SIOUX FALLS – In one of the tightest races since The Summit League Commissioner’s Cup was formed in 1996, South Dakota edged South Dakota State by a single point as their men’s and women’s programs garnered 90 points between them to capture the athletic department’s first cup.
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SIOUX FALLS – In one of the tightest races since The Summit League Commissioner’s Cup was formed in 1996, South Dakota edged South Dakota State by a single point as their men’s and women’s programs garnered 90 points between them to capture the athletic department’s first cup.
The Coyotes pulled off the feat with only one championship in women’s cross country, but seven other USD squads took runner-up finishes to pile up the necessary points to claim the title. The only tighter race for the Commissioner’s Cup was in 2011 when the Jackrabbits won their first cup by a half-point over former member Oakland.
The Coyotes also topped the Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award standings with 62 points, while SDSU led the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Award standings with 41.5 points to win for the sixth time.
North Dakota State took third overall with 80 points and was 10 off the pace set by the Coyotes. The Bison, who were the two-time defending cup champions, made a charge by winning the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field titles along with the softball crown during the spring.
Denver, which placed fourth with 67 points, won a league-best four titles during the spring, claiming regular-season championships in men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf.
Oral Roberts, which holds the most all-time cups with nine, was fifth with 59.5 points while league newcomer North Dakota was sixth with 52 points. Omaha (51.5), Purdue Fort Wayne (40.5) and Western Illinois (38.5) rounded out the cup standings.
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.
2018-19 FINAL STANDINGS
Commissioner’s Cup
1. South Dakota 90
2. South Dakota State 89
3. North Dakota State 80
4. Denver 67
5. Oral Roberts 59.5
6. North Dakota 52
7. Omaha 51.5
8. Purdue Fort Wayne 40.5
9. Western Illinois 38.5
Dr. William Steinbrecher
Men’s All-Sports Award
1. South Dakota State 41.5
2. North Dakota State 31
3. South Dakota 28
4. Oral Roberts 25
T5. Denver 23
T5. Omaha 23
7. Purdue Fort Wayne 16.5
8. Western Illinois 15.5
9. North Dakota 13
Dr. Helen Smiley
Women’s All-Sports Award
1. South Dakota 62
2. North Dakota State 49
3. South Dakota State 47.5
4. Denver 44
5. North Dakota 39
6. Oral Roberts 34.5
7. Omaha 28.5
8. Purdue Fort Wayne 24
9. Western Illinois 23
