ARLINGTON, Texas – For the third consecutive academic year and the fifth time as a conference member, Grand Canyon has won the Western Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup.
The Lopes won seven combined WAC Championships during 2022-23 on their way to 66.0 points, capturing postseason trophies in men’s indoor track and field, men’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s golf, men’s outdoor track and field and softball. Grand Canyon also claimed the top tournament seed and a regular-season title in baseball.
The WAC awards its Commissioner's Cup to the school that performs the best in each of the conference's 20 men's and women's championships from an academic year. The top-15 finishes out of a possible 20 WAC-sponsored sports for full-time members are factored in. Points are awarded in order of finish in each sport with six points to the winner, five for second, four for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one point to all teams that finish sixth or worse. An institution that does not sponsor a specific sport does not receive any points.
Only the regular season is counted for the sports of soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, tennis, softball and baseball. For the sports of cross country, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, golf and outdoor track and field, points are determined using the WAC’s championship results using the 6-point per sport scoring system. Affiliates are used as a placeholder in the standings or championship results but are not scored in the overall Commissioner’s Cup standings. Any team (except for golf) that earns an NCAA AQ from a WAC Championship is also awarded one point.
Utah Valley, the 2019-20 Commissioner’s Cup winner, claimed second place with 49.0 points. The Wolverines were the women’s soccer and men’s basketball regular-season champions of the WAC in 2022-23 and added top-three finishes in cross country, men’s soccer, outdoor track and field and baseball.
Stephen F. Austin finished in third place with 48.5 points, on the strength of a co-championship in football and volleyball tournament and women’s indoor track and field championship victories. The Lumberjacks were also runners-up in men’s indoor and women’s outdoor track and field and women’s basketball.
NM State was solo fourth place after racking up 39.5 points as a university. The three-time (2014-17) Commissioner’s Cup champion earned a fifth point as the women’s soccer tournament champion and added a victory in women’s outdoor track and field, placing second in men’s golf and third in women’s cross country, women’s indoor track and field and women’s golf.
Southern Utah capped off its debut season as a WAC member in fifth place with 37.5 points. The Thunderbirds earned a full seven points as the double champion of women’s basketball and finished second in both men’s cross country and outdoor track and field.
Sam Houston placed sixth with 35.5 points (with women’s golf and baseball tournament championships as highlights), Seattle U was seventh with 35.0 points, California Baptist finished eighth with 34.5 points (highlighted by a cross country sweep to go along with a men’s soccer tournament title), UT Arlington returned to the WAC in ninth place with 31.5 points (including a double championship in men’s tennis), Utah Tech was 10th with 27.5 points (including a softball regular-season crown), Abilene Christian placed 11th with 26.0 points (that featured a co-football championship), UTRGV was 12th with 24.0 points and Tarleton rounded out the standings with 21.0 points.
2022-23 WAC Commissioner’s Cup Final Standings
1. Grand Canyon – 66.0 points
2. Utah Valley – 49.0 points
3. Stephen F. Austin – 48.5 points
4. NM State – 39.5 points
5. Southern Utah – 37.5 points
6. Sam Houston – 35.5 points
7. Seattle U – 35.0 points
8. California Baptist – 34.5 points
9. UT Arlington – 31.5 points
10. Utah Tech – 27.5 points
11. Abilene Christian – 26.0 points
12. UTRGV – 24.0 points
13. Tarleton – 21.0 points
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