Montgomery, Ala.- the William Carey Athletic Department was awarded the Commissioner's Cup, presented by Zest Culinary Services, for the 9^th straight year during SSAC meetings this week. Each year, the award is presented to the top scoring athletic department in the Southern States Athletic Conference by Commissioner Mike Hall.
 
Not only did Carey win the overall award, but also won the women's commissioner's cup, as well. Dalton State University won the men's cup, barely edging out William Carey from completing a clean sweep. The Crusaders claimed SSAC championships in men's cross country, women's soccer, women's indoor track & field, women's basketball, women's golf, women's outdoor track & field, men's and women's tennis, and baseball.
 
"It's awesome to win the SSAC Commissioner's Cup. I believe it's the 9^th straight year for WCU to win the conference's top honor," says Athletic Director Tracy English. "I'm really proud of the coaches' commitment to their teams and our program," he added.
 
In the overall category, William Carey totaled 97.78 points easily defeating the next closest challenger, Dalton State, who had 83.94 total points. In the women's category, the Crusaders ran off and left the rest of the league totaling 97.22 points. The closest anyone else got to Carey was Loyola University with 74.01 points. Dalton State edged Carey in the men's division 98.06 to 91.19.
 
The SSAC Commissioner's Cup is given annually to the member institution with the most successful all-around sports program for the year. Points are awarded based on how a team finishes in the regular season (M&W Soccer, Volleyball, M&W Basketball, M&W Tennis, Baseball and Softball) or the conference championship (M&W Cross Country, Competitive Cheer, M&W Indoor Track & Field, M&W Swimming, M&W Outdoor T&F and M&W Golf). There are bonus points for winning conference tournaments in sports that also crown a regular season champion and for sponsoring sports above the minimum of six. Percentages are calculated based on the potential points earned by each institution in the sports it sponsors.