Appalachian State Sweeps SoCon All-Sports Trophies

Mountaineers Take Home Commissioner's and Germann Cups

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Appalachian State University's men's and women's programs have each claimed the Southern Conference all-sports championships for the 2010-11 athletic season, it was announced on Wednesday. Appalachian State earned the league's Commissioner's Cup for excellence in men's athletics while also being awarded the Germann Cup for the best overall women's athletics program.

The Mountaineers will be recognized Wednesday evening at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Charleston, S.C.

Appalachian State was awarded the Commissioner's Cup for the 31st time in program history. In the 10 SoCon-sponsored men's sports, Appalachian State won four regular season championships. ASU started the year strong with football and cross country championships in the fall, followed by wins in both indoor and outdoor track and field. ASU's 91 total points placed the Mountaineers 13 points in front of second-place UNCG.

UNCG (78 points) was strong throughout the year, finishing in either first or second place in five of the nine men's sports it sponsors, in addition to a third place showing. The Spartans shared the soccer regular season title and won the tournament while finishing as runners-up in cross country, wrestling, men's golf and baseball.

Wrestling regular season and tournament champion Chattanooga concluded the year in the third position with 70.5 points and was followed by Furman with 60. The Paladins shared the men's soccer championship.

Samford and Elon tied for fifth place with 59 points overall, narrowly edging out Wofford (58.5) and Davidson (57.5), who placed seventh and eighth, respectively.

College of Charleston (54.5), Western Carolina (51.5), Georgia Southern (43) and The Citadel (40.5) rounded out the rankings.

Appalachian State won the Germann Cup for the ninth time in school history by the narrowest of margins, tallying a half-point more than last season's winner, Samford. The Mountaineers earned 79 points with championships in women's basketball, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, as well as placing second in cross country and softball.

Samford grabbed SoCon championships in cross country and at the basketball tournament while the Bulldogs' soccer team was second in the league.

The race for the top spot came down to the final event of the season as five schools entered the SoCon Softball Championship with the chance to wrap up the Cup. Chattanooga's tournament title clinched ASU's Germann Cup victory.

In total, four schools finished within 1.5 points of Appalachian State. Elon (78) and College of Charleston (78) were deadlocked in the third sport while UNCG was a half-point behind in fifth. The Cougars were regular season and tournament champions in tennis while UNCG pulled off the same feat in soccer. Elon, which took home the North Division championship in volleyball, was the only school to finish in the top half of the standings in all nine SoCon sports.

Furman (64), Chattanooga (62) and Georgia Southern (52.5) finished in the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, respectively, followed by Western Carolina (48.5), Davidson (27.5), Wofford (25.5) and The Citadel (24).

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. Schools earn points based upon its regular season finish, with two bonus points going to the team that wins the conference tournament.

The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and the Germann Cup was first awarded in 1987. The latter is named after 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.

Appalachian State has won the Commissioner's Cup 31 times since entering the SoCon in 1971, earning 18 of the last 19 trophies. Chattanooga won the award in 2004-05.

Appalachian State's nine Germann Cup wins trail only the 12 claimed by Furman, and it keeps alive a streak in which a different school has won the trophy in each of the past four seasons.

2010-11 Commissioner's Cup (Men's Athletics)
1. Appalachian State       91
2. UNCG                        78
3. Chattanooga               70.5
4. Furman                       60
5t. Elon                          59
5t. Samford                     59
7. Wofford                       58.5
8. Davidson                     57.5
9. College of Charleston   54.5
10. Western Carolina       51.5
11. Georgia Southern       43
12. The Citadel                40.5

2010-11 Germann Cup (Women's Athletics)
1. Appalachian State        79
2. Samford                      78.5
3t. College of Charleston   78
3t. Elon                            78
5. UNCG                          77.5
6. Furman                        64
7. Chattanooga                 62
8. Georgia Southern          52.5
9. Western Carolina          48.5
10. Davidson                    27.5
11. Wofford                      25.5
12. The Citadel                 24