St. Scholastica holds lead in Kruse standings following winter championships
ST. PAUL, Minn.---After a competitive winter season in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and just one season to go in 2015-16, the College of St. Scholastica inches closer to winning its seventh-straight Jerome Kruse Award with a league-leading 79 points in the standings.
|
UMAC Jerome Kruse Award Website |
Fall Sport Update |
The Saints took three of the four regular-season winter sport titles to remain solidly in first place for the annual award that honors the institution with the most points based on conference standings finishes in 18 sponsored sports. In men's basketball, the Saints used a thrilling win over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul on the final day of the season to win the title outright and dethrone the Eagles after three-straight years at the top. The Saints also captured their seventh-straight titles in both men's and women's indoor track and field.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior made a jump from third to second in the Kruse standings and sit just 10.5 points behind St. Scholastica. In their first year as a UMAC member, the Yellowjackets made a lasting mark on the winter sports season. The women's basketball title went to the Yellowjackets who cruised to a perfect 16-0 conference record, while the men's track and field team narrowly took second to help the Yellowkjackets move ahead of the University of Minnesota Morris.
Just two points separate No. 2 through No. 4 in the standings. Wisconsin-Superior owns 68.5 points, while Minnesota Morris holds steady in thrid with 67.5 after a strong second-place team finish at the UMAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships. Northwestern used two second-place finishes in men's and women's basketball to move to 65.5 points for fourth.
Bethany Lutheran College placed third in the women's basketball standings to add to their solid total and remain in fifth place with 54 points. The remainder of the standings stayed in tact as Martin Luther College rounded out sixth with 35.5 points. Crown College turned in seventh with 27 points, but North Central University pulled within one-half point after a third-place finish in men's basketball to move to 26.5 points. Northland College followed closely behind with 20.5 points.
The Kruse Award standings will be finalized upon completion of the 2016 spring sports. Champions will still be crowned in baseball, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's outdoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field.
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 18 conference sponsored sports.
KRUSE AWARD STANDINGS (2015-2016)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| School |
MCC |
WCC |
FB |
MSC |
WSC |
VB |
MGF |
WGF |
MBB |
WBB |
MITR |
WITR |
Total |
| Bethany Lutheran College |
4 |
5 |
- |
5 |
5 |
3.5 |
7 |
7 |
4.5 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
54 |
| College of St. Scholastica |
9 |
8 |
5 |
9 |
8.5 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
4.5 |
6 |
6 |
79 |
| Crown College |
1 |
1 |
2.5 |
2 |
1 |
1.5 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
27 |
| Martin Luther College |
7 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
4.5 |
- |
- |
35.5 |
| North Central University |
2 |
- |
- |
6 |
2 |
3.5 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
- |
- |
26.5 |
| Northland College |
3 |
2 |
- |
1 |
6 |
1.5 |
1 |
- |
3 |
3 |
- |
- |
20.5 |
| University of Minnesota Morris |
5 |
7 |
2.5 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
67.5 |
| University of Northwestern |
6 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
8.5 |
9 |
8 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
65.5 |
| University of Wisconsin-Superior |
8 |
6 |
- |
8 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
4.5 |
9 |
5 |
4 |
68.5 |