AU finishes 2nd in Commissioners Cup standings

Bolstered by conference championships in men’s and women’s cross country, women’s basketball and women’s track and field, Anderson University earned a second-place finish in the final 2007-08 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Commissioner’s Cup standings.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology claimed the Commissioner’s Cup, as the Engineers amassed a total of 103 points. Anderson was second with a total of 93.5 points, followed by Franklin College with 91.5 points and Manchester College with 84.5 points.

Anderson won the 2006-07 Commissioner’s Cup trophy, edging Rose-Hulman by one-half point in the final standings.

“The overall success of our intercollegiate athletic program can be directly attributed to the commitment, dedication and hard work put forth on a daily basis by our coaches and student-athletes,” said Michael Zapolski, Anderson University’s Director of Athletics. “I am constantly amazed by the overall body of work registered by our programs, particularly when you consider the competitiveness of the recruiting environment. Anderson University is blessed to be represented by coaches and student-athletes who value the experience of participating in intercollegiate athletics.”

Franklin and Rose-Hulman shared the HCAC’s Men’s All-Sports trophy, as both schools accumulated 53.5 points. Anderson placed third with 46.5 points. Manchester earned the Women’s All-Sports award with 51 points. Rose-Hulman was second with 49.5 points while Anderson placed third with 47 points.

The men’s cross country program finished third at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and advanced to the NCAA Championships as a team for the second time in the last three seasons.

In addition to the four conference championships, the men’s basketball and men’s track and field teams finished second in the league standings, while the men’s golf and women’s volleyball programs placed third.

The men’s basketball program showed the biggest improvement in 2007-08, posting a 10-6 mark in league play and finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings after finishing last in 2006-07. After finishing fourth in the final conference standings in 2006-07, the women’s basketball team notched a 12-4 conference mark this year and shared the regular season league title with Manchester.

Marcie Taylor was tabbed the HCAC’s 2007-08 “Coach of the Year” for women’s basketball, while Scott Wilson earned similar recognition for men and women’s cross country and women’s track and field.

In the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, seniors Sean Hudson and Gwen Kemple earned “Most Outstanding Runner” honors at the conference championship, while Kemple and senior Amanda Nagy were tabbed the “Co-Most Valuable Track” performers at the recent HCAC Championships. Junior Kayla Martin was named the HCAC’s “Most Valuable Player” for women’s basketball, while senior Denny Kimmel was the league’s “Co-Special Teams Player of the Year” in football.