SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota State earned its fifth straight Summit League Commissioner’s Cup and set a new league record with its 10
th overall. The Jackrabbits claimed the top spot by earning 94 total points between their men’s and women’s programs and also swept the Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award and Dr. William Steinbrecher Men’s All-Sports Award.
Under the direction of athletics director Justin Sell, SDSU won regular season titles in women’s basketball and volleyball and a championship title in women’s cross country. The Jackrabbit men became the first program since 2006-07 to capture cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field championships in the same season.
The Jackrabbits’ men's cross country title extended their league record run to nine consecutive titles. The Jacks also won the cup in 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. SDSU was also the last Summit League member to sweep all three awards in the same season when the department accomplished that feat in 2014-15.
North Dakota State finished second in all three awards this season, while South Dakota took third. The Bison secured 87 overall points, while the Coyotes produced 78 across all sports.
SDSU claimed the Steinbrecher Award for the 10th time in the last 13 years, finishing with 38 points, while the Bison were second with 35 points and the Coyotes were third with 31 points. The Jackrabbit men secured seven key points with a third-place finish in men’s basketball.
The Jackrabbits topped the Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award standings for the first time since 2020-21 and sixth time overall, finishing with 56 points, which was just four points ahead of the Bison, who claimed a regular season title in women’s soccer and won the indoor and outdoor track and field championships. The Coyotes were third in the women’s all-sport standings with 47 points.
Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton presented the trophies to South Dakota State at the League’s annual Joint Council meetings held in Omaha this year prior to the 2025 Summit League Baseball Championship.
St. Thomas finished fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup standings for the second straight year, claiming 67.5 points after the Tommies’ baseball and softball programs claimed shares of regular season titles in those sports.
Omaha, who won its first men’s basketball regular season title, was fifth with 58.5 points. The Mavericks’ softball team also earned a share of its first regular season title in 2025.
For the third consecutive year, Denver won a league-best six combined titles in the 11 Summit League sports the department sponsors. The Pioneers, who corralled 55.5 points, won regular season titles in men's soccer, and men’s and women's tennis, while also capturing championship titles in men’s and women’s swimming and diving and women’s golf.
The DU men’s soccer team advanced further than any other Summit League squad in NCAA postseason play, earning a trip to the 2024 College Cup for the second time in program history.
Oral Roberts took seventh with 54.5 points after the Golden Eagles shared a regular season title in baseball – the 21
st in program history – and won the men’s golf championship for the first time since 2010.
North Dakota (52 points) and Kansas City (32 points) rounded out the Commissioner’s Cup standings. The Fighting Hawks posted their best indoor track and field finish, taking third in Brookings, while the Roos finished runner-up in men’s soccer and made a run to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Cup is given annually to the member institution that collects the most combined points in relationship to its placement in the regular season standings for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, softball and baseball and its championship placement in men’s and women’s cross country, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and golf.
The All-Sports Awards are given to the institutions that accumulate the most points in men's sports and women's sports. The men's award is named for former Valparaiso Director of Athletics Dr. William Steinbrecher, who guided the Crusaders from 1979-2004, while the women's award is named for former Western Illinois Director of Athletics Dr. Helen Smiley, who headed WIU's athletic program from 1994-2001.
Standings for the 2024-25 Commissioner's Cup and the Dr. William Steinbrecher Men's All-Sports and Dr. Helen Smiley Women's All-Sports Awards are listed below. The breakdown of each institution's points and finishes within each sport can be found on the Commissioner's Cup
webpage.
2024-25 FINAL STANDINGS
Commissioner’s Cup
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
94 |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
87 |
| 3. |
South Dakota |
78 |
| 4. |
St. Thomas |
67.5 |
| 5. |
Omaha |
58.5 |
| 6. |
Denver |
55.5 |
| 7. |
Oral Roberts |
54.5 |
| 8. |
North Dakota |
52 |
| 9. |
Kansas City |
32 |
Dr. William Steinbrecher Men's All-Sports Award
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
38 |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
35 |
| 3. |
South Dakota |
31 |
| 4. |
Oral Roberts |
24.5 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
24 |
| 6. |
Denver |
22.5 |
| 7. |
Omaha |
21 |
| 8. |
North Dakota |
19 |
| 9. |
Kansas City |
14 |
Dr. Helen Smiley Women’s All-Sports Award
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
South Dakota State |
56 |
| 2. |
North Dakota State |
52 |
| 3. |
South Dakota |
47 |
| 4. |
St. Thomas |
43.5 |
| 5. |
Omaha |
37.5 |
| T6. |
Denver |
33 |
| T6. |
North Dakota |
33 |
| 8. |
Oral Roberts |
30 |
| 9. |
Kansas City |
18 |
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