2018-19 Commissioner's Cup & Germann Cup Standings
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman captured its fourth-straight Germann Cup and finished second in the Commissioner's Cup standings for a fourth-consecutive year, it was announced on Wednesday by the Southern Conference at its annual league meetings in Hilton Head, S.C.
The Germann Cup and Commissioner's Cup are awarded annually to the Southern Conference schools fielding the league's best all-around women's and men's sports programs, respectively.
Furman's Germann Cup win was its 17th overall and fifth in the last six years. The Paladins totaled 63.31 points on the year for a .904 percentage and used a dominant spring to edge out Samford, who posted a .901 percentage. The margin of victory was the smallest since the move to the percentage scoring model in 2014-15. Furman captured SoCon championship titles in cross country, women's tennis, and women's golf, while securing regular season SoCon titles in women's tennis and a share of the title in women's lacrosse.
In the Commissioner's Cup race, Furman totaled 58.03 points and an .829 percentage to finish second to East Tennessee State, which won the award with a .889 percentage. Furman's men's cross country and men's soccer teams claimed the SoCon championships, and the Paladins earned a share of the regular season title in football.
The scoring system is modeled after the one used in determining the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. Scoring is conducted on a percentage basis, with only the top seven sports for each school counting toward its season total. The SoCon sponsors 22 total sports with last year's addition of women's lacrosse.
Each sport is worth 10 points, with each spot in the standings given equal measure relative to how many schools sponsor that particular sport. For sports that determine a regular-season champion, a two-point bonus is awarded for winning the league tournament. Each school's total for the year is divided by 70, the maximum number of points possible when counting seven sports, to find its percentage.
Six schools have won the Commissioner's Cup in the 50-year history of the award, including current members Chattanooga (2004-05 and 2014-15), East Tennessee State (1982-83, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19), and Furman (1990-91).
Five schools have won the Germann Cup, which is named for former SoCon Commissioner Ken Germann, who served as commissioner of the Southern Conference from 1974-86 and spearheaded the effort to introduce women's athletics to the league, in its 33-year history. Among current schools, Furman owns a league-best 17, including 12 straight from 1992-2004. Samford has won two (2014-15 and 2009-10) and Chattanooga won in 2007-08.
Julie Paré, Furman Sports Information
Commissioner's Cup (through spring sports)
(Men's athletics)
1. ETSU .889
2. Furman .829
3. Wofford .739
4. Samford .729
5. Mercer .593
6. UNCG .589
7. Chattanooga .529
8. Western Carolina .467
9. The Citadel .403
10. VMI .386
Germann Cup (through spring sports)
(Women's athletics)
1. Furman .904
2. Samford .901
3. ETSU .796
4. Mercer .735
5. UNCG .633
6. Chattanooga .628
7. Wofford .598
8. Western Carolina .529
9. VMI .206
10. The Citadel .181
