UNCG Men Finish Fifth, Women Fourth in SoCon All-Sports Races

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG’s men finished fifth and its women finished fourth in the final standings of the Southern Conference’s all-sports races. Appalachian State earned the league’s Commissioner’s Cup for excellence in men’s athletics while College of Charleston was awarded the Germann Cup for the best overall women’s athletics program.

The Commissioner’s Cup and Germann Cup are awarded annually to the Southern Conference schools fielding the league’s best all-around men’s and women’s sports programs, respectively. Schools earn points based upon their regular-season finishes with two bonus points going to the teams that win the conference tournaments for their respective sports.

Standings are announced after the fall, winter and spring seasons. Spring totals included the sports of baseball, softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.

The Spartan men accumulated 20 points in the spring to bring their total to 60 for the year. ASU captured three SoCon championships in 2011-12 and finished with 94 points to easily outdistance second-place Samford, which had 66.5. Furman was third with 65 points, followed closely by Davidson (64.5).

UNCG’s best spring finish for the men came from tennis, which finished fourth in the league. Outdoor track and field finished eighth, baseball finished ninth and golf finished 11th.

Including the entire academic year, the Spartans won the men’s soccer regular-season title, the cross country championship meet and their first-ever North Division men’s basketball title.

UNCG’s women collected 38 points in the spring to jump three spots from the winter standings and finish in fourth place with 72.5 points. CofC, which won the South Division crown in volleyball and topped UNCG in the women’s tennis championship match, narrowly edged Samford for the Germann Cup, picking up 81.5 points to the Bulldogs’ 80.5. Appalachian State was third with 78.5.

Women’s tennis led the way for the Spartans in the spring, collecting its first-ever outright regular-season title and first since sharing the crown in 1999. Women’s golf finished second at the SoCon Championship, its highest finish since 2008, while softball was fourth and outdoor track and field finished seventh.

UNCG’s overall point total was also bolstered by winning the women’s cross country championship in the fall.

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

   2011-12 Commissioner’s Cup (men’s athletics)
   1. Appalachian State        94
   2. Samford                  66.5
   3. Furman                   65
   4. Davidson                 64.5
   5. UNCG                     60
   6. Chattanooga              59.5
   7. Wofford                  53
   8. Elon                     52
   9. College of Charleston    51.5
   10. Georgia Southern        51
   11. Western Carolina        50.5
   12. The Citadel             45.5
 
   2011-12 Germann Cup (women’s athletics)
   1. College of Charleston    81.5
   2. Samford                  80.5
   3. Appalachian State        78.5
   4. UNCG                     72.5
   5. Furman                   68
   6. Elon                     65
   7. Western Carolina         62.5
   8. Georgia Southern         56
   9. Chattanooga              52.5
   10. Davidson                36.5
   11. Wofford                 24.5
   12. The Citadel             13