By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information & Kyle Schwartz, OVC Media Relations
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Following the completion of the winter sport championships, Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri lead the 2022-23 Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Cup all-sport trophy standings; the Cup is a symbol of overall athletic excellence in Conference-sponsored championships.
During the winter, SEMO was bolstered by the women's indoor track and field championship while Tennessee Tech finished second in men's basketball. The schools each claimed one of the OVC Basketball Tournament Championships, to earn a bonus point.
SEMO and Tech have earned 65.5 points apiece, which is 8.5 points ahead of third-place UT Martin (57) and 9.5 points ahead of Eastern Illinois (56). Little Rock is fourth (46.5) and followed by Tennessee State (41.5), Morehead State (36.5), Southern Indiana (35.5), SIUE (32.5) and Lindenwood (26).
The 2022-23 season marks the 15th for the re-formatted Commissioner's Cup, which was previously known as the All-Sports Trophy. The award (which started in 1962-63 for men's sports and 1980-81 for women's sports) was previously divided into a Men's All-Sport Champion and a Women's All-Sport Champion. Points were awarded for each of the 19 sponsored sports and each school was required to count its totals from each sport in its grand total.
In a vote of the Director of Athletics, the points system was updated in 2022-23 and schools now count 13 total sports in the final standings. Among those 13, schools are required to count the point totals of three main sports (men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball) as well as the highest finishing men's and women's track & field sport (either cross country, indoor track & field or outdoor track & field). Schools that sponsor football are required to count it as one of its 13 sports.
Points are distributed based on the number of schools that sponsor the sport (e.g. if 10 schools sponsor a sport, the champion will earn 10 points, 9 points for second place, 8 points for third place, etc.). For 2022-23, football (which had seven teams this season) will receive a maximum of 10 points for first place as opposed to seven (in 2023-24 the OVC-Big South association will have 10 teams).
In addition winners of OVC Tournaments (soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, beach volleyball, softball, and baseball) get one additional bonus point.
There are nine (9) OVC Championships remaining this year (women's tennis, men's tennis, beach volleyball, women's golf, men's golf, women's outdoor track & field, men's outdoor track & field, softball and baseball).
The Golden Eagles' best finish in the chase for the OVC Commissioner's Cup came in 2016-17, placing fifth overall. The Tech record for points in a single academic year is 101.5, established during the 2016-17 campaign.
