June 17, 2005
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San Bruno, Calif. - Santa Clara University swept the West Coast Conference's Men's and Women's All-Sports awards to claim its first WCC Commissioner's Cup, snapping Pepperdine University's three-year hold on the conference award. The Commissioner's Cup is an all-sports award presented at the end of each academic year to the league's top performing school in conference play. A Men's and Women's All-Sports Award, recognizing athletic achievement within each gender, is also presented.
The recipient of the Commissioner's Cup is based on a point system reflecting the place finish of each team in conference play. The Men's and Women's All-Sports Awards are given to the schools that accumulate the most points within each particular gender. The institution with the highest point total after combining the men's and women's point totals will be honored with the Commissioner's Cup.
Santa Clara displayed consistent excellence during the 2004-05 year, finishing in the top half of the conference in 10 of the WCC's 13 sponsored sports. The Broncos took home a conference title in women's soccer, their fourth consecutive, as they shared the crown with the University of Portland.
"The West Coast Conference is proud to present Santa Clara University with the 2005 Commissioner's Cup," said WCC Commissioner Michael Gilleran. "Earning this award is a direct result of Santa Clara's dedication to building a successful broad-based intercollegiate athletics program. Santa Clara's student-athletes, alumni, staff and administration should take great pride in winning this award."
The University of San Diego finished second in the overall Commissioner's Cup standings with 61.5 points, while finishing second in the Women's All-Sports award with 34 points and tying for third in the Men's All-Sports award with 27.5 points. Pepperdine had an outstanding Spring season to finish in third place overall with 57 points, while Loyola Marymount University and the University of San Francisco tied for fourth place with 55 overall points. Gonzaga University finished in sixth place with 52.5 points, while the University of Portland finished seventh with 51.5 points and Saint Mary's College finished eighth with 48 points.
"There is a significant sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with winning the WCC Commissioner's Cup," said Santa Clara's first-year athletic director Dan Coonan. "It is extremely satisfying to see that all the hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence our student-athletes, coaches and staff demonstrate throughout the year are rewarded in such a positive way. The West Coast Conference is such a balanced and competitive league that it is an honor to come away at the end of the year with this recognition."
Pepperdine won the overall Commissioner's Cup in each of the first three years of the award's existence, while SCU has finished in the runner-up position each year. The winning school is presented with a Commissioner's Cup trophy that it retains until the next season's winner is determined. In addition to receiving a trophy for its overall excellence, SCU received plaques for the men's and women's awards.
Final 2005 Commissioner's Cup Standings
Santa Clara - 66.0
San Diego - 61.5
Pepperdine - 57.0
Loyola Marymount - 55.0
San Francisco - 55.0
Gonzaga - 52.5
Portland - 51.5
Saint Mary's - 48.0
Men's All-Sports
Santa Clara - 31.5
Pepperdine - 28.5
San Diego - 27.5
San Francisco - 27.5
Portland - 26.0
Loyola Marymount - 25.0
Saint Mary's - 25.0
Gonzaga - 24.0
Women's All-Sports
Santa Clara - 34.5
San Diego - 34.0
Loyola Marymount - 30.0
Gonzaga - 28.5
Pepperdine - 28.5
San Francisco - 27.5
Portland - 25.5
Saint Mary's - 23.0