2020-21 Great Midwest Presidents' Cup Standings
INDIANAPOLIS – The final calculated totals for the 2020-21 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Presidents’ Cup revealed the University of Findlay as the winner for the third consecutive season following Tuesday morning’s official announcement by the league.
The Oilers have now claimed the prestigious Presidents’ Cup trophy three of four years since joining the Great Midwest as a full member institution in 2017-18.
Findlay secured 145.5 points through all 23 possible sponsored sport offerings. The 2020-21 league runner-up was Walsh University with 134.5 points and Tiffin University checked in at third place with 131.5 points. Cedarville University secured a top-five standing with 104 points.
All 12 full member institutions and six associate members factored into the Presidents’ Cup standings for the 2020-21 academic year.
“Congratulations to the Oilers, led by President Katherine Fell and Athletic Director Brandi Laurita, for completing a successful 2020-21 academic year with the Presidents’ Cup title,” said Great Midwest Commissioner Tom Daeger. “Findlay excelled in competition while faced with unprecedented challenges and held off strong competition from fellow members to retain the Cup.”
“We in the Great Midwest are proud of providing 23 championship opportunities for our student-athletes in 2020-21, our full allotment of championships in this COVID year, and are thankful for the efforts taken by all of our members to provide these experiences for our student-athletes,” he added.
The Presidents’ Cup trophy is traditionally presented with the Spring Awards Banquet and the Spring Joint Council Meeting with the Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) also in attendance with this year being an understandable exception.
This was the ninth presentation of the Presidents’ Cup since the Great Midwest’s first year as an active conference for the 2012-13 academic year. Cedarville (2013-16) has the most Presidents’ Cup wins with four while Trevecca Nazarene (2012-13) and Hillsdale (2017-18) each have one.
“Winning the Presidents’ Cup for a third consecutive season is truly a testament to the resolve and dedication of our coaches and student-athletes, especially in a year like this,” said Findlay Director of Athletics, Brandi Laurita. “We do not take this honor lightly and are incredibly proud of the accomplishments by all of our teams. This award represents a true team effort by everyone at the University of Findlay and we are grateful to again be named Presidents’ Cup champions.”
Findlay was crowned the regular season conference champion and received the most points possible in women’s golf, women’s soccer, men’s indoor track and field, men’s swimming & diving and women’s outdoor track and field. Runner-up finishes were recorded in football, women’s swimming & diving, women’s indoor track & field, men’s basketball and men’s outdoor track & field.
Other maximum point totals recorded by institutions included men's and women's cross country (Walsh), men's soccer (Ohio Valley), football (Tiffin), volleyball (Hillsdale), wrestling (Ashland), women's swimming & diving (Hillsdale), women's indoor track and field (Hillsdale), men's basketball (Hillsdale), women's basketball (Cedarville), men's golf (Trevecca Nazarene), men's outdoor track & field (Tiffin), men's tennis (Hillsdale), women's tennis (Walsh), men's lacrosse (Mercyhurst), women's lacrosse (Walsh), baseball (Trevecca Nazarene) and softball (Trevecca Nazarene).
The Great Midwest now turns its attention to an upcoming milestone, the 10th-year anniversary as a Division II athletic conference for the 2021-22 academic year with the addition of Ashland University as a full member institution effective July 1. Earlier this spring, Northwood University also announced its commitment to join the Great Midwest for the 2022-23 academic year as a full member institution.
Additional voting by administrators from member institutions will be conducted for the SAAC sponsored Faculty Mentor of the Year, Male/Female Collegiate Achievement Award, the Male/Female Athlete of the Year and Male/Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, in the month of June. The Academic All-Conference Team will also be announced this summer along with Athletic Training Staff and Sports Information Director Staff of the year.
About the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Presidents’ Cup
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference Presidents’ Cup is awarded to the member institution that has the highest score for sports sponsored within the Great Midwest. Points shall be awarded based on winning percentage in regular season standings for those team sports with a conference schedule and standings. Points shall be awarded based on results of the championship meet for those sports without a regular season conference schedule.