Mountaineers and Spartans Hold Advantage Following Fall Season
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State University's men and UNCG's women hold the early leads in the races for the Southern Conference's respective all-sports trophies following the completion of the fall sports season.
The Mountaineers, winners of 30 Commissioner's Cups overall, including 17 of the last 18 seasons, were conference champions in two of the three fall sports, football and cross country. The Mountaineers men's soccer team finished in a tie for fourth place to earn 8.5 points, giving ASU 32 points overall.
Furman sits in second place with 26 points following a regular season championship in men's soccer as the Paladins tied with College of Charleston and UNCG.
Elon (24.5 points) holds a half-point advantage over UNCG (24) for third place. The Spartans captured the men's soccer regular season co-championship and tournament title along with finishing second in cross country.
Fifth-place Wofford (19.5) shared the football championship with Appalachian State.
Chattanooga (19), College of Charleston (16), Davidson (16) and Georgia Southern (14) fill the sixth through ninth spots, respectively, followed by Western Carolina (10.5), Samford (10) and The Citadel (7.5).
In the race for the Germann Cup, the trophy presented to the top all-around women's athletics program, UNCG holds a five-point advantage on the nearest school. The Spartans earned 33 points with regular season and tournament championships in soccer, coupled with a second place finish in volleyball's North Division and a third place standing at the annual cross country meet.
Samford, the winner of the Germann Cup in 2009-10, holds down second place with 28 points. The Bulldogs were cross country champions this fall and finished second in soccer.
North Division volleyball champion Elon (27) is in third place on the ledger, narrowly leading volleyball's South Division champions, College of Charleston (26).
Appalachian State (22.5) sits in fifth while Furman (21) resides in the sixth spot. Rounding out the standings are Davidson (16), Chattanooga (14), The Citadel (13), Georgia Southern (13), Wofford (10.5) and Western Carolina (8).
Georgia Southern claimed the league's volleyball tournament title.
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 served as commissioner of the Southern Conference from 1974-86 and spearheaded the effort to introduce women's athletics to the league.
Appalachian State has won the Commissioner's Cup 30 times since entering the SoCon in 1971, earning 17 of the last 18 trophies. Chattanooga won the award in 2004-05.
Samford, the 2009-10 winner of the Germman Cup, is one of just five schools to ever win the trophy, joining Appalachian State, College of Charleston, Furman and Chattanooga.
Commissioner's Cup
(through fall men's sports)
1. Appalachian State 32
2. Furman 26
3. Elon 24.5
4. UNCG 24
5. Wofford 19.5
6. Chattnaooga 19
7. College of Charleston 16
Davidson 16
9. Georgia Southern 14
10. Western Carolina 10.5
11. Samford 10
12. The Citadel 7.5
Germann Cup
(through fall women's sports)
1. UNCG 33
2. Samford 28
3. Elon 27
4. College of Charleston 26
5. Appalachian State 22.5
6. Furman 21
7. Davidson 16
8. Chattanooga 14
9. The Citadel 13
Georgia Southern 13
11. Wofford 10.5
12. Western Carolina 8