GENERAL
ETSU men, Samford women claim all-sports races
Bucs claim Commissioner’s Cup for sixth time, Bulldogs earn fourth Germann Cup
History of Commissioner's and Germann cups
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – With the completion of the spring seasons of league competition, ETSU’s men’s programs and Samford’s women’s programs have won the races for the Southern Conference’s all-sport trophies. The winners will be honored at the league’s Honors Dinner on Wednesday evening at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
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.
ETSU’s men won the Commissioner’s Cup for the sixth time overall and fifth time since 2015-16. The Bucs won regular-season SoCon titles in football and tennis and tournament championships in tennis and golf. ETSU, whose football title was its first outright SoCon gridiron crown, also turned in a second-place cross country finish to bolster its total. The Bucs accumulated 56.00 total points toward the Commissioner’s Cup, equating to an .800 percentage to edge runner-up and 2020-21 champion Furman.
Samford’s women claimed their second straight Germann Cup title and fourth overall. The Bulldogs had a dominant 2021-22, winning the soccer regular season and claiming championship titles in soccer and indoor and outdoor track and field. Samford, which also turned in runner-up finishes at the cross country championship and in the softball regular season, totaled 64.29 points for a .918 percentage. Since joining the SoCon in 2008-09, Samford has finished in the top two of the Germann Cup standings 11 of a possible 13 times and in the top four each year in the league.
Furman’s men, who have finished in the top three in the Commissioner’s Cup standings every year it has been awarded since 2015-16 (the all-sports cups were not awarded in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic), totaled 54.18 points and a .774 percentage. The Paladins’ cross country dynasty added its ninth straight cross country title, while Furman also claimed runner-up finishes in the basketball and tennis regular seasons.
The Samford men finished third in the Commissioner’s Cup standings with a .738 percentage on the strength of titles in indoor and outdoor track and field. Mercer, which won the men’s soccer tournament and turned in runner-up finishes in the football, soccer and baseball regular seasons, finished fourth with a .664 percentage. UNCG was fifth with a .648 percentage, bolstered by a regular-season soccer title, a baseball tournament title and a runner-up finish in the baseball regular season.
Men’s basketball regular-season and tournament champion Chattanooga was sixth with a .606 percentage, followed by VMI (.572), Western Carolina (.558), baseball regular-season champion Wofford (.478) and The Citadel (.380).
In the race for the Germann Cup, Furman finished runner-up to Samford for the second straight season, totaling 60.21 points and an. 860 percentage. Like their male counterparts, the Paladin women won their ninth consecutive cross country title. Furman also added a regular-season crown in tennis and tournament titles in golf and tennis in addition to a runner-up finish in the soccer regular season.
ETSU finished third in the Germann Cup standings with a .723 percentage, highlighted by runner-up finishes at both the indoor and outdoor track and field championships. Wofford, which finished second in both the basketball regular season and golf championship, was fourth in the women’s all-sport race with a .693 percentage.
Mercer, which won the basketball regular-season and tournament crowns and shared the volleyball regular-season title, finished fifth with a .657 percentage, while UNCG, which won the softball regular-season title and shared the volleyball regular-season championship, was sixth with a .579 percentage.
Western Carolina followed in seventh at .569, followed by softball tournament champion Chattanooga in eighth at .553. The Citadel, which claimed the volleyball tournament title for the first SoCon championship by a women’s team in school history, was ninth at .333, followed by VMI at .185.
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.
Six schools have won the Commissioner’s Cup in the 50-year history of the award, including current members ETSU (2021-22, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 1982-83), Furman (2020-21 and 1990-91) and Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2004-05).
Five schools have won the Germann Cup in its 33-year history. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004 and four straight from 2015-19. Samford has won four (2021-22, 2020-21, 2014-15 and 2009-10) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – With the completion of the spring seasons of league competition, ETSU’s men’s programs and Samford’s women’s programs have won the races for the Southern Conference’s all-sport trophies. The winners will be honored at the league’s Honors Dinner on Wednesday evening at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
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.
ETSU’s men won the Commissioner’s Cup for the sixth time overall and fifth time since 2015-16. The Bucs won regular-season SoCon titles in football and tennis and tournament championships in tennis and golf. ETSU, whose football title was its first outright SoCon gridiron crown, also turned in a second-place cross country finish to bolster its total. The Bucs accumulated 56.00 total points toward the Commissioner’s Cup, equating to an .800 percentage to edge runner-up and 2020-21 champion Furman.
Samford’s women claimed their second straight Germann Cup title and fourth overall. The Bulldogs had a dominant 2021-22, winning the soccer regular season and claiming championship titles in soccer and indoor and outdoor track and field. Samford, which also turned in runner-up finishes at the cross country championship and in the softball regular season, totaled 64.29 points for a .918 percentage. Since joining the SoCon in 2008-09, Samford has finished in the top two of the Germann Cup standings 11 of a possible 13 times and in the top four each year in the league.
Furman’s men, who have finished in the top three in the Commissioner’s Cup standings every year it has been awarded since 2015-16 (the all-sports cups were not awarded in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic), totaled 54.18 points and a .774 percentage. The Paladins’ cross country dynasty added its ninth straight cross country title, while Furman also claimed runner-up finishes in the basketball and tennis regular seasons.
The Samford men finished third in the Commissioner’s Cup standings with a .738 percentage on the strength of titles in indoor and outdoor track and field. Mercer, which won the men’s soccer tournament and turned in runner-up finishes in the football, soccer and baseball regular seasons, finished fourth with a .664 percentage. UNCG was fifth with a .648 percentage, bolstered by a regular-season soccer title, a baseball tournament title and a runner-up finish in the baseball regular season.
Men’s basketball regular-season and tournament champion Chattanooga was sixth with a .606 percentage, followed by VMI (.572), Western Carolina (.558), baseball regular-season champion Wofford (.478) and The Citadel (.380).
In the race for the Germann Cup, Furman finished runner-up to Samford for the second straight season, totaling 60.21 points and an. 860 percentage. Like their male counterparts, the Paladin women won their ninth consecutive cross country title. Furman also added a regular-season crown in tennis and tournament titles in golf and tennis in addition to a runner-up finish in the soccer regular season.
ETSU finished third in the Germann Cup standings with a .723 percentage, highlighted by runner-up finishes at both the indoor and outdoor track and field championships. Wofford, which finished second in both the basketball regular season and golf championship, was fourth in the women’s all-sport race with a .693 percentage.
Mercer, which won the basketball regular-season and tournament crowns and shared the volleyball regular-season title, finished fifth with a .657 percentage, while UNCG, which won the softball regular-season title and shared the volleyball regular-season championship, was sixth with a .579 percentage.
Western Carolina followed in seventh at .569, followed by softball tournament champion Chattanooga in eighth at .553. The Citadel, which claimed the volleyball tournament title for the first SoCon championship by a women’s team in school history, was ninth at .333, followed by VMI at .185.
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.
Six schools have won the Commissioner’s Cup in the 50-year history of the award, including current members ETSU (2021-22, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 1982-83), Furman (2020-21 and 1990-91) and Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2004-05).
Five schools have won the Germann Cup in its 33-year history. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004 and four straight from 2015-19. Samford has won four (2021-22, 2020-21, 2014-15 and 2009-10) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
| Commissioner's Cup | |
| (Men’s athletics – final standings) | |
| 1. ETSU | .800 |
| 2. Furman | .774 |
| 3. Samford | .738 |
| 4. Mercer | .664 |
| 5. UNCG | .648 |
| 6. Chattanooga | .606 |
| 7. VMI | .572 |
| 8. Western Carolina | .558 |
| 9. Wofford | .478 |
| 10. The Citadel | .380 |
| Germann Cup | |
| (Women’s athletics – final standings) | |
| 1. Samford | .918 |
| 2. Furman | .860 |
| 3. ETSU | .723 |
| 4. Wofford | .693 |
| 5. Mercer | .657 |
| 6. UNCG | .579 |
| 7. Western Carolina | .569 |
| 8. Chattanooga | .553 |
| 9. The Citadel | .333 |
| 10. VMI | .185 |
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