St. Scholastica claims seventh-straight UMAC Kruse All-Sport Trophy
ST. PAUL, Minn.---With the close of the 2015-16 year in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), the College of St. Scholastica claimed its seventh-straight Jerome Kruse All-Sport Trophy with 123 points in the final standings after winning four of the six spring regular-season championships, announced Thursday.
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The Saints won four of the remaining six spring titles including baseball and softball as well as men's and women's tennis to finish with a 24-point lead over runner up University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Baseball clinched its 20th-straight regular season title and softball won its eighth-consecutive crown with both wins coming on the last day of the regular season. The Saints' men's and women's tennis teams both defeated the Northwestern on the final weekend of competition. On the year, the Saints captured at least a share of 12 UMAC title of a possible 18 for the institution's 12 overall Kruse honor.
Northwestern jumped ahead of the University of Wisconsin-Superior to finish second with 99 points. The Eagles' baseball team narrowly missed a shot at a share of the baseball title after taking a game from St. Scholastica in the regular season. The softball team also placed second to boost the Eagles ahead of the Yellowjackets by just two points. Northwestern finished the year with a regular-season title in volleyball and a co-championship in women's soccer.
In its first year in the UMAC, Wisconsin-Superior claimed three conference titles – including the men's outdoor track and field championship this spring – to place third in the standings with 97 points. The spring also yielded three third-place finishes for the Yellowjackets in baseball, softball and women's outdoor track and field. In addition to outdoor men's track and field, the Yellowjackets claimed wins in women's basketball and women's golf.
Just 3.5 points separated second through fourth in the standings with the University of Minnesota Morris taking the fourth spot with 95.5 points. The Cougars earned a championship title in women's outdoor track and field – the first since 2004 – to conclude a solid spring. The men's program finished third, while baseball and softball placed fourth and fifth, respectively, to qualify for the postseason.
Bethany Lutheran College solidly earned fifth with 76 points for a 20.5-point lead over Martin Luther College in sixth with 55.5 points. The Vikings and Knights both qualified for the postseason in men's and women's tennis to boost their totals in the spring season.
Crown College placed seventh with 40 points after qualifying for the softball playoffs for the second-consecutive year finishing fourth. The Storm also won a UMAC title in men's golf to give the school its best finish in the history of the award. North Central University was eighth with 34 points while Northland College rounded out the standings with 28 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.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. St. Scholastica - 123
2. Northwestern - 99
3. Wisconsin-Superior - 97
4. Minnesota-Morris - 95.5
5. Bethany Lutheran - 76
6. Martin Luther - 55.5
7. Crown - 40
8. North Central - 34
9. Northland - 28
KRUSE AWARD (2015-2016)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| School |
MCC |
WCC |
FB |
MSC |
WSC |
VB |
MGF |
WGF |
MBB |
WBB |
MITR |
WITR |
BSB |
SB |
MTN |
WTN |
MOTF |
WOTF |
Total |
| Bethany Lutheran |
4 |
5 |
- |
5 |
5 |
3.5 |
7 |
7 |
4.5 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
2.5 |
3.5 |
5 |
76 |
| Crown |
1 |
1 |
2.5 |
2 |
1 |
1.5 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
- |
- |
2 |
2 |
40 |
| Martin Luther |
7 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
4.5 |
- |
- |
2 |
4 |
2.5 |
4 |
3.5 |
4 |
55.5 |
| Minnesota Morris |
5 |
7 |
2.5 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
5.5 |
5 |
1 |
2.5 |
6 |
8 |
95.5 |
| North Central |
2 |
- |
- |
6 |
2 |
3.5 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
2.5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
34 |
| Northland |
3 |
2 |
- |
1 |
6 |
1.5 |
1 |
- |
3 |
3 |
- |
- |
5.5 |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
28 |
| Northwestern |
6 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
8.5 |
9 |
8 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
7.5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
99 |
| St. Scholastica |
9 |
8 |
5 |
9 |
8.5 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
9 |
4.5 |
6 |
6 |
9 |
9 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
123 |
| Wisconsin-Superior |
8 |
6 |
- |
8 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
4.5 |
9 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
7.5 |
- |
- |
8 |
6 |
97 |