FORT SMITH - UAFS finished third in the Heartland Conference Commissioner’s Cup presented by adidas®.
The Heartland Conference Commissioner’s Cup sponsored by adidas® was instituted prior to the start of the 2015-16 season and honors the top athletic institutions within the conference. adidas® has sponsored the cup since the award’s inception last season.
Commissioner’s Cup points are awarded to institutions based on their finish within the conference’s 13 sponsored sports. Based on the number of institutions participating in each sport, available points will vary. Regular-season standings are used for baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball, while results of conference championship events are used to determine points in cross country and golf. In order for points to be awarded, there must be at least six schools competing in a sport.
Standings are updated three times per year following the completion of fall, winter and spring sports with the winner announced in June.
UAFS compiled an average of 0.636 after a second-place finish in men’s golf to go along with a split of third place in baseball. The Lions made the NCAA South Central/West Super Regional in men’s golf for the first time since 2012 and recorded their highest finish at the regional in program history.
Dallas Baptist made it a three-peat, picking up its third-consecutive Heartland Commissioner’s Cup presented by adidas®. The Patriots finished the year with an average of 0.736.
DBU finished the spring season with a conference championship in women’s golf that locked them in the top spot for the third straight year. The Patriots won conference titles in women’s soccer, women’s cross country, men’s basketball and women’s golf during the course of the year. DBU’s women’s golf team finished the season with a second-straight top-three finish at the NCAA Division II National Championship on May 19 in Houston.
St. Mary’s earned its highest finish in the commissioner’s cup race, finishing second after another strong spring season. The Rattlers had the best overall spring of any program and picked up conference titles in softball and baseball (co-champion). Runner-up finishes in women’s golf and a third-place finish in men’s golf vaulted St. Mary’s all the way from seventh up to second. The Rattlers finished with an average of 0.682, its second-highest average since the award’s inception.
Rogers State captured its first men’s golf conference championship as the Hillcats recorded their highest finish in the commissioner’s cup standings. RSU finished the year in fourth place with an average of 0.628 after a strong performance from both golf programs. The Hillcats women’s golf team finished third at the
conference championship.
St. Edward’s rounded out the top five after winning a share of the conference championship in baseball. The Hilltoppers had a remarkable last half of the conference season finishing the year 13-3 over their final four series. SEU also picked up a sixth-straight baseball tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional for the eighth-consecutive year. The Hilltoppers finished the year with a 0.618 average.
Lubbock Christian (0.543), Newman (0.489), Oklahoma Christian (0.390) and Texas A&M International (0.317) rounded out the standings in the 2017-18 Commissioner’s Cup Race.