Stephen F. Austin Clinches 2015-16 SLC Commissioners Cup
5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | General
FRISCO, Texas – For the fourth time in seven years, Stephen F. Austin has claimed the Southland Conference Commissioners Cup, given annually to the top overall athletic program across the 13-team conference. The four Cups for SFA ranks second all-time since the competition was instituted in the 2002-03 season.
The Lumberjacks tallied 167 points on the year, defeating second-place Sam Houston State by 15.5 points and finishing 19.5 points ahead of third-place Abilene Christian. The total was bolstered by conference championships by women’s soccer, men’s basketball and men’s outdoor track and field, complemented by runner-up showings from men’s and women’s cross country.
In addition to its fourth Commissioners Cup, SFA also claimed the women’s All-Sports trophy for the third-straight year and the fourth overall. The Ladyjacks racked up 95 points, outlasting second-place Abilene Christian by 3.5 points while racing past third-place McNeese by 20.5 points. Five Ladyjack teams finished in the top-three of their respective sport standings as the lowest an SFA women’s team finished in the conference standings was sixth.
The Lumberjack men finished second in the men’s All-Sport standings with 72 points, finishing six points back of Sam Houston State and a half point better than third-place Lamar. Four men’s teams recorded top-three finishes, giving SFA nine for the year, as the ‘Jacks continue to establish itself among the elite athletic programs in the region.
An exclamation point to the award also came in the form of the Ladyjack bowling team, which captured SFA’s first NCAA Division I national championship in April. Bowling does not factor into the Commissioners Cup as SFA and Sam Houston State are the only Southland Conference institutions that sponsor the sport.
Thanks to the efforts of the department as a whole, SFA had clinched the 2015-16 Commissioners Cup following the completion of the track and field championships and the softball regular season. The victory became official once baseball concluded its season Saturday.
Three sports continue to compete in the 2015-16 season, looking to add even more accolades to another banner year for SFA. Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams head to Lawrence, Kansas, this weekend for the 2016 NCAA Regional Championships while baseball will be making its first SLC tournament appearance since 2013, beginning its tournament run Wednesday at Constellation Field in Sugar Land.
The Southland Conference all-sports trophies are awarded annually for men’s and women’s competition based on a 13-point system for all conference sports. Point values are 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, pending place of finish. Regular-season standings are used for sports that have a conference tournament. The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded to the university compiling the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sports points.
The three trophies will be presented at the annual Southland Conference Honors Dinner Tuesday night at the Westin Stonebriar Resort in Frisco, Texas.
2016 SLC Commissioners Cup Final Standings
| Team | Men | Women | Total |
| Stephen F. Austin | 72.0 | 95.0 | 167.0 |
| Sam Houston State | 78.0 | 73.5 | 151.5 |
| Abilene Christian | 56.0 | 91.5 | 147.5 |
| McNeese | 66.0 | 74.5 | 140.5 |
| Lamar | 71.5 | 68.5 | 140.0 |
| Central Arkansas | 51.5 | 70.5 | 122.0 |
| A&M-Corpus Christi | 45.0 | 65.5 | 110.5 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 63.0 | 45.5 | 107.5 |
| Incarnate Word | 50.5 | 46.5 | 97.0 |
| Northwestern State | 44.5 | 52.0 | 96.5 |
| Houston Baptist | 33.5 | 54.0 | 87.5 |
| Nicholls | 28.0 | 38.5 | 66.5 |
| New Orleans | 33.5 | 24.0 | 57.5 |
-SFA-
