WINTHROP, Mass. – Johnson & Wales University has captured the 2024-25 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Commissioner's Cup for the fourth-consecutive season and placed second in the Men's Commissioner's Cup standings.
GNAC Commissioner's Cup standings: Women / Men
The Wildcats captured two women's conference championships this past year – field hockey and softball – and advanced to the championship game in three others (soccer, volleyball, lacrosse) to earn 36 of a possible 45 points (80.0 percent).
On the men's side, the baseball program captured its fourth GNAC Championship in five years and finished with the third-highest win total in program history (28). Additionally, the soccer men's soccer program moved onto the championship match for the third-consecutive season.
"This is a fitting end to our tenure in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference," said Director of Athletics
Dana Garfield. "We head into the Conference of New England this fall with more than 60 conference titles on our resume, which is a testament to the type of coaches and student-athletes Johnson & Wales attracts. In the classroom, all 18 of our varsity programs – 13 of which competed in the GNAC – finished with a GPA over a 3.0. In the everchanging landscape of collegiate athletics, Johnson & Wales continues to value the 'student' in 'student-athlete' as well as any Division III institution not just in New England, but across the country."
The field hockey program won its fourth-straight GNAC Championship and closed the season with a record of 18-4.
Haley Budenas was tabbed GNAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season and was joined on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region 1 Team by
Megan Salsinha.
The women's soccer team advanced to the conference championship match for the fifth-consecutive season behind GNAC Coach of the Year
Chris Flint, Defensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-American
Emily DeRoehn, and GNAC Rookie of the Year
Jamie Davies.
GNAC Rookie of the Year
Nevaeh Arnold pushed the volleyball program into the finals for the eighth time in nine years. The Wildcats closed the campaign with 21 wins and saw
Peyton Oliver earn GNAC First Team honors for the fourth-straight year and grab sole possession of the all-time kills record at JWU with 1,531.
GNAC Player of the Year
Madeleine Gould and Goalkeeper of the Year
Emma Glyman propelled the women's lacrosse program to the championship game for the ninth consecutive season.
Baseball swept defending GNAC Champion Mitchell in the finals to move on to the NCAA Tournament at Salisbury University in Maryland. Head coach
Kevin Casey watched as
Aidan Vining took home his third-consecutive GNAC Pitcher of the Year award and earn his first American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Division III All-America First Team honors.
Head coach
David Kulik became the winningest coach in JWU men's soccer history in 2025, guiding them to a 15-3-3 record this past season and a one-goal loss to USJ in the GNAC finals.
Aidan Bagley led the Wildcats in scoring and earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades.
The men's lacrosse program notched their third-straight playoff berth under head coach
Tim Murphy and saw four student-athletes named to the GNAC Third Team. Two of those selections –
David Hill and
Donny McInnis – participated in the 2025 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEIL) Senior All-Star Game.
JWU finished ahead of Emmanuel (MA) (72.5%) and well in front of Simmons (52.0%), Colby-Sawyer (51.1%), and Saint Joseph (CT) (51.1%) on the women's side to capture the cup for the ninth and final time. St. Joseph's (ME) finished atop the men's standings at 72.5%, followed by the Wildcats (60.0%), Saint Joseph (CT) (56.7%), Lasell (55.0%), and Regis (MA) (52.5%).
ABOUT THE GNAC COMMISSIONER'S CUP
The GNAC Commissioner's Cup annually recognizes the member institution achieving the highest level of athletic success throughout the academic year. It is based upon a point system and standings are determined by percentages in order to reflect the number of GNAC sports that each member sponsors.
Schools receive five points for winning a GNAC Championship, four points for advancing to a conference title game, three points for competing in a GNAC Semifinal, two points for qualifying for a GNAC Tournament, or one point for sponsoring the sport.
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
