KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Missouri edged Pittsburg State by less than a tenth of a point to claim the inaugural MIAA Commissioner’s Cup. Central Oklahoma also finished in double digits to come in third as the teams were all divided by less than a point.
Central Missouri won all the All-Sports Trophies during the time they went by that name, but this is by far the closest the race has ever been.
“Winning the commissioner’s cup is attributed to our outstanding coaches and student-athletes across all sports,” Central Missouri Athletic Director Jerry Hughes said. “We’re proud of not only their accomplishments on the playing fields, but also in the classroom and how they represent the University of Central Missouri in the community.”
Missouri Southern finished in fourth place just five-tenths ahead of Northwest Missouri who rounded out the top five. Just three-tenths of a points divided six through eighth place as Fort Hays State came in sixth, Emporia State was seventh and Missouri Western placed eight.
In ninth place was Northeastern State with Lindenwood finishing behind them in ninth place. Nebraska-Kearney was just three-tenths of a point ahead of Southwest who was just two-tenths ahead of Washburn in the 11-12-13 spots. Lincoln finished in 14th despite winning one league championship and coming in as the league runner-up once.
“We are very excited that the Commissioner’s Cup has been brought back to help celebrate the outstanding achievement of MIAA student-athletes and coaches throughout the academic year,” MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy said. “It was a banner season for many MIAA programs at the regional and national levels and the close race we had in the conference standings to decide the commissioner’s Cup winner for 2016-17 highlights just how competitive the MIAA is right now.”
The trophy will be presented to UCM at the MIAA Awards Ceremony presented by Husch Blackwell on June 5 from the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch.
Current Standings (Final)
1. Central Missouri, 10.941
2. Pittsburg State, 10.875
3. Central Oklahoma, 10.143
4. Missouri Southern, 8.929
5. Northwest Missouri, 8.406
6. Fort Hays State, 7.778
7. Emporia State, 7.547
8. Missouri Western, 7.470
9. Northeastern State, 7.150
10. Lindenwood, 7.011
11. Nebraska-Kearney, 6.778
12. Southwest Baptist, 6.470
13. Washburn, 6.281
14. Lincoln, 5.818