UTSA Wins Southland Conference Commissioner’s Cup

UTSA also wins women’s all-sports trophy, while Stephen F. Austin wins men’s all-sports trophy

FRISCO, TEXAS (May 22, 2011) On the strength of two regular-season team championships and seven top-three finishes, UTSA claimed its second Southland Conference Commissioner’s Cup, the league office announced Sunday.

UTSA compiled 142.5 points to edge last year’s Cup winner, Stephen F. Austin, by one point with 141.5 points. The Roadrunners won their first Cup in 2008 and have finished as the runnerup in four of the last five Cup standings. UTSA is one of four Southland universities to win at least two Commissioner’s Cups, joining Sam Houston State, UT Arlington and Texas State.

UTSA totaled 78.5 points to win their first outright women’s all-sports trophy in program history. The Roadrunners finished in a first-place tie with former conference member Louisiana-Monroe in 1994. Since that time, UTSA has finished in the top four 12 times with four second-place scores.

The Roadrunners had 64 points to finish second in the men’s all-sports trophy standings behind Stephen F. Austin, which totaled 69 points. UTSA, which won the men’s all-sports trophy in 2006 and 2008, has been one of the more consistent programs in the conference, finishing no less than third in each of the last eight seasons.

The UTSA women won its first golf championship and finished in the top five in five other sports, including second place in soccer and volleyball. The UTSA men won their sixth consecutive indoor track and field title and recorded a top-five finish in four other sports, including second place in tennis and outdoor track and field.

Stephen F. Austin, the 2010 Commissioner’s Cup winner, was one point shy of claiming a share of its second overall trophy in the last two seasons. SFA was equally impressive in 2011 as the men’s and women’s programs combined to win five conference championships. The men claimed titles in football and outdoor track and field and the women swept championships in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field.

Texas State (124), UT Arlington (121.5) and Sam Houston State (119.5), came in third, fourth and fifth place, respectively, by a margin of less than five points. McNeese State (112.5) finished sixth, Lamar (110), was seventh and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (89.5) finished in eighth place. Northwestern State (83.0), Central Arkansas (80.0), Southeastern Louisiana (80.0) and Nicholls (64.0) round out this year’s standings.

The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded annually to the top overall athletics program in the Southland Conference. Texas State leads all member institutions with four. In the 14-year history of the Commissioner’s Cup, UT Arlington and Sam Houston State each have three, UTSA now has two, and Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin have one apiece.

The Southland Conference all-sports trophies are awarded annually for men’s and women’s competition based on a 12-point system for all conference sports. Point values are 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, pending place of finish. Regular-season standings are used for sports that have a conference tournament. The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded to the university compiling the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sports points.

The three trophies will be presented at the annual Southland Conference Honors Ceremony and Dinner Tuesday night at the San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas.