Shippensburg Wins PSAC-Best
Sixth Dixon Trophy
From left, Mark Maciejewski, assistant football coach; Jeff Michaels, acting director of athletics; Tim Verge, acting assistant director of athletics; President Bill Ruud; Steve Spence, men's and women's cross country head coach; Dr. Roger L. Serr, vice president for student affairs; Dave Springer, men's basketball coach; Bill Morgal, interim sports information director; Carrie Michaels, acting associate director of athletics/SWA; Anna Kinard, swimmer and president of Shippensburg University SAAC; Rocky Rees, head football coach; and Dave Osanitsch, men's and women's track and field head coach. Shippensburg University
has earned a record sixth Dixon Trophy, the annual award that honors the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's most successful athletic
program, and set a record for most points in the process.
The award, announced Tuesday morning, is the university's first since
the 2004-05 academic year. Shippensburg totaled 161.5 points to edge
California University of Pennsylvania by two points. Kutztown (152.5),
Bloomsburg (148.5) and West Chester (146) rounded out the top five.
"This award is a fitting end to an outstanding year for Shippensburg,
both athletically and academically," said Shippensburg President Bill
Ruud. "Our student-athletes excelled on the playing fields and in the
classroom. We're proud that Ship has the highest graduation rate in the
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and we're proud that our
teams were able to earn our sixth Dixon trophy with outstanding
performances by our many successful teams."
The F. Eugene Dixon Trophy is awarded by the conference to the member
institution whose athletic program earns the best overall finish between
conference championships and regular-season play. During the course of
the academic year, points are awarded based on an institution's finish
in the 22 conference sports. Only a school's best 12 finishes, six men's
and six women's, are used in the final calculation. The Dixon Trophy is
named in honor of F. Eugene Dixon Jr., former chair of the PASSHE Board
of Governors. The first Dixon Trophy was awarded following the 1995-96
academic year.
"Winning the Dixon Trophy is a great accomplishment for our university
and the Shippensburg University athletics department," said Jeff
Michaels, acting director of athletics. "I truly appreciate all of the
efforts made by everyone associated with our athletics program to reach
the kinds of success we've achieved over the past year."
The award was clinched Saturday when both the men's and women's outdoor
track and field teams won PSAC championships. It is just the third time
that SU won outdoor PSAC titles on the men's and women's side in the
same year, and the first since 1993. The men's and women's cross
country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field programs
accounted for 91 of Shippensburg's 161.5 Dixon points this year.
Additionally, the Lady Raider program became the first in PSAC history
to achieve a Triple Crown by winning the cross country, indoor track and
field, and outdoor track and field championships in the same calendar
year since the PSAC began sponsoring an indoor championship in 2002. In
1998, Shippensburg won PSAC titles in cross country and outdoor track
and field along with the ECAC indoor championship under the direction of
Galen Piper.
Shippensburg finished this year with five PSAC championships, including
the football title, its first since 1981. Overall, SU posted the
second-highest point total of the 16 conference institutions for men's
and women's sports. Only California (92 points) had more than the 88
points compiled by the women's programs (field hockey, swimming and
volleyball also contributed points) while IUP (76) was the only school
with more than 73.5 points among men's programs (swimming and basketball
also contributed points).
The Raiders' six Dixon awards is a record followed by Lock Haven (three)
and Bloomsburg (two) as the only other multiple winners. Seven schools
overall have achieved the award. The 2009-10 athletic calendar marked
the second year in which the PSAC has had 16 member institutions.
"I am most proud of my 15 member colleague presidents and their
universities and my 16th associate member colleague and their university
for being in the PSAC," Ruud said. "It is absolutely a pleasure to be
in this conference where we collaboratively compete and we know the true
meaning of a student-athlete."
1. SHIPPENSBURG 161.5 POINTS
Men's Sports:
Football (16)
Outdoor Track and Field (16)
Cross Country (14)
Indoor Track and Field (13)
Swimming (10)
Basketball (4.5)
Women's Sports:
Cross Country (16)
Indoor Track and Field (16)
Outdoor Track and Field (16)
Field Hockey (14)
Swimming (13)
Volleyball (13)
For more information, go to www.shipraiders.com.