Utah State Finishes Fourth In WAC Commissioner’s Cup

 For the third time in its six years in the league, Utah State has finished fourth in the Western Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings it was announced earlier this week.

Utah State also finished fourth in the WAC Commissioner’s Cup standings in 2006 and 2009, to go along with a fifth-place finish in 2007 and 2010, and a sixth-place finish in 2008.

Highlighting Utah State’s 2010-11 academic year were its basketball, soccer and track programs as USU won WAC titles in women’s soccer, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and men’s basketball.  USU also had second-place team finishes in women’s cross country, and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, while men’s cross country, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball each finished third.

Utah State also won a pair of WAC Tournament championships during the 2010-11 academic year with its men’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs.

“It was gratifying to see many of our teams improve this year,” said USU Director of Athletics Scott Barnes.  “Our goal continues to focus on winning championships and moving up in the commissioners cup while leading the WAC in academic success.  We are consistently achieving the latter and we’re making progress in competition.”

Boise State won the WAC’s Commissioner’s Cup in 2011 with 95.50 points, followed by Fresno State (89.50), New Mexico State (82.50), Utah State (79.75), Nevada (64.00), Louisiana Tech (61.75), Idaho (61.50), Hawai’i (58.00) and San Jose State (53.50).   

The WAC awards its Commissioner’s Cup to the school that performs the best in each of the conference’s 19 men’s and women’s championships. Points are awarded in order of finish, equal to the number of teams that participate in each sport, and are averaged between a team’s regular-season finish (if applicable) and its WAC championship finish. Teams that do not qualify for a postseason tournament due to a smaller field receive points equal to their regular-season finish. Ties are not broken but instead are averaged between the tied teams. Affiliate members are not eligible for the Commissioner’s Cup, but their standings are still used for determining points.

2010-11 WAC Commissioner’s Cup Standings

1.  Boise State (95.50)

2.  Fresno State (89.50)

3.  New Mexico State (82.50)

4.  UTAH STATE (79.75)

5.  Nevada (64.00)

6.  Louisiana Tech (61.75)

7.  Idaho (61.50)

8.  Hawai’i (58.00)

9.  San Jose State (53.50)   

2010-11 Utah State Athletic Finishes

Men — WAC Finish (Record)

Basketball — 1st (30-4/15-1/NCAA First Round)

Cross Country — 3rd (10th @ NCAA Regional)

Football — 7th (4-8/2-6)

Golf — 9th

Tennis — 6th (12-11/2-4)

Indoor Track — T-1st (Individuals @ NCAA Championships)

Outdoor Track — 1st (Individuals @ NCAA Regional)

Women — WAC Finish (Record)

Basketball — 3rd (18-15/10-6/WNIT Second Round)

Cross Country — 2nd (17th @ Regional)

Gymnastics — 5th (3-18/1-4/Individuals @ NCAA Regional)

Indoor Track — 2nd (Individuals @ NCAA Championships)

Outdoor Track — 2nd (Individuals @ NCAA Regional)

Soccer — T-1st (9-7-5/5-2-1)

Softball — 5th (15-42/8-13)

Tennis — 8th (11-8/0-5)

Volleyball — 3rd (24-9/9-7/NCAA First Round)