ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets won the 2024-25 Kruse Award following the conclusion of the collegiate athletics year this spring. This is the fourth consecutive Kruse Award won by the Yellowjackets and the fourth in UW-Superior history.
 
The award, named in honor of long-time Northwestern College (Wis.) and Martin Luther College athletic director Jerome Kruse, travels to the college with the most points accumulated by the place finishes of the college's athletic teams in the final standings of 18 conference sponsored sports.
 
The Yellowjackets finished the year atop the Kruse Award standings with 105 points after earning conference titles in three of the six UMAC spring championships: men’s tennis, women’s tennis, and softball. UWS was also the runner-up for both men’s and women’s track & field. UW-Superior finished the year having won nine of the 18 UMAC regular season championships.
 
The University of Northwestern Eagles finished as the Kruse Award runner-up with 88.5 points. In the spring, UNW finished as the runner-up in both men’s and women’s tennis. The Eagles also finished in third place for baseball and softball. Northwestern finished 2024-25 with three UMAC regular season championships: football, volleyball, and women’s golf.
 
The Crown College Polars finished third in the standings with 74 points. Crown’s spring was highlighted by a championship in women’s outdoor track & field. The Polars were also the runner-up in baseball and took third in men’s outdoor track & field. Crown ended the year with two championships, having also won the women’s indoor track & field championship in the winter.
 
The Martin Luther College Knights finished fourth on the year with 64.5 points in the standings. This past spring, MLC won the men’s outdoor track & field championship for the first time in their program’s history. The Knights also placed third in both men's and women’s tennis and women’s outdoor track & field.
 
The Bethany Lutheran College Vikings finished fifth in the Kruse Award standings with 62.5 points. BLC won both baseball and softball championships this spring.
 
The University of Minnesota Morris Cougars finished sixth in the standings with 58.5 points. The Cougars placed fourth in baseball, softball, and women’s tennis this spring. Minnesota Morris won a championship in the winter for men's basketball.
 
The North Central University Rams and Northland College Lumberjacks/Lumberjills round out the Kruse Award final standings. NCU finished with 45.5 points to place seventh and won championships in men's golf and men's basketball. Northland finished in eighth with 8.5 points.
       

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The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Watch UMAC games on the UMAC Sports Network: available on the web, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a TV app for Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku.