General The Pacific West Conference - Russ Blunck
Three championship banners in the spring vaults Azusa Pacific past Point Loma for fourth Cup win.
IRVINE, California – Three spring titles and two second place finishes was just enough for Azusa Pacific to slip past Point Loma down the final stretch to capture the 2023-24 Bob Hogue Commissioner's Cup trophy.
It was the fourth straight cup for the Cougars, dating back to their first in 2018-19 (there wasn't a crown awarded in the COVIDyears of 2020 or 2021). Azusa Pacific had finished second five consecutive times prior to that first Cup. Point Loma, who led in the Cup standings through the Fall and Winter, is the runner-up for the third time in the last four years.
The Cougars finished with 12.54 points to Point Loma's 11.59. That was the closest finish between the top two programs since California Baptist edged Azusa Pacific in 2017-18 by the final tally of 12.61 to 11.96. The closest finish in the history of the Bob Hogue Commissioner's Cub was in 2013-14 when the Lancers clipped the Cougars by mere percentage points, 12.50 to 12.45.
After the Cougars and Sea Lions, the third and fourth place programs from a year ago are the same, with Concordia finishing third (10.50) and Biola fourth (10.25). Both the Golden Eagles and Eagles had higher point totals than in 2022-23 when they had 10.08 and 9.93 points respectively.
The Bob Hogue Commissioner's Cup scoring system awards points to schools based on their finishes in conference-sponsored sports. Point totals vary from sport to sport and are based upon the number of schools competing. Regular-season standings are used for baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball, while the results of the conference championships in the sports of cross country, golf and tennis are factored in. When teams are tied in the standings, the points awarded to those positions are added together then distributed evenly among the schools.
In 2023-24, the name was changed from PacWest Commissioner's Cup to the Bob Hogue Commissioner's Cup in honor of the retiring commisioner who led the conference for 16 years.
Azusa Pacific (12.58) won spring championships in men's track and field, women's track and field and men's tennis. They finished second to secure valuable points in softball and women's tennis. Earlier this year, they won the women's basketball crown and the men's cross country banner.
Point Loma (11.73) got off to a rapid start, winning fall season titles in volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer. The Sea Lions shared the men's basketball crown with Academy of Art and finished second in women's basketball. In the spring, they won the baseball trophy for the third straight season and finished third in women's tennis.
Concordia (10.50) won its third straight title in softball and was solid in the other spring sports with third place finishes in baseball (tied) and men's track and field (tied), and they were second in women's track and field. Earlier in the year, the Golden Eagles were second in women's soccer and women's cross country. It was CUI's fifth third place finish in the last six years.
Biola (10.25) won the women's golf championship this spring, after winning the women's cross country title and finishing second in men's cross country last fall. The Eagles were third in men's tennis and tied for third in men's track and field.
Hawai'i Hilo (8.54) made a big jump from seventh place in 2022-23 to fifth place in 2023-24. In the spring, the Vulcans won their second straight men's golf title and they finished third in softball and women's golf. In the fall, both soccer programs picked up third place points.
Academy of Art (7.42) made the biggest leap of any program, vaulting from ninth place in 2022-23 to sixth this year. The Urban Knights won titles this year in women's tennis and shared men's basketball. ART U was second in women's golf and third in men's golf and men's track and field.
Fresno Pacific (6.88) finished seventh bolstered by second place finishes in women's basketball and men's track and field. The Sunbirds just edged HPU (6.85), who finished second in men's tennis and men's golf, and the Sharks were third in men's basketball and baseball.
First-year member Westmont (5.50) finished second in men's soccer and baseball, just clipping Dominican (5.38) who was third in women's basketball and fourth in men's soccer. Chaminade (4.32) was next after having finished second in volleyball.
APU's four Cup victories ranks them second all-time in the standings, which began in 2007-08. California Baptist with six Cup's remains the all-time leader.
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