Fall Commissioner's Cup Release

ELMHURST, Ill. - At the conclusion of the 2012-13 fall season, Oakland has taken the early lead in the race for The Summit League Commissioner’s Cup with 32.5 points. The Golden Grizzlies also hold the top spot for both the Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award and the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Award.

Following Oakland, a mere 5.5 points separate the second through eighth slots, making for a closely contested race. South Dakota State is in second place with 24 points, followed by Fort Wayne (23.5), North Dakota State (22), IUPUI (21), South Dakota (20), Kansas City (19) and Western Illinois (18.5). League newcomer Omaha rounds out the poll with a total of 11.5 points.

Oakland sits atop the overall and women’s standings after placing in the top-four in all five fall sports, including capturing regular season titles in both men’s and women’s soccer. The Golden Grizzlies finished in a tie for third in volleyball and placed fourth in men’s and women’s cross country.

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.

Standings for the 2011-12 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 on the attached PDF.

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