even though Wilmington did not join the conference until 1999. At the end of the 2016–17 season, the Wildcats took home their eighth straight Cup. No other men’s athletic department has won more than three in a row.
The University’s eight-year dominance has been spurred by the golf team (eight straight CACC championships), baseball team (three CACC regular season titles and four CACC Tournament Championships), men’s cross country (four CACC championships), men’s soccer (eight playoff appearances and two CACC regular season titles), and men’s basketball (two playoff appearances).
Current CACC rival Dominican College, which joined the conference in the fall of 1982, has seven Restaino Cups. The Chargers’ best run was three straight Cups from 1994–97. St. Thomas Aquinas College also won three consecutive Cups, from 1982–85, but currently is a part of the East Coast Conference. King’s College is the only other program to win at least three Cups, the last coming in 1989–90. King’s is currently an NCAA Division III school.
“It’s a truly remarkable run these programs have been able to establish,” says Director of Athletics Dr. Linda Van Drie-Andrzjewski. “It’s not only a testament to the student-athletes performing on their respective fields, but it’s also a testament to the coaching staffs that have been able to replenish the teams year after year. I’m lucky I get to watch these teams compete.”
The Wildcats are at it again in 2017–18, emerging from the fall season with the lead in the Restaino Cup Standings. The golf, men’s soccer, and men’s cross country teams are leading the way to what would be an unprecedented ninth straight Cup. Wu
—Dan Lauletta