BYU-Hawaii widens Commissioner's Cup lead

BYU-Hawaii claims its 4th conference title, widens lead in PacWest Commissioner Cup chase to nine points

Commissioner Cup Standings

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - By winning its fourth conference championship this year, the BYU-Hawaii athletic program has stretched its lead in the chase for the Pacific West Conference Commissioner's Cup from 4.5 points to a solid nine with three sports remaining this spring.

The Seasiders claimed the PacWest men's basketball title, earning 11 more team points for the first-place finish, then picked up 4.5 more after sharing third place with Hawai‘i Pacific in women's basketball.

BYU-Hawaii jumped out to a solid lead in the fall by winning conference championships in women's cross country, women's soccer and volleyball, and finishing as the runner-up in men's cross country.

Started in 2007-08, the Commissioner's Cup is the all-sports championship that recognizes the top athletic program in the league and is awarded each spring by PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue.

Hawai‘i Hilo compiled 52 points during the inaugural season to capture the first all-sport championship. BYU-Hawaii took second place with 48 team points.

The PacWest currently sponsors 11 conference sports with 10 counting toward the commissioner's cup. Baseball is not included this year.

Schools are awarded points based upon their order of finish in the sports of men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball and volleyball, while a championship competition is held in men's and women's cross country, women's tennis and men's golf to determine final league standings.

Teams receive points based upon that finish, with the conference champion earning seven, the runner-up getting six, the third-place team grabbing five, and the fourth-place squad claiming four.

Teams finishing fifth, sixth or seventh receive three, two and one point, respectively.

When teams are tied, the points awarded to those positions are added together then distributed evenly among the schools.

Ranked third after the fall, Hawaii Hilo jumped ahead of Hawaii Pacific and into second place with 32.5 points. The Sea Warriors are third with 32, while Dixie State is fourth with 31.5 - leaving second through fourth separated by a single point.

With three sports championships still to be decided, the Red Storm is just two points off its entire total of 34.5 recorded last year.

HPU previously claimed the PacWest title in men's cross country and finished second in both women's cross country and men's soccer.

Hawaii Hilo's top finish this year is a second-place standing in volleyball. Dixie State took second in women's soccer and added a pair of second-place finishes in both men's and women's basketball this winter.

Grand Canyon jumped over Notre Dame de Namur and into fifth with 24 points, collecting seven for finishing first in women's basketball.

NDNU, which won the PacWest men's soccer championship in the fall, is sixth with 22 points.

Chaminade rounds out the Commissioner Cup rankings with 12.5 points.

Of the 10 PacWest sports in the Commissioner's Cup standings, seven already have been completed in 2008-09.

The spring season will crown champions in women's tennis, men's golf and softball. Baseball also decide a first-place finisher, but the finish is not reflected in the PacWest Commissioner Cup standings this year.