Saints maintain slight lead in Kruse Award standings after winter season
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The College of St. Scholastica collected one more regular-season Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championships this winter to hold on to a small lead over the University of Wisconsin-Superior in pursuit of a 10th-consecutive Jerome Kruse All-Sport Trophy. The Saints top the standings after two seasons with 78 points, while the Yellowjackets are back less than five with 73.5 points, it was announced Friday.
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UMAC Jerome Kruse Award Website |
Fall Update |
The Saints' lead may have narrowed slightly, but not by much as they held just a five-point advantage over the Yellowjackets following the completion of the fall season. Their lead is now 4.5 points. Wisconsin-Superior topped the winter season in conference titles winning a fourth-consecutive championship in women's basketball and third-in-a-row for men's indoor track and field.
However, the Saints remain in first thanks to a 10th-straight women's indoor track and field championship victory, a runner-up finish in men's track and field and a third-place performance in men's basketball. Wisconsin-Superior kept within striking distance by adding a second-place finish in women's track and field.
The University of Minnesota Morris held on to third place with 59 points but is just slightly ahead of the University of Northwestern with 57 points. The Cougars collected top-three placings in women's basketball and both men's and women's indoor track and field. Northwestern regained a conference title in men's basketball and tallied fourth-place finishes in the three other winter sports.
Bethany Lutheran College added 20 points this winter and jumped ahead of Martin Luther College. The Vikings are less than 10 back of Northwestern with 47.5 points after second-place finishes by both men's and women's basketball in the regular season. The Knights will look to move out of their sixth-place positioning (38.5) as they are nine back of the Vikings.
Northland College sits seventh (29.5) and two points up on Crown College (27.5). North Central University rounds out the standings with 18.5 points.
Since the award's inception in 1996-97, St. Scholastica has won the Kruse Award a UMAC-best 14 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 (2018-2019 - through winter sports)
1. St. Scholastica - 78 points
2. Wisconsin-Superior - 73.5 points
3. Minnesota Morris - 59 points
4. Northwestern - 57 points
5. Bethany Lutheran - 47.5 points
6. Martin Luther - 38.5 points
7. Northland - 29.5 points
8. Crown - 27.5 points
9. North Central - 18.5 points
KRUSE AWARD POINTS (2018-2019)
UMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
| School |
MCC |
WCC |
FB |
MSC |
WSC |
VB |
MGF |
WGF |
MBB |
WBB |
MITF |
WITF |
Total |
| Bethany Lutheran College |
5 |
3 |
- |
3 |
4.5 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
8 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
47.5 |
| College of St. Scholastica |
8 |
8 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
78 |
| Crown College |
1 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
1.5 |
2 |
3 |
- |
6 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
27.5 |
| Martin Luther College |
6 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
- |
2.5 |
2 |
- |
- |
38.5 |
| North Central University |
3 |
- |
- |
4 |
1.5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
- |
- |
18.5 |
| Northland College |
2 |
1 |
- |
1 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
4.5 |
2 |
- |
- |
29.5 |
| University of Minnesota Morris |
7 |
7 |
2 |
6 |
4.5 |
7 |
1 |
5 |
4.5 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
59 |
| University of Northwestern |
4 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
- |
9 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
57 |
| University of Wisconsin-Superior |
9 |
6 |
- |
9 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
4 |
2.5 |
9 |
6 |
5 |
73.5 |