St. Scholastica remains in lead for Kruse All-Sports Award
ST. PAUL, Minn.---With two sports seasons in the books, it looks as if the College of St. Scholastica may win its eighth-consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Jerome Kruse All-Sport Trophy award as it holds a 9.5-point lead following winter championships, the conference office announced Thursday.
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UMAC Jerome Kruse Award Website |
St. Scholastica led after the fall season with 58 points, but pushed their lead even further with 80.5 points heading into the spring. The Saints won the UMAC Women's Indoor Track and Field title and collected two other top three finishes in four sports to add to their hold on the top spot.
The Saints remain the lone team to ever women the women's indoor track meet which helped the institution hold a lead over the University of Northwestern in second place with 71 points in the Kruse standings. A second-place finish in men's basketball and third-place showing in men's track and field also added to the Saints' lead.
The Eagles keep the Saints within striking distance, though, after adding significant gains in basketball. On the men's side, the Eagles reclaimed their reign atop the conference with an outright title in the regular season, while the Eagles' women's team placed third to add significant points to their total.
The University of Minnesota Morris pulled within three points of Northwestern thanks to second-place finishes in women's basketball and men's indoor track and field. The Cougars also made the postseason in men's basketball and were third in women's indoor to move to 68 points in the standings.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior also closed the gap to just 2.5 points from Minnesota Morris remaining in fourth place with 65.5 points. The Yellowjackets' jump is due to winning two conference titles in men's indoor track and field and women's basketball.
Bethany Lutheran College jumped up a spot to fifth place with 48.5 points after its men's basketball team placed second and women's track and field made a significnat jump to third place. Martin Luther College is one place behind the Vikings with 38 points in sixth, while Northland College follows immediately behind in seventh with 35 points.
Crown College is eighth with 26.5 points, while North Central University rounds out the standings with 19 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 winter sports)
1. St. Scholastica - 80.5 points
2. Northwestern - 71 points
3. Minnesota Morris - 68 points
4. Wisconsin-Superior - 65.5 points
5. Bethany Lutheran - 48.5 points
6. Martin Luther - 38 points
7. Northland - 35points
8. Crown - 26.5 points
9. North Central - 19 points
KRUSE AWARD POINTS (2016-2017)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| School |
MCC |
WCC |
FB |
MSC |
WSC |
VB |
MGF |
WGF |
MBB |
WBB |
MITF |
WITF |
Total |
| Bethany Lutheran College |
3 |
7 |
- |
1 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
7.5 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
48.5 |
| College of St. Scholastica |
6 |
9 |
4 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
7.5 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
80.5 |
| Crown College |
1 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
1.5 |
1 |
5 |
- |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
26.5 |
| Martin Luther College |
8 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
- |
- |
38 |
| North Central University |
2 |
1 |
- |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
- |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
19 |
| Northland College |
4 |
2 |
- |
2 |
9 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
- |
- |
35 |
| University of Minnesota Morris |
7 |
8 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
68 |
| University of Northwestern |
5 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
9 |
9 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
2 |
71 |
| University of Wisconsin-Superior |
9 |
6 |
- |
8 |
1.5 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
5 |
65.5 |