SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Following the completion of the fall sports season, Furman holds a slight advantage in the races for the Commissioner’s Cup and the Germann Cup.
In the race for the Commissioner’s Cup, Furman totaled 29.5 points in the fall, placing the Paladins ahead of second-place Appalachian State (28 points) and third-place Elon (22 points). Furman finished in third place or better in the three fall sports on the men’s side, while claiming the regular season and tournament championship in men’s soccer. ASU is close on the heels of the Paladins thanks to winning the cross country championship and tying Wofford for first in football.
Wofford is currently in fourth place in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, while UNC Greensboro ranks fifth, Chattanooga sits in sixth and Davidson is in seventh place. College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, The Citadel and Western Carolina complete the rankings in the eighth through 11th places, respectively.
Furman holds a two-and-a-half point lead in the Germann Cup standings with 28.5 points overall. The Lady Paladins finished in third place or higher in volleyball, soccer and cross country and earned two bonus points for winning the soccer championship. College of Charleston is in second place with 26 points on the strength of its volleyball team, which claimed both the regular season and tournament titles.
Davidson ranks third with 24.5 points, while Appalachian State, winners of the Germann Cup in 2006 and ’07, is in fourth place with 24 points. Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro and Elon are in the fifth, sixth and seventh slots while Western Carolina, Georgia Southern, Wofford and The Citadel round out the standings.
The Commissioner’s and Germann Cups are awarded annually to the Southern Conference schools fielding the league’s best all-around men’s and women’s sports programs. Schools earn points based upon its regular season finish, with two bonus points going to the team that wins the conference tournament.
The Commissioner’s Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and the Germann Cup was first awarded in 1987. The latter is named after former SoCon Commissioner, Ken Germann, who passed away in 2005.
Appalachian State has claimed the Commissioner’s Cup 27 times since entering the SoCon in 1971, winning 15 of the last 16 cups. Chattanooga won the award in 2004-05.
Only three schools have won the Germann Cup with Furman winning 12 straight from 1993 through 2004. Appalachian State won the inaugural cup and College of Charleston garnered the award in 2004-05. ASU has also claimed the Germann Cup in each of the past two seasons.
Commissioner's Cup Standings (Men's)
| 1. |
Furman |
29.5 |
| 2. |
Appalachian State |
28 |
| 3. |
Elon |
22 |
| 4. |
Wofford |
16.5 |
| 5. |
UNC Greensboro |
15.5 |
| 6. |
Chattanooga |
15 |
| 7. |
Davidson |
14.5 |
| 8. |
College of Charleston |
13 |
| 9. |
Georgia Southern |
12.5 |
| 10. |
The Citadel |
11.5 |
| 11. |
Western Carolina |
9 |
| 12. |
VMI (wrestling) |
0 |
Germann Cup Standings (Women's)
| 1. |
Furman |
28.5 |
| 2. |
College of Charleston |
26 |
| 3. |
Davidson |
24.5 |
| 4. |
Appalachian State |
24 |
| 5. |
Chattanooga |
21.5 |
| 6. |
UNC Greensboro |
20.5 |
| 7. |
Elon |
18 |
| 8. |
Western Carolina |
16 |
| 9. |
Georgia Southern |
9.5 |
| 10. |
Wofford |
7.5 |
| 11. |
The Citadel |
6 |