ORU Captures Fifth Straight Commissioner’s Cup

South Dakota State finished second in the standings, while Oakland placed third, just eight points behind SDSU. The Bison were two points behind the Golden Grizzlies for fourth place. The fifth and sixth slots were separated by just two points, with Southern Utah gaining the advantage with 76 points, while UMKC had 75.5 points and Western Illinois accumulated 74 points. IUPUI (66 pionts), IPFW (63.5 points) and Centenary (32.5 points) rounded out the standings.

Oral Roberts was propelled into first place by capturing three spring sport titles, men’s and women’s golf and baseball. In addition, the Golden Eagles also won the women’s basketball title and placed second in men’s and women’s indoor track & field and men’s and women’s tennis. The Jackrabbits claimed first place in men’s cross country, women’s soccer and baseball.

The Bison won the women’s award and placed fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup rankings thanks to finishing first in women’s soccer, volleyball, and all four track & field championships.

Oakland placed third in the Commissioner’s Cup standings after finishing first in men’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming & diving and men’s basketball. Southern Utah won the women’s cross country title and placed second in men’s cross country and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field for its fifth-place finish.

The Commissioner’s Cup is given annually to the member institution that collects the most combined points in relationship to placement in league-sponsored sports between its men’s and women’s athletic programs, while the All Sports Awards are given to the institutions that accumulate the most points in men’s sports and women’s sports. The men’s award is named for former Valparaiso Director of Athletics Dr. William Steinbrecher, who guided the Crusaders from 1979-2004, while the women’s award is named for former Western Illinois Director of Athletics Dr. Helen Smiley, who headed WIU’s athletic program from 1994-2001.

The final standings for the 2009-10 Commissioner’s Cup and the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All Sports and Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All Sports Awards can be found below. The breakdown of each institution’s points and finishes within each sport can be found by clicking on the attached PDF.