Greenville, S.C. – Furman University's men's and women's athletics programs recorded third place finishes in the Southern Conference's Commissioner Cup and Germann Cup all-sports competitions for the 2022-23 school year, it was announced today at the conference's annual meetings being held on Hilton Head Island.
The Commissioner's Cup is awarded annually by the SoCon to the top men's program in the league based on a points system, as is the Germann Cup, which goes to the SoCon's top women's program.
Utilizing a system modeled after the one used in determining the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, scoring is done on a percentage basis, with seven sports for each school counting toward its season total.
The SoCon sponsors 22 total sports, with 11 men's sports, 10 women's sports, and one co-ed sport, rifle.
Each sport represents 10 points, with each position in the standings given equal measure relative to how many schools sponsor that particular sport. For sports that recognize a regular-season champion, there is a two-point bonus for winning the league tournament. Each school's combined point total for the year is divided by 70 – the maximum number of points possible when counting seven sports – to determine its percentage.
Furman racked up 51.64 points in the Commissioner's Cup race and finished with a .738 ranking percentage, behind Samford (65.00/.929) and East Tennessee State (56.83/.812). Mercer (44.89/.641) and Chattanooga (42.75/.611) rounded out the top five.
A championship in men's basketball and men's cross country, as well as a second-place performance by football and NCAA regional showing from men's golf, fueled the Paladins' third place showing in the Commissioner's Cup.
Furman's women also finished third to Samford (66.84/.955) and East Tennessee State (58.32/.833) in Germann Cup competition, registering 51.75 points and .739 ranking percentage. Wofford (46.13/.6589) and Western Carolina (46.11/.6587) completed the top five.
Paladin women combined to capture SoCon championships in women's cross country and women's golf, while women's tennis recorded a regular-season title.
Furman has captured two Commissioner's Cups – in 1991 and 2021 – and has won a league-best 17 Germann Cups since the award was initiated in 1987, including 12 straight from 1992-2004.
In 2020 both Furman's men's and women's programs enjoyed solid leads in both Commissioner's Cup and Germann Cup races before the Covid-19 pandemic halted athletic competition in mid-March. The league subsequently voted to not award a winner in either competition for the 2019-20 school year.
Commissioner's Cup
(Men's Athletics – Final Standings)
1. Samford, .929
2. East Tennessee State, .812
3. FURMAN, .738
4. Mercer, .641
5. Chattanooga, .611
6. Western Carolina, .597
7. UNC Greensboro, .546
8. The Citadel, .462
9. VMI, .439
10. Wofford, .438
Germann Cup
(Women's Athletics – Final Standings)
1. Samford, .955
2. East Tennessee State, .833
3. FURMAN, .739
4. Wofford, .6589
5. Western Carolina, .6587
6. Chattanooga, .643
7. Mercer, .626
8. UNC Greensboro, .476
9. The Citadel, .279
10. VMI, .183
