Albany State University men’s programs win SIAC Commissioner’s Cup

ATLANTA — On Wednesday, both Benedict College and Albany State University were named winners of the 2016-17 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Commissioner’s Cup. Benedict won for women’s sports for the third consecutive year, alongside Albany State, who claimed the title for men’s sports.

The SIAC Commissioner’s Cup is presented to the athletic department within the conference that has excelled in both men’s and women’s sports. The scoring system is 10 points for conference titles, seven points for runner-up championship titles, and four points for third-place championship titles.

In the men’s standings, Albany State finished with a total of 27 points. The Golden Rams won two championships during the 2016-17 season — its first-ever golf title, along with track and field. Albany State was also the 2016 runner-up for cross country.

Morehouse and Benedict tied for second with 21 points, ahead of Miles who finished with 17 points. Morehouse earned the championship title in cross country, marking its 21st conference title in 23 years. The Maroon Tigers were second in tennis and third in track and field.

Benedict repeated as the conference champions in tennis. The Tigers were also the runner-up in track and field, and finished third in cross country. Miles won the championship title in baseball and finished second in golf.

ASU Athletic Director Sherrie Gordon said that award came as a surprise to her and is a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by the various coaching staffs.

“I actually found out yesterday in our director of athletics meetings with the SIAC conference and it was a pleasant surprise,” she said. “I think all credit is due to our coaches, we have great head coaches.

“In our sports, specifically cross country, track and field, men’s golf and baseball and football had great seasons and I think that’s a testament to the experience and commitment of our coaching staff and the talent of our student athletes. As a leader, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role and to help them build better and stronger programs.”

In the women’s standings, Benedict led with a total of 41 points. The Tigers picked up three championship titles this year in basketball, tennis, and track and field. Benedict also finished second in cross country and was third in volleyball.

Albany State and Claflin tied for second with 21 points. The Golden Rams finished the season with a cross country championship title, while finishing second in track and field, and third in softball. The Panthers finished with a championship title in softball and runner-up title in volleyball.

With the first year of the new Albany State in the books, Gordon said merger only strengthened ASU athletics and she believes the future is bright for the program as a whole.

“I think the future is bright,” she said. “I’ve said before, what we’ve done is consolidated two unique institutions, but two institutions that have been successful on the field of competition and so what this is is that these students strengthened both programs and together we’re even stronger and even better.”