13 Jul 2022 Harding wins GAC Commissioner’s Cup, President’s Trophy

Posted at 6:55 PMh in Sports by

RUSSELLVILLE — On Tuesday, the Great American Conference announced Harding University as the winner of the 2021-22 Commissioner’s Cup and the President’s Trophy – the first time an institution won both of the league’s all-sports awards.

The GAC determines the winner of the Commissioner’s Cup to the GAC school that totals the most cumulative points in the 14 countable sports of men’s and women’s cross country, football, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s tennis, men’s women’s track and field, men’s and women’s golf, softball and baseball while the President’s Trophy goes to the program that earns the highest percentage of points based on the sports they sponsor.

Harding won the Commissioner’s Cup for the third time and claimed its first President’s Trophy. The Bisons earned conference titles in men’s cross country, football, women’s tennis and men’s track and field. The Lady Bisons took second in track and field. The Bisons earned top-four finishes in 12 of the 14 sports.

Oklahoma Baptist placed second in both standings. In the race for the President’s Trophy, Harding edged out the Bison by just eight-tenths of a percent. The Bison earned their fifth-straight women’s cross country crown, their third-straight volleyball regular-season title and the program’s second women’s track championship.

Arkansas Tech finished in third. The Golden Suns shared the softball regular-season title with Southern Arkansas. They also placed second in women’s cross country, women’s golf and women’s tennis while sharing second in volleyball.

Southern Arkansas took fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings while Henderson State placed fourth for the President’s Cup. SAU won the regular-season title in baseball for the fifth time. In the postseason, the Muleriders advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time in school history. The Reddies swept the two golf championships for the first time since 2014.

Southeastern Oklahoma State placed fifth in the President’s Cup standings. The Savage Storm won their first GAC men’s basketball regular-season crown. Southwestern Oklahoma State took sixth for the Commissioner’s Cup. The Lady Bulldogs remained the top team in women’s basketball as they first atop the standings for the fifth-straight season. SWOSU’s women’s soccer team won the regular-season title for the fifth time in 10 seasons.

East Central finished in eighth in both standings, followed by Southern Nazarene and Ouachita. The Crimson Storm finished ninth in the Commissioner’s Cup while the Tigers took ninth in the President’s Cup. Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the standings.