KINGS POINT, N.Y., MAY 31, 2018-The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), buoyed by five conference titles in the 2017-18 Academic Year, captured the Skyline Conference Presidents Cup, as announced Thursday.

This marks the first time USMMA -- who returned to the Skyline in 2016-17 -- has captured the Presidents Cup since its inception in 2007-08. The award measures all-sports excellence in conference competition. The Mariners won a conference-high five titles in 2017-18: men's and women's lacrosse; men's and women's swimming and diving; and women's volleyball. As such, USMMA collected a rating percentage of .834 (81.75 out of a possible 98 points).

 Farmingdale State College (.779) placed second after earning Skyline titles in golf, women's soccer and men's and women's outdoor track and field, while Mount Saint Mary College (.753 - men's soccer and softball champions) placed third.

 St. Joseph's College-Long Island (.657; titles in baseball, women's cross country and men's volleyball) and SUNY Maritime College (.568; men's cross country champions) rounded out the top five.

Completing the tally were College of Mount Saint Vincent (.538); Purchase College, SUNY (.473); SUNY Old Westbury (.430 - women's basketball champions); Yeshiva University (.381; men's basketball, men's tennis and women's tennis champions); Sarah Lawrence College (.364); and St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn (.295).

A school earns points toward the Presidents Cup based upon the conference finish in each sport in which it competes. For each sport, the maximum number of points an institution can earn is equal to the number of teams competing in that sport. For sports with regular-season and conference tournament play, a school receives points based upon an average of the regular-season and conference tournament finishes. For sports with only conference championships, the finish in the championship determines the Presidents Cup points. An overall rating is generated for each school which is a percentage of total points earned divided by total possible points for that institution.