Northern Kentucky University Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS – For the fifth straight season and the final time as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Northern Kentucky University has claimed the GLVC Commissioner's Cup.

The Norse athletic department earned the award for the 2011-12 season by posting the strongest finish in the league's seven core sports. It marked the eighth time since the Commissioner's Cup was instituted 10 years ago that NKU has won the award.

Points are allocated for the Commissioner's Cup based on the athletic department's finish in the GLVC standings and conference tournaments in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball and baseball. Each of the league's members sponsors these sports at the intercollegiate level.

Northern Kentucky, guided by director of athletics Dr. Scott Eaton, collected 93.5 total points in the Commissioner's Cup standings to earn the award for a league-best eighth time. The Norse topped runner-up Indianapolis (90.0) by 3.5 points, which matched the same margin of victory NKU recorded last year when it bested Lewis for the title.

In conference play this year, NKU finished first in the regular-season standings in women's soccer (12-1-1), second in men's soccer (11-3), men's basketball (13-5) and baseball (25-11), tied for third in volleyball (14-4), fourth in women's basketball (14-4), and fifth in softball (21-13).

At the conference championships, the Norse earned the Norse earned a majority of its Cup points by finishing second in baseball and men's basketball, and tying for third in volleyball.

The Commissioner's Cup, instituted prior to the 2002-03 season, has had three different institutions stake claim to the award. Northern Kentucky earned the inaugural award in 2002-03, claimed back-to-back honors during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years and captured the award again the past five years.

The standings for the 2011-12 GLVC Commissioner's Cup are as follows:

1.       Northern Kentucky           93.50
2.       Indianapolis                      90.00
3.       Quincy                              80.00
4.       Drury                                 72.00
5.       Bellarmine                         70.00
6.       Lewis                                 68.00
7.       Missouri-St. Louis              62.50
8.       Missouri S&T                     62.00
9.       Southern Indiana               59.50
10.    Rockhurst                            57.00
11.    UW-Parkside                      48.00
12.    William Jewell                    41.50
13.    Kentucky Wesleyan           39.00
14.    Saint Joseph's                   36.50
          Illinois-Springfield              36.50
16.    Maryville                             36.00