CHICO, Calif. – It was a close one, but the Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup is coming back to Chico State!
 
With the CCAA Executive Council concluding its three-day spring meeting in Kendall Hall on the Chico State campus on Wednesday, Commissioner Allen Hardison presented retiring Executive Athletics Director Anita Barker with the Wildcats' seventh Cup, narrowly beating second-place Cal Poly Pomona and third-place Cal State San Marcos by just over a point.
 
"It has been unbelievable what Chico State has been able to accomplish this year, but this is really a department-wide trophy," Hardison said. "From student-athletes to coaches to the administration and the president, so many are involved in winning a prestigious award like the Hiegert Commissioner's Cup. Congratulations to Chico State and Anita on an amazing year."
 
Named in honor of former longtime Commissioner and CCAA Hall of Famer Robert J. Hiegert, the Commissioner's Cup is given to the member with the highest aggregate ranking in eighth of the conference-sponsored 13 championship sports.
 
While this is the Wildcats' seventh Commissioner's Cup, all were achieved in a 14-year span.
 
Barker, along with Chico State President Steve Perez, Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Matt Thomas and Associate Athletics Director Brian Ceccon, accepted the prestigious award on the department's behalf.
"It is truly an honor to accept the Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup on behalf of our 2023-24 Wildcats," Barker began. "This Cup belongs to our entire Wildcat Family – the student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff and our campus community. It is a testament to all who dedicate every day in supporting our student-athletes and represent the very best of Chico State. The CCAA is the most competitive NCAA Division II conference as evidenced by the close standings this year. We do not take this award for granted. Thank you to all who put their best forward this year!"
 
The points structure for the Hiegert Cup is based on a team's finish in the final conference standings in the sports of volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball, and a team's finish in the CCAA Championships for the sports of golf, cross country and track & field. Each institution's top-two performing teams in the fall, winter, and spring, along with two additional sports from any season, earn between 1 (for last place) and 12 (for first place) points based on their finish in the conference standings. The institution with the greatest sum of its eight selected sports claims the Hiegert Cup.
 
For the second time in three seasons, the Commissioner's Cup winner was decided by less than two points. Unlike the 2021-22 season, which was saw two institutions finish by a close margin, this year's race came down to three universities battling for the Cup. Chico State collected 89.15 points, Cal Poly Pomona finished second with 88.63 points and Cal State San Marcos, the defending Cup winners, recorded 88.13 points.
 
As done so in the past, the men's and women's cross country teams played a crucial role to Chico State winning the Cup. Both teams helped post a perfect 26-point score in the fall segment for winning their respective CCAA Championships. The Wildcats also saw second-place finishes from the women's basketball, men's and women's track & field teams but the scoring difference between the three institutions came from the sport of men's basketball. Chico State finished fourth in the standings while Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos placed in a tie for eighth.
 
The Hiegert Commissioner's Cup began in 2005-06 and has been awarded to four institutions since then. Former member UC San Diego still holds the record for the most Cups with eight followed by Chico State's seven. Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos have won the trophy once.
 
2023-24 Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup Standings

Chico State	89.15
Cal Poly Pomona	88.63
Cal State San Marcos	88.13
Cal State LA	81.7
Cal State San Bernardino	72.91
Sonoma State	68.54
Cal State Monterey Bay	65.51
Stanislaus State	58.18
Cal State East Bay	51.63
San Francisco State	46.66
Cal Poly Humboldt	46.53
Cal State Dominguez Hills	44.24

 
 
Past Robert J. Hiegert Commissioner's Cup Winners

2005-06	UC San Diego
2006-07	UC San Diego
2007-08	UC San Diego
2008-09	UC San Diego
2009-10	UC San Diego
2010-11	Chico State
2011-12	Chico State
2012-13	Chico State
2013-14	Chico State
2014-15	Cal Poly Pomona
2015-16	UC San Diego
2016-17	UC San Diego
2017-18	Chico State
2018-19	UC San Diego
2019-20	Suspended (COVID)
2020-21	No Seasons
2021-22	Chico State
2022-23	Cal State San Marcos
2023-24	Chico State