Final Commissioner's Cup Release
For the first time since 2009-10, UC Santa Barbara is bringing home the Commissioner’s Cup as the Gauchos snapped the five-year reign of Long Beach State for the crown.
UCSB won the title with an average of 133.8 across its 15 sports, claiming its first Commissioner’s Cup since 2009-10 and its league-high ninth Cup overall. The spring was very kind to the program as it amassed a 135.0-point average, led by championships from men’s tennis and women’s water polo. UCSB also collected top three finishes in four other spring sports to power past the 49ers after entering the season in second place. In all UC Santa Barbara picked up a league-best five conference championships in 2015-16, the most for the club since the 2008-09 campaign.
LBSU finished second with 131.1 points across its 15 sports, ending a five-year run of Cups that matched the longest in conference history. The Beach had an impressive 130.0-point average over its nine spring sports, second only to the Gauchos. The program picked up conference titles in women’s tennis and men’s track & field and also picked up top three finishes in baseball, softball, women’s beach volleyball and women’s track & field. Despite falling short of a sixth-straight Cup, Long Beach State has shown its consistency across all seasons as it has recorded at least a 100-point average in every season since the winter of 2013-14.
Cal Poly wrapped up the campaign in third place with a 103.1 average, the second time in three years that the Mustang program has recorded a top-three finish. Cal Poly’s spring season was highlighted by an appearance in the men’s tennis championship match, runner-up showings in both men’s and women’s golf and third place in men’s track & field. The Mustangs were one of four squads to post over 100-point averages in the spring, while they joined UCSB and LBSU as the only clubs to post over 100-point averages over the entire 2015-16 campaign.
UC Riverside came in fourth with an average of 93.3 points, the highest average and finish in the Cup in Highlander history. The club had a 95.0-point average in the spring, led by its sweep of the golf titles and second place finish in women’s track and field. UCR turned it on after the fall, posting a combined 103.0 average over the winter and spring and picking up three championships.
Fifth place went to UC Davis as it averaged 91.9 points this year, with Cal State Fullerton sixth at 91.2. Both clubs claimed spring championships as the Aggies won women’s track & field, while the Titans claimed baseball and softball. Hawai’i was seventh at 90.0, CSUN came in eighth at 71.9 and UC Irvine wrapped up the 2015-16 Commissioner’s Cup standings in ninth at 68.7.
The Big West Commissioner’s Cup, which started during the 1998-99 season, is awarded to the institution with the highest average point total following the 17 Conference sport seasons. Points are not awarded if the institution or conference does not sponsor the sport.
In determining a champion, the following round robin sports have points awarded on the basis of the final regular season standings, including a 20-point bonus for the champion. These sports are baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball. In the sports of cross country, golf, men’s tennis, track & field, women’s beach volleyball and women’s water polo, the points are awarded based on finish at the Conference Championship. In the case of ties in all sports, points shall be awarded by combining points and dividing them equally among the tied teams.
A complete recap of the point system is available in the provided link.