The University of Missouri–St. Louis finished third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Commissioner’s Cup, as announced by the league office on Tuesday, marking the athletic department’s highest finish ever.
Points are allocated for the Commissioner’s Cup based on the athletic department’s finish in the GLVC’s postseason tournaments of its seven core sports, including men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball and baseball. Each of the league’s members sponsors these sports at the intercollegiate level.
UMSL totaled 75 points to place third out of the league’s 16 members, surpassing last year’s previous high of 62.5 points, which placed them seventh.
UMSL was led by softball’s conference tournament championship, while men’s soccer earned a runner-up finish in its conference tournament. Volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball also each qualified for a spot in their respective conference tournaments.
For the first time in school history, Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., captured the GLVC Commissioner’s Cup, earning 91.5 points over the course of the academic year, besting runner-up Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., (84.5) by seven points. University of Southern Indiana in Evansville (73.5) and Quincy (Ill.) University (73.5) tied for fourth.
The Commissioner’s Cup, instituted prior to the 2002-03 season, has had four different institutions stake claim to the award. Prior to Lewis University earning its first honor, former GLVC member Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights took home five straight and eight Cups in the 10 years it had been presented. University of Southern Indiana was the 2004 recipient, while former league member Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earned the Commissioner’s Cup in 2007.
The standings for the 2012-13 GLVC Commissioner’s Cup are as follows:
1. Lewis University 91.50
2. Bellarmine University 84.50
3. University of Missouri–St. Louis 75.00
4. University of Southern Indiana 73.50
Quincy University 73.50
6. Drury University 70.50
7. University of Indianapolis 68.00
8. William Jewell College 67.00
9. Rockhurst University 59.50
10. University of Wisconsin–Parkside 55.50
11. Missouri University of Science and Technology 54.50
12. Maryville University 51.00
13. Kentucky Wesleyan College 35.50
14. McKendree University 34.00
15. Saint Joseph’s College 33.50
16. University of Illinois Springfield 25.00