Saints Lead Early Kruse Award Standings
UMAC Jerome Kruse Award Website
ST. PAUL – Following completion of eight fall sport seasons, the College of St. Scholastica holds a seven point lead over the University of Minnesota Morris in the race of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's (UMAC) Jerome Kruse Award. St. Scholastica, who claimed five UMAC regular season titles this fall, currently stands in first place with 53.5 points.
The Saints, who have won the Kruse award in each of the last six years, won league titles in football, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer and women's soccer this fall. The University of Minnesota Morris follows in second place following the fall season with 46.5 points in the annual all-sport race, with the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets coming in just a half a point behind the Cougars in third place with 46 points.
Also in the hunt is the University of Northwestern who finished in fourth place with 45.5 points and Bethany Lutheran College who finished in fifth place with 36.5 points. Martin Luther College follows the pack with 30 points in sixth place while Crown College (22 points), North Central University (17.5), and Northland College (14.5) round out the seventh, eighth, and ninth place teams in the Kruse Award Standings.
10 UMAC championships still remain to be claimed this winter and spring as titles in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, men's and women's tennis, baseball and softball will be handed out in the next six months.
Since the award's inception in 1996-97, St. Scholastica has won the Kruse Award a UMAC-best eleven times. The award, which is named after Mr. Jerome Kruse, a longtime athletic director at the former Northwestern College (Wis.) and Martin Luther College, travels to the full-member institution with the most points accumulated by the place finishes of the college's athletic teams in the final standings of 17 conference sponsored sports.
KRUSE AWARD STANDINGS (2015-2016)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| School |
MCC |
WCC |
FB |
MSC |
WSC |
VB |
MGF |
WGF |
Total |
| Bethany Lutheran College |
4 |
5 |
DNP |
5 |
5 |
3.5 |
7 |
7 |
36.5 |
| College of St. Scholastica |
9 |
8 |
5 |
9 |
8.5 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
53.5 |
| Crown College |
1 |
1 |
2.5 |
2 |
1 |
1.5 |
9 |
4 |
22 |
| Martin Luther College |
7 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
30 |
| North Central University |
2 |
- |
DNP |
6 |
2 |
3.5 |
2 |
2 |
17.5 |
| Northland College |
3 |
2 |
DNP |
1 |
6 |
1.5 |
1 |
- |
14.5 |
| University of Minnesota Morris |
5 |
7 |
2.5 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
46.5 |
| University of Northwestern |
6 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
8.5 |
9 |
8 |
3 |
45.5 |
| University of Wisconsin-Superior |
8 |
6 |
DNP |
8 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
46 |