New Haven, Conn. (5/26/17)  The Philadelphia University Department of Athletics on Thursday was named the winner of the 2016-17 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Alfred R. Restaino, Sr. Cup for Women's Sports, as announced by Commissioner Dan Mara.

The cup is awarded annually to the institution that performs at the highest level in all CACC-sponsored women's sports. The point system used for the award takes into account each athletic program's finish in both the 2016-17 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.

Philadelphia posted a winning average score of 11.4375, narrowly edging out Caldwell University, which finished second with an equally impressive mark of 11.3750.

The Lady Chargers of Dominican College finished in seventh place overall.

PhilaU benefitted from a pair of women's team championships won this year by women's cross country and volleyball. Head Coach Dave Thomas' harrier squad won the program's third-straight CACC title in the fall of 2016 and its eighth in the last nine years. In just his second season of leading the Rams volleyball program, Tim Moyer did an outstanding job of guiding the team to the CACC Championship with a win over the Cougars in the final.

The spring season also saw the softball and women's lacrosse teams reach the championship final in their respective tournaments, as WLAX was seeking the team's second-straight CACC title. Softball, which had missed the playoffs the last several seasons, rebounded quite nicely by knocking off several top seeds in the CACC tournament to reach the final two. Women's basketball and women's soccer also advanced to their respective CACC Championship tournaments.

Caldwell finished a close second after the athletic department celebrated championships in both women's soccer and softball in 2016-17. Volleyball and women's basketball each advanced to their respective championship finals, including a regular season North Division Championship for the hoops team. Women's track & field placed third in their championship meet and women's lacrosse qualified for the CACC tournament.

Georgian Court University capped the top three in the standings with a third-place score of 10.7143. The Lions celebrated a pair of women's championships during the spring, as women's lacrosse won both the regular season and tournament titles, while women's track & field won the program's fourth-straight conference crown. During the fall, women's soccer won the CACC regular season championship and reached the tournament final, while women's cross country posted a runner-up finish at the league race. Volleyball qualified for the CACC Championship tournament as well.

FINAL 2016-17 CACC ALFRED R. RESTAINO, SR. CUP STANDINGS
1. Philadelphia University (11.4375)
2. Caldwell University (11.3750)
3. Georgian Court University (10.7143)
4. Wilmington University (9.2143)
5. Bloomfield College (9.0833)
6. University of the Sciences (9.0500)
7. Dominican College (8.9643)
8. Holy Family University (8.8438)
9. Goldey-Beacom College (8.7917)
10. Chestnut Hill College (7.6563)
11. Post University (7.5625)
12. Nyack College (7.2143)
13. Felician University (6.1429)
14. Concordia College (4.7500)