SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer’s men’s programs and Samford’s women’s programs lead the Southern Conference all-sport races after the completion of the fall championship seasons.
 
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, respectively. Scoring is conducted on a percentage basis, with only the top seven sports for each school counting toward its season total. The SoCon sponsors 21 total sports, with the league’s three co-ed rifle teams counting toward the Commissioner’s Cup standings and the two women’s rifle teams counting toward the Germann Cup.
 
Each sport is worth 10 points, with each spot in the standings given equal measure relative to how many schools sponsor that particular sport. For sports that determine a regular-season champion, a two-point bonus is awarded for winning the league tournament. Each school’s total for the year is divided by 70, the maximum number of points possible when counting seven sports, to find its percentage.
 
Mercer’s men, seeking their first Commissioner’s Cup, turned in top-three finishes in all three fall sports and claimed the soccer tournament crown to accumulate 27.46 points toward the all-sports trophy for a .392 percentage. The Bears opened the fall with a third-place finish at the cross country championship and followed that up with a second-place showing in the soccer regular season before winning the tournament for the fourth time in six seasons. Mercer football then played for the league title on the last day of the regular season, falling to ETSU to take second place.
 
Five-time Commissioner’s Cup champion ETSU is second in the standings. In addition to winning their second football title in four seasons, the Bucs finished second at the cross country championship and added a fifth-place finish in soccer to total 23.29 points and a .333 percentage.
 
Furman, the defending Commissioner’s Cup champion, won its ninth straight cross country championship to kick off the fall, following that up by tying for third in the soccer standings and tying for fourth in football. The Paladins are just back of ETSU with a .314 percentage.
 
Men’s soccer regular-season champion UNCG is fourth with a .229 percentage, followed by VMI in fifth at .157 and Chattanooga and Western Carolina just a shade behind at .154 and .151, respectively. Samford is eighth at .140, Wofford is ninth at .085 and The Citadel is 10^th at .054.
 
In the Germann Cup race, defending champion Samford has the early lead for its fourth title after a fall in which the Bulldogs won the women’s soccer regular-season and tournament crowns, finished second in the cross country championship and tied for third in the volleyball standings. Samford totaled 28.22 points in the Germann Cup standings, good for a .403 percentage.
 
Volleyball regular-season co-champion UNCG is second with 20.94 points and a .299 percentage. The Spartans finished fourth at the cross country championship and tied for sixth in the soccer standings.
 
Seventeen-time Germann Cup champion Furman lurks just behind UNCG in third place with 20.11 points and a .287 percentage. The Paladins won their ninth consecutive cross country title to open fall championships and finished second in in the soccer standings.
 
ETSU is fourth at .263 on the strength of a third-place cross country showing, while volleyball regular-season co-champion Mercer is in fifth place at .256. Western Carolina is sixth at .227, followed by Wofford (.210), Chattanooga (.177), volleyball tournament champion The Citadel (.163) and VMI (.057).
 
The Commissioner’s Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and the Germann Cup was first awarded in 1987. The latter is named for 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.
 
The 2021-22 academic year will see a winner of the Commissioner’s Cup crowned for the 52nd time and the Germann Cup awarded for the 35th time. The cups were not awarded in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Six schools have won the Commissioner’s Cup in its history, including current members ETSU (2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 1982-83), Furman (1990-91 and 2020-21) and Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2004-05).
 
Five schools have won the Germann Cup. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004 and five of six from 2013-14 to 2018-19. Samford has won three (2014-15, 2009-10 and 2020-21) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
 

Commissioner’s Cup (through fall sports)
(Men’s athletics)
1. Mercer	0.392
2. ETSU	0.333
3. Furman	0.314
4. UNCG	0.229
5. VMI	0.157
6. Chattanooga	0.154
7. Western Carolina	0.151
8. Samford	0.140
9. Wofford	0.085
10. The Citadel	0.054

 

Germann Cup (through fall sports)
(Women’s athletics)
1. Samford	0.403
2. UNCG	0.299
3. Furman	0.287
4. ETSU	0.263
5. Mercer	0.256
6. Western Carolina	0.227
7. Wofford	0.210
8. Chattanooga	0.177
9. The Citadel	0.163
10. VMI	0.057