POMONA – The Chico State athletics department enjoyed a banner year in 2016-17, claiming five California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) titles, with several other sports programs finishing in the upper reaches of the conference standings. That success earned the Wildcats runner-up honors in the race for the annual Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup Trophy, announced Tuesday night during the CCAA's fourth annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Pomona Valley Mining Company in Pomona.
The award, named in honor of former long-time Commissioner and CCAA Hall of Famer, Robert J. Hiegert, is presented to the conference member institution with the highest aggregate ranking in eight of the CCAA's 12 championship sport offerings.
This is Chico State's the 11th top-two finish since the CCAA established the Commissioner's Cup in 2005. The Wildcats have now finished second in the Commissioner's Cup standings for three consecutive years after winning the Cup four times in a row.
Chico State teams won conference titles in men's cross country, women's cross country, women's track and field, men's track and field, and baseball. A second place finish in volleyball also contributed to the Wildcats' Commissioner's Cup point total, with men's soccer, men's basketball and softball each notching fourth place conference finishes.
Eleven of Chico State's team played in the postseason, with nine earning NCAA Championships berths.
UC San Diego claimed its second consecutive Commissioner's Cup, finishing with 97.62 points. Chico State scored 95 points, while third place Cal Poly Pomona finished with 82.94 points.
UC San Diego captured four regular season championship banners for men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball and women's basketball. The Tritons also finished third in baseball and fourth in volleyball and women's track and field.
A CCAA institution's Commissioner's Cup ranking is calculated using its top two conference finishes in the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons, as well as the highest two other finishes, regardless of season. An institution's numerical finish for team sports is determined by regular season standings. Individual sports finishes are determined by the finishes at the season-ending championship event.
Team sports include soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball. Individual sports are cross country, men's golf, and track and field. Institutions that win the conference tournament in all team sports receive an additional point to their regular-season finish in those respective sports.
This year's scoring system changed from a low-point system to a high-point system, and the points received for each sport was dependent on the number of institutions that sponsor that particular sport.
2016-17 ROBERT J. HIEGERT COMMISSIONER'S CUP RESULTS
1. UC San Diego (97.62 points)
2. Chico State (95 points)
3. Cal Poly Pomona (82.94 points)
4. Sonoma State (72.69 points)
5. Cal State San Bernardino (71.84 points)
6. Stanislaus State (71.53 points)
7. Cal State East Bay (59.76 points)
8. Cal State LA (56.49 points)
9. Humboldt State (54.19 points)
10. San Francisco State (53.52 points)
11. Cal State Monterey Bay (46.29 points)
12. Cal State San Marcos (44.7 points)
13. Cal State Dominguez Hills (39.13 points)
