HPU, BYU-Hawaii share lead in chase for Commissioner’s Cup; GCU, Dixie St. not far behind

PHOENIX, AZ – With seven of the 11 Pacific West Conference Championships in the proverbial books, the chase for the 2010-11 Commissioner’s Cup has four schools separated by less than a point.

BYU-Hawaii and Hawai‘i Pacific are deadlocked atop the Commissioner Cup standings through the winter season with an average finish of 6.785.

Each program has amassed 47.5 points through seven championships, with BYU-Hawaii claiming titles in men’s and women’s cross country and women’s soccer, and sharing the volleyball crown. The men’s basketball team finished third in the league, giving the Seasiders a seven-point boost.

HPU has not earned an individual sport championship, but six of its seven sports have finished at least third or higher. Men’s soccer and women’s cross country finished second, while men’s cross country, volleyball and women’s basketball placed third. Women’s soccer tied for third with Dixie State.

While HPU and BYU-Hawaii are tussling over the top spot, Grand Canyon has climbed squarely in the rearview mirror in third place with an average finish of 6.714, while Dixie State is looming closely in fourth place at 6.142.

The Antelope athletic program has amassed 47 total points, picking up 15 this winter on a conference championship in women’s basketball worth nine and a fourth-place finish in men’s hoops that provided GCU with six. Grand Canyon won the men’s soccer title in the fall and finished second in women’s soccer.

Dixie State put itself into the mix with an outstanding winter season. The men’s team picked up 8.5 points after sharing the PacWest Championship with Chaminade, while the women’s team finished second in the league and garnered an eight-point reward.

The race for the Commissioner’s Cup is based upon average finish instead of point totals, a change that occurred prior to the 2009-10 campaign. Each school totals its points and then divides it by the number of PacWest athletic programs it offers, giving an overall average finish for the school. BYU-Hawaii, Hawai‘i Pacific, Grand Canyon and Dixie State are averaging better than a third-place finish across their entire athletic program.

Hawai‘i Pacific, Hawai‘i Hilo, Dixie State, Grand Canyon and Academy of Art sponsor all 11 PacWest programs, while Dominican (CA), BYU-Hawaii, NDNU and Chaminade compete in 10 (no baseball).

In the 10 sports sponsored by all nine PacWest schools - men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and women’s tennis - the first-place team receives nine points, followed by the second-place team receiving eight and so forth in descending order.

Baseball features five programs with the winner earning nine points, followed by the runner-up claiming seven, third place taking five, and fourth and fifth earning three and one, respectively.

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

The spring season, which began on Feb. 1, will crown champions in baseball, men’s golf, softball and women’s tennis. 

In 2009-10, HPU became the third different winner in the three-year existence of the PacWest Commissioner’s Cup. Hawai‘i Hilo claimed the inaugural trophy in 2007-08 and BYU-Hawaii earned the title in 2008-09.