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Samford men, women claim SoCon all-sports races
Bulldog men win first Commissioner’s Cup; first Cup sweep since 2013
HILTON HEAD, S.C. – With the completion of the spring seasons of league competition, Samford’s men’s and 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 Reception 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 20 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.
Samford’s men won the Commissioner’s Cup for the first time, while the Bulldog women claimed their third straight Germann Cup and fifth overall. Combined, Samford claimed 11 SoCon titles in 2022-23 between men’s and women’s regular-season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs’ sweep of the all-sports trophies is the first in the SoCon since App State claimed both cups in 2013.
Samford’s men’s programs won outright regular-season titles in football and baseball and shared the men’s basketball crown. The Bulldogs won the indoor track and field championship for the fourth straight year and claimed the outdoor crown for the third straight season before wrapping the 2023-23 campaign with a win at the SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases. Samford tied for second in the men’s tennis regular season and took fifth in the cross country championship to total 65.00 points toward the Commissioner’s Cup. That was good for a .929 percentage, the highest total since the SoCon moved to the current scoring format prior to the 2015-16 academic year.
2021-22 Commissioner’s Cup winner ETSU finished as the runner-up this year, totaling 56.83 points and an .812 percentage. The Bucs won the SoCon men’s golf tournament for the third straight season and claimed their fifth consecutive men’s tennis tournament championship. ETSU posted second-place finishes in the tennis and soccer regular-season standings and finished second at the cross country championship.
Furman finished third in the Commissioner’s Cup standings with 51.64 points and a .738 percentage. The Paladins won the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship for the first time since 1980 in addition to claiming a share of the regular-season basketball title for the first time since 2016-17 and winning their 10th straight SoCon Cross Country Championship. Furman also finished second in the football standings and third at the golf championship.
Mercer was fourth with 44.89 points and a .641 percentage. The Bears finished second in the baseball and tennis regular-season standings and took third at the cross country championship in addition to tying for third in the football standings. Men’s tennis regular-season champion Chattanooga was fifth at .611. The Mocs also finished second at the golf championship and tied for third in the football standings. Western Carolina finished sixth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings at .597 on the strength of runner-up finishes at the indoor and outdoor track and field championships.
UNCG, which won the soccer regular-season and tournament titles, was seventh at .546, followed by The Citadel (.462), VMI (.439) and Wofford (.438).
In the Germann Cup race, Samford’s women claimed five SoCon titles in 2022-23. The Bulldogs earned a share of their ninth straight regular-season soccer title before adding their fifth soccer tournament title. After finishing second in the volleyball standings, Samford won the tournament title for its third title of the fall before winning its eighth straight indoor track and field title in February and its fourth consecutive outdoor track and field title in the spring. The Bulldogs added runner-up finishes at the cross country championship and in the softball regular season en route to a Germann Cup total of 66.84 points and a .955 percentage, the second-highest in the current era of scoring.
Since joining the SoCon in 2008-09, Samford has finished in the top two of the Germann Cup standings 12 of a possible 14 times and in the top four each year in the league.
ETSU finished second with 58.32 points and an .833 percentage. The Bucs won the volleyball regular-season crown and tennis tournament title in addition to taking second in the tennis and basketball regular-season standings and finishing third at the cross country and indoor track and field championships.
Furman was third with 51.75 points and a .739 percentage. The Paladins claimed their 10th straight cross country title and seventh straight tennis regular-season crown and added their seventh golf championship in the last eight contested. Furman finished third in the softball regular season.
Wofford edged Western Carolina for fourth in the Germann Cup standings, totaling 46.13 points to the Catamounts’ 46.11 and posting a .6589 percentage to WCU’s .6587. The Terriers claimed the women’s basketball regular-season title for Wofford’s first SoCon team title in any women’s sport in addition to posting runner-up finishes at the indoor and outdoor track and field championships.
The Catamounts finished third in the volleyball regular season and at the golf and outdoor track and field championships.
Chattanooga was sixth with a .643 percentage. The Mocs claimed a share of their first-ever women’s soccer regular-season title and added their 19th basketball title crown after tying for second in the regular season.
Mercer finished seventh with a .626 percentage, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the golf championship, its highest since joining the SoCon, and a third-place showing in the soccer regular season. Softball regular-season and tournament champion UNCG finished eighth with a .476 percentage, with The Citadel (.279) and VMI (.183) rounding out the standings.
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.
The 2022-23 academic year will see a winner of the Commissioner’s Cup crowned for the 53rd time and the Germann Cup awarded for the 36th time. The cups were not awarded in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Seven schools have won the Commissioner’s Cup in its history, including current members ETSU (2021-22, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 1982-83), Furman (2020-21 and 1990-91), Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2004-05) and now Samford (2022-23).
Five schools have won the Germann Cup. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004 and five of six from 2013-14 to 2018-19. Samford has won five (2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, 2014-15 and 2009-10) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
Commissioner's Cup
(Men’s athletics – final standings)
Germann Cup
(Women’s athletics – final standings)
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 20 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.
Samford’s men won the Commissioner’s Cup for the first time, while the Bulldog women claimed their third straight Germann Cup and fifth overall. Combined, Samford claimed 11 SoCon titles in 2022-23 between men’s and women’s regular-season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs’ sweep of the all-sports trophies is the first in the SoCon since App State claimed both cups in 2013.
Samford’s men’s programs won outright regular-season titles in football and baseball and shared the men’s basketball crown. The Bulldogs won the indoor track and field championship for the fourth straight year and claimed the outdoor crown for the third straight season before wrapping the 2023-23 campaign with a win at the SoCon Baseball Championship presented by Holston Gases. Samford tied for second in the men’s tennis regular season and took fifth in the cross country championship to total 65.00 points toward the Commissioner’s Cup. That was good for a .929 percentage, the highest total since the SoCon moved to the current scoring format prior to the 2015-16 academic year.
2021-22 Commissioner’s Cup winner ETSU finished as the runner-up this year, totaling 56.83 points and an .812 percentage. The Bucs won the SoCon men’s golf tournament for the third straight season and claimed their fifth consecutive men’s tennis tournament championship. ETSU posted second-place finishes in the tennis and soccer regular-season standings and finished second at the cross country championship.
Furman finished third in the Commissioner’s Cup standings with 51.64 points and a .738 percentage. The Paladins won the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship for the first time since 1980 in addition to claiming a share of the regular-season basketball title for the first time since 2016-17 and winning their 10th straight SoCon Cross Country Championship. Furman also finished second in the football standings and third at the golf championship.
Mercer was fourth with 44.89 points and a .641 percentage. The Bears finished second in the baseball and tennis regular-season standings and took third at the cross country championship in addition to tying for third in the football standings. Men’s tennis regular-season champion Chattanooga was fifth at .611. The Mocs also finished second at the golf championship and tied for third in the football standings. Western Carolina finished sixth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings at .597 on the strength of runner-up finishes at the indoor and outdoor track and field championships.
UNCG, which won the soccer regular-season and tournament titles, was seventh at .546, followed by The Citadel (.462), VMI (.439) and Wofford (.438).
In the Germann Cup race, Samford’s women claimed five SoCon titles in 2022-23. The Bulldogs earned a share of their ninth straight regular-season soccer title before adding their fifth soccer tournament title. After finishing second in the volleyball standings, Samford won the tournament title for its third title of the fall before winning its eighth straight indoor track and field title in February and its fourth consecutive outdoor track and field title in the spring. The Bulldogs added runner-up finishes at the cross country championship and in the softball regular season en route to a Germann Cup total of 66.84 points and a .955 percentage, the second-highest in the current era of scoring.
Since joining the SoCon in 2008-09, Samford has finished in the top two of the Germann Cup standings 12 of a possible 14 times and in the top four each year in the league.
ETSU finished second with 58.32 points and an .833 percentage. The Bucs won the volleyball regular-season crown and tennis tournament title in addition to taking second in the tennis and basketball regular-season standings and finishing third at the cross country and indoor track and field championships.
Furman was third with 51.75 points and a .739 percentage. The Paladins claimed their 10th straight cross country title and seventh straight tennis regular-season crown and added their seventh golf championship in the last eight contested. Furman finished third in the softball regular season.
Wofford edged Western Carolina for fourth in the Germann Cup standings, totaling 46.13 points to the Catamounts’ 46.11 and posting a .6589 percentage to WCU’s .6587. The Terriers claimed the women’s basketball regular-season title for Wofford’s first SoCon team title in any women’s sport in addition to posting runner-up finishes at the indoor and outdoor track and field championships.
The Catamounts finished third in the volleyball regular season and at the golf and outdoor track and field championships.
Chattanooga was sixth with a .643 percentage. The Mocs claimed a share of their first-ever women’s soccer regular-season title and added their 19th basketball title crown after tying for second in the regular season.
Mercer finished seventh with a .626 percentage, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the golf championship, its highest since joining the SoCon, and a third-place showing in the soccer regular season. Softball regular-season and tournament champion UNCG finished eighth with a .476 percentage, with The Citadel (.279) and VMI (.183) rounding out the standings.
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.
The 2022-23 academic year will see a winner of the Commissioner’s Cup crowned for the 53rd time and the Germann Cup awarded for the 36th time. The cups were not awarded in 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Seven schools have won the Commissioner’s Cup in its history, including current members ETSU (2021-22, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 1982-83), Furman (2020-21 and 1990-91), Chattanooga (2014-15 and 2004-05) and now Samford (2022-23).
Five schools have won the Germann Cup. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004 and five of six from 2013-14 to 2018-19. Samford has won five (2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, 2014-15 and 2009-10) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
Commissioner's Cup
(Men’s athletics – final standings)
| 1. Samford | .929 |
| 2. ETSU | .812 |
| 3. Furman | .738 |
| 4. Mercer | .641 |
| 5. Chattanooga | .611 |
| 6. Western Carolina | .597 |
| 7. UNCG | .546 |
| 8. The Citadel | .462 |
| 9. VMI | .439 |
| 10. Wofford | .438 |
Germann Cup
(Women’s athletics – final standings)
| 1. Samford | .955 |
| 2. ETSU | .833 |
| 3. Furman | .739 |
| 4. Wofford | .6589 |
| 5. Western Carolina | .6587 |
| 6. Chattanooga | .643 |
| 7. Mercer | .626 |
| 8. UNCG | .476 |
| 9. The Citadel | .279 |
| 10. VMI | .183 |
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