May 30, 2012

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis posted its highest finish in the Big West Conference Commissioner's Cup race, tallying a second-place average of 115.6 points on the strength of four conference titles plus two runner-up showings in 2011-12. The Aggies, who finished their fifth year as a Big West member, placed fourth in the two previous seasons.

Long Beach State took first place with a Cup-record 140.0 average. UC Santa Barbara finished third at 115.3, just behind UC Davis. UC Irvine (100.0), Cal Poly (98.0), Cal State Fullerton (81.4), Cal State Northridge (73.3), Pacific (66.4) and UC Riverside (58.7) rounded out the field. This is the 49ers' third Commissioner's Cup in the past four years.

The Commissioner's Cup, similar to the NACDA Directors' Cup, awards points for an institution's finish in a given sport, depending on the number of teams in that sport. Unlike the national award, however, standings are based on each school's points-per-sport average.

The Aggies scored 200 for their women's cross country title in the fall and hovered around 101 points per sport through the winter. However, team championships in men's golf (200), women's golf (160) and women's track & field (180), plus second-place performances in women's water polo (100) and women's tennis (150) helped propel UC Davis up the ladder into second place.

This is the 14th year of the Big West Commissioner's Cup. UC Santa Barbara has won eight, Long Beach State has claimed four and Pacific picked up the first two. UC Davis officially joined the league in 2007-08.