Gauchos Continue to Lead Big West Commissioner's Cup Race :: UC Santa Barbara's Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and second place finish in women's basketball has helped the Gauchos maintain the lead.

UC Santa Barbara's Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and second place finish in women's basketball has helped the Gauchos maintain the lead.

March 23, 2007

IRVINE, Calif. - After taking an early lead in the 2006-07 Big West Commissioner's Cup race during the fall, UC Santa Barbara continued to hold onto the top spot after the winter sports season. The Gauchos tallied at least 100 points in each of the four winter sports and won the Women's Swimming and Diving Championship to bring home 140 points. The Gauchos 135.6 point average is through nine of the 17 conference sponsored sports.

UC Santa Barbara also finished in second place in men's swimming and diving and women's basketball and finished in a tie for second in men's basketball.

Last year's Commissioner's Cup champion, Long Beach State, rests in second place in the standings with a 126.7-point average. The 49ers won the men's basketball regular season title and the tournament title. The 49ers only compete in two winter sports and tallied 240 points between men's basketball and women's basketball.

Following Long Beach State in the standings and in third place is Cal Poly. The Mustangs finished in a second-place tie in the men's basketball standings and a third-place tie in the women's basketball standings to lead them to a 290-point tally over the winter.

UC Irvine (85.6 point average) rests in fourth place followed by Cal State Fullerton (77.1), UC Riverside (61.4), Cal State Northridge (58.9), and Pacific (48.6). UC Riverside is the only school that moved up in the standings during the winter, moving from seventh place to sixth place. UC Riverside's women's basketball title bolstered the Highlanders total points. UC Irvine's men's swimming victory enabled the Anteaters to keep their hold on fourth place.

The Big West Commissioner's Cup is presented at the end of the spring season to the institution with the top overall point average tallied from Big West Conference Championships. To determine the champion for the Commissioner's Cup, total points are summed and divided by the number of championships in which each institution competes. Each sport champion is also given a 20-point bonus.

The Big West Conference Commissioner's Cup was started during the 1998-99 season. Pacific claimed the first two Big West Commissioner's Cups. UC Santa Barbara has won the most Commissioner's Cups, tallying five. Long Beach State ended UC Santa Barbara's string last year and won its first Commissioner's Cup.

*Release courtesy of the Big West Conference.