North Dakota State Captures Summit League Commissioner's Cup

ELMHURST, Ill. - At the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year, North Dakota State earned its first Summit League Commissioner's Cup with a total of 111.5 points. NDSU also claimed the top spot for the Dr. Helen Smiley Women's All-Sports Award while Oral Roberts won the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men's All-Sports Award.

Oral Roberts took second place overall with 99.5 points, just ahead of Southern Utah (93.5 points) in third and South Dakota State (89.5 points) in fourth. In fifth place was UMKC with 78 points, followed by South Dakota in sixth (76.5 points) and Oakland in seventh (69.5 points). IPFW (60 points), IUPUI (58 points) and Western Illinois (56 points) rounded out the standings.

North Dakota State won both the overall and women's awards after placing among the top-five in every women's sport in which it competes. The Bison won a total of six championships in women's cross country, volleyball, women's indoor track & field, softball and men's and women's outdoor track & field. NDSU also took second in men's cross country, women's soccer and women's golf.

Oral Roberts, the only school to place in the top-two for all three awards, claimed titles in men's basketball, women's tennis, women's golf and baseball. The Golden Eagles added three second-place finishes in men's soccer, men's indoor track & field and women's basketball.

Southern Utah tied for its highest finish in third place after capturing titles in men's cross country and men's indoor track & field and placed second in women's cross country and men's golf.

The Commissioner's Cup is given annually to the member institution that collects the most combined points in relationship to placement in league-sponsored sports between its men's and women's athletic programs, while the All-Sports Awards are given to the institutions that accumulate the most points in men's sports and women's sports. The men's award is named for former Valparaiso Director of Athletics Dr. William Steinbrecher, who guided the Crusaders from 1979-2004, while the women's award is named for former Western Illinois Director of Athletics Dr. Helen Smiley, who headed WIU's athletic program from 1994-2001.

Commissioner's Cup Standings
1. North Dakota State, 111.5
2. Oral Roberts, 99.5
3. Southern Utah, 93.5
4. South Dakota State, 89.5
5. UMKC, 78.0
6. South Dakota, 76.5
7. Oakland, 69.5
8. IPFW, 60.0
9. IUPUI, 58.0
10. Western Illinois, 56.0

Dr. William Steinbrecher Men's All-Sports Award Standings
1. Oral Roberts, 43.5
2. Southern Utah, 42.0
3. North Dakota State, 40.5
4. South Dakota State, 38.5
5. Oakland, 31.0
6. Western Illinois, 29.5
7. IUPUI, 26.0
8. South Dakota, 24.5
9. UMKC, 24.0
10. IPFW, 22.5

Dr. Helen Smiley Women's All-Sports Award Standings
1. North Dakota State, 71.0
2. Oral Roberts, 56.0
3. UMKC, 54.0
4. South Dakota, 52.0
5. Southern Utah, 51.5
6. South Dakota State, 51.0
7. Oakland, 38.5
8. IPFW, 37.5
9. IUPUI, 32.0
10. Western Illinois, 26.5