Following a fall of success across its five fall sports, Cal Poly has raced into the lead for the 2012-13 Commissioner’s Cup, posting a 144.0 average heading into the winter season.
The Mustangs, who were fifth in the Cup standings following last fall, swept the cross country titles for the first time and picked up Big West Tournament appearances in both men’s and women’s soccer. Cal Poly’s fall season places it back in a familiar place as the Mustangs finished second overall in the Commissioner’s Cup from 2008-11.
In second place with a 134.0-point average is UC Davis, a figure the Aggies reached thanks in part to a runner-up showing in men’s soccer and women’s cross country. The Aggies finished second overall last year, the best showing by the program in its five-year Big West membership.
Rounding out the top three positions is two-time defending Commissioner’s Cup champion Long Beach State, posting an average of 125.0 points across its four fall sports. The 49ers’ fall sports each finished in the top five of their respective fields, highlighted by a second place showing by the women’s volleyball squad.
The depth of the league is evident in the next three places as Hawai’i (116.7), Cal State Northridge (114.0) and Cal State Fullerton (112.0) each picked up championships to boost their totals. UH won the women’s volleyball title in undefeated fashion, CSUN won the men’s soccer title for the first time since 2005 and Cal State Fullerton earned the women’s soccer regular season crown for the first time since 2007. This marks the first time since 2004 that the Big West has six triple digit team averages after the fall season.
The Big West Commissioner’s Cup, which started during the 1998-99 season, is presented at the end of the spring season to the institution with the top overall point average tallied from Big West Conference Championships. To determine the champion for the Commissioner’s Cup, total points are summed and divided by the number of championships in which each institution competes. Each sport champion is also given a 20-point bonus.
A complete breakdown of the points can be found in the document above.