ELMHURST, Ill. – South Dakota State has earned its second-straight Summit League Commissioner’s Cup title with a total of 85.5 points at the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year. The Jackrabbits also captured both the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Award and the Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award.
South Dakota State accumulated a total of 85.5 points en route to its second-straight Commissioner’s Cup title and third overall. North Dakota State placed second with 69 points, edging-out Denver (68 points), which finished third, by one point. South Dakota finished in fourth place with 64 points followed closely by IUPUI (62 points) in fifth and Fort Wayne (58.5 points) in sixth. Western Illinois (45 points) and Omaha (42 points) rounded out the rankings.
The Jackrabbits captured league titles in men’s cross country and women’s basketball while placing among the top-three in 14 of its 18 eligible sports, including nine first or second place finishes. SDSU were runners-up in a pair of men’s sports to claim its second consecutive men’s all-sports award and finished second in five women’s sports to record its third overall women’s all-sports award.
The Bison won six teams titles (women’s cross country, women’s indoor track & field, men’s basketball, softball, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s outdoor track & field) en route to its second-place finish. Denver earned league titles in eight of its 11 sponsored sports.
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.
Final standings for the 2013-14 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 following page.
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2013-14 FINAL STANDINGS
Commissioner’s Cup
Place School Points
1. South Dakota State 85.5
2. North Dakota State 69.0
3. Denver 68.0
4. South Dakota 64.0
5. IUPUI 62.0
6. Fort Wayne 58.5
7. Western Illinois 45.0
8. Omaha 42.0
Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Award
Place School Points
1. South Dakota State 35.5
2. Denver 29.0
North Dakota State 23.5
South Dakota 23.5
5. IUPUI 23.0
6. Fort Wayne 21.0
7. Western Illinois 20.5
8. Omaha 15.0
Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award
Place School Points
1. South Dakota State 50.0
2. North Dakota State 45.5
3. South Dakota 40.5
4. Denver 39.0
IUPUI 39.0
6. Fort Wayne 37.5
7. Omaha 27.0
8. Western Illinois 24.5