St. Scholastica holds lead in Kruse Award standings after fall season

St. Scholastica holds lead in Kruse Award standings after fall season

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ST. PAUL, Minn.---Last spring, the College of St. Scholastica earned its seventh-straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Jerome Kruse All-Sport Trophy competition. With fall sports wrapped up for 2016-17, it looks as if the Saints could be poised for an eighth-consecutive title as they hold an early lead in the standings announced Thursday. 

| UMAC Jerome Kruse Award Website | 

St. Scholastica leads the pack with 58 points after winning three titles in the fall. They are just eight points ahead of the University of Northwestern with 50 points after the Eagles took three fall regular season championship crowns. 

The Saints repeated as champions in women's cross country and men's soccer to earn full points in each respective sport, while the St. Scholastica women's golf team cruised to its first-ever conference title in just its second year as a program. Women's soccer, men's golf and football also placed as runner-ups to help the Saints remain slightly ahead of Northwestern. 

The Eagles defeated the Saints in football en route to their first conference championship since 2012 and also dethroned Crown College in men's golf in early October. Volleyball continued its conference dominance to help the Eagles put pressure on the Saints heading in to the winter season. 

The University of Minnesota Morris didn't win a single fall title, but were runners up in women's cross country, women's golf and volleyball to help the Cougars solidly secure third place in the current standings with 46 points – just four points back of Northwestern. They also made playoff a playoff appearance in women's soccer to add to their solid total score.

The University of Wisconsin-Superior finished third in the standings a year ago as conference newcomers, but following the fall season, the Yellowjackets are in fourth with 40.5 points thanks to a team championship in men's cross country. 

Martin Luther College holds a five-point lead over Bethany Lutheran College with 32 points for fifth. The Knights jumped up the standings with a second-place finish by the men's cross country team and two playoff appearances in men's soccer and volleyball. 

Bethany Lutheran's 27 points are just one better than Northland College in seventh with 26 points. The Vikings were third in women's cross country and earned postseason berths in women's soccer and volleyball to keep distance from Northland which rose in the standings thanks to a program-first conference title win in women's soccer. 

Crown was eighth with 19.5 points after competing in the men's soccer tournament, while North Central University rounded out the standings with 14 points. 

Since the award's inception in 1996-97, St. Scholastica has won the Kruse Award a UMAC-best 12 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 18 conference sponsored sports.

KRUSE AWARD POINTS (2016-2017 - through fall sports)
1. St. Scholastica - 58 points
2. Northwestern - 50 points
3. Minnesota Morris - 46 points
4. Wisconsin-Superior - 40.5 points
5. Martin Luther - 32 points
6. Bethany Lutheran - 27 points
7. Northland - 26 points
8. Crown - 19.5 points
9. North Central - 14 points

KRUSE AWARD POINTS (2016-2017)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
School MCC WCC FB MSC WSC VB MGF WGF Total
Bethany Lutheran College 3 7 - 1 5 5 3 3 27
College of St. Scholastica 6 9 4 9 8 7 8 7 58
Crown College 1 4 2 5 1.5 1 5 - 19.5
Martin Luther College 8 3 1 6 4 6 2 2 32
North Central University 2 1 - 4 3 3 1 - 14
Northland College 4 2 - 2 9 2 6 1 26
University of Minnesota Morris 7 8 3 3 7 8 4 6 46
University of Northwestern 5 5 5 7 6 9 9 4 50
University of Wisconsin-Superior 9 6 - 8 1.5 4 7 5 40.5