OGDEN, Utah (July 17, 2017) – Among a field of stiff competition, the University of North Dakota won its first Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup in school history, the league announced Monday.
In its 15th year, the Presidents’ Cup promotes the Big Sky’s commitment to academics and recognizes a member school’s overall success both in the classroom and in competition.
The Presidents’ Cup is awarded annually to the program that succeeds both academically and athletically, as measured by a variety of categories. Regular-season team standings in eight of the league’s 14 sports make up the athletic tier of the Presidents’ Cup criteria. Points are also awarded in men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field and golf by virtue of finish at the Big Sky championship. Teams are ranked according to average points per sport.
On the other side, the academic tier measures the academic progress rate (APR) and each team’s grade point averages (GPA) of Big Sky sponsored sports.
North Dakota secured its first Presidents’ Cup victory and became the sixth Big Sky program to win the cup since the award’s implementation in 2002-03. The Fighting Hawks placed fifth overall in the athletic standings, winning titles in volleyball and men’s basketball, while also finishing as co-champions in football and women’s basketball. Furthermore, UND is the first-ever Big Sky school to win regular-season titles in volleyball, football and men’s and women’s basketball.
However, it was North Dakota’s performance in the classroom that clinched the Presidents’ Cup victory. UND had the best APR rating for the fifth consecutive since joining the Big Sky, scoring a 991.1. They also finished third in team GPA (3.31), with its women’s golf team recording a program-best 3.57 GPA.
“I would like to congratulate North Dakota’s student-athletes and the university’s leadership, administrators and coaches on a well-deserved Presidents’ Cup victory,” said Big Sky Commissioner Andrea Williams. “It takes a combined effort to achieve such a feat and the Fighting Hawks’ success both athletically and academically positioned them to earn this prestigious award.”
Finishing runner-up was the defending back-to-back champion Eastern Washington Eagles. EWU led in overall team GPA with a 3.46. Notably, EWU was also the only Big Sky member that had all of its teams report a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Finishing third overall was Montana, recording its best finish of second in the APR standings with a rating of 984.8. Behind Montana in the APR tier was Portland State with a score of 982.9.
In the athletic tier, Northern Arizona topped the list by winning seven conference championships last season, including men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track & field, tennis and women’s outdoor track & field.
Additionally, Sacramento State and Weber State finished second and third, respectively, to round out the top-three schools in the athletic standings.
Montana’s women’s cross country team recorded the highest overall team GPA in the Big Sky Conference, turning in a 3.77. Montana also had the top men’s GPA performance in the league this season (3.67), which was set by their men’s tennis team.
Overall, the league saw 113 teams record a GPA of 3.0 or more. In all, 10 of 11 Big Sky full members recorded a GPA of at least 3.0, continuing the Big Sky’s tradition of academic excellence.
“Big Sky institutions should be proud of their academic efforts throughout the year,” Williams said. “We have a tremendous group of student-athletes who make academics a priority, and this year’s results further prove their hard work and dedication.”
The completely redesigned Presidents’ Cup trophy will be awarded to the University of North Dakota, where it will be showcased on campus for the next year. The results of the 2017-18 athletic and academic events will determine the awards future destination.
Past Presidents’ Cup Winners
2002-03 Weber State
2003-04 Weber State
2004-05 Montana State
2005-06 Northern Arizona
2006-07 Montana
2007-08 Weber State
2008-09 Weber State
2009-10 Eastern Washington
2010-11 Montana
2011-12 Montana State
2012-13 Northern Arizona
2013-14 Northern Arizona
2014-15 Eastern Washington
2015-16 Eastern Washington
2016-17 North Dakota