ALL-SPORTS WINNERS
Hampton University won its eighth consecutive
Mary McLeod Bethune Women's All Sports
Award and Norfolk State captured its
fifth consecutive and sixth overall Talmadge Layman Hill Men's
Award, the Mid Eastern Athletic
Conference announced last week. Hampton
totaled 77 points of the possible 96 points, while NSU tallied 63.5 out of 84.
Each institution received a $25,000 check that was presented at a banquet at the MEAC Spring Delegate Assembly and Committee Meetings.
Hampton has won ten overall All-Sports trophies since joining the MEAC in 1996 (three men's awards, including back-to-back victories in 2003 and 2004, and six women's awards). Norfolk State won its first men's trophy in 2001.
Hampton won women's conference championship titles in indoor and outdoor track and field. The Lady Pirates also earned the regular season tennis title.
For the second year in a row Maryland E. Shore finished second on the women's side falling a half-point shy of the Pirates (76.5). Norfolk State followed closely with 66 points while Howard finished with 63.5 total points. North Carolina A&T was fifth (60.5) and Delaware State was sixth (57.5).
On the men's side, Norfolk State won all three tracks including cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Delaware State finished at the number two spot for the second consecutive season with 50 total points. Hampton finished third (49.5), followed by Bethune-Cookman and Morgan State, both tied for fourth with 48 total points.
Points are awarded in a descending order beginning with 12 points for championship or first-place finishes. The second place teams get 10 points. Tied teams split the total points.
The Mary McLeod Bethune Award, named after the founder of Bethune-Cookman College, awards the top overall women's athletic program. The first Mary McLeod Bethune Award was given in 1987 to Delaware State University. Florida A&M leads all MEAC schools with nine Women's Awards from 1993-2000. The men's All-Sports Award is named after the late Talmadge Layman Hill, a former player and coach at Morgan State, and former Chairman of the MEAC Steering and Planning Committee, as well as the league's first president. Howard University was the recipient of the first Talmadge Layman Hill Award in 1972. South Carolina State holds the men's record with 11 awards from 1973-1984.
The men of Morehouse College and the women of
Albany State have captured the SIAC All-Sports Awards for the 2008-09 seasons.
The award is Morehouse's second consecutive SIAC Commissioner's All-Sports Award and third in the last five years. Albany State claims its sixth consecutive women's award.
On the men's side, Morehouse just pulled away from Benedict to finish in first with 44 points. Morehouse took home conference titles in golf, tennis and track & field and was second in cross country and football, en route to its championship.
Benedict finished in second place with 29 points after finishing first in cross country, second in golf, and third in baseball, tennis and track & field. Albany State finished in third place with 18 points largely by their second place finishes in baseball and track & field. Fort Valley State (11), Stillman (10), Tuskegee (10), LeMoyne-Owen (10), Lane (7), Paine (4), and Kentucky State (4) rounded out the scoring.
On the women's side, Albany State tallied 37 points after winning conference titles in cross country, volleyball and track & field. They also finished second in softball. Since the restart of the Commissioner's Cup in 2003-04, Albany State has won six consecutive awards.
Fort Valley State made a strong push for the title but finished second in the conference competition compiling 32 points. Fort Valley State finished first in basketball and second in tennis and track & field, they also finished in third in cross country.
Clark Atlanta rapped up a second consecutive finish in third place compiling 18 points after a second place finish in cross country and basketball, and a third place finish in volleyball. Miles (10 points), Tuskegee (10 points), Benedict (8 points), and Kentucky State (7 points) rounded out the scoring. A scoring system of 10 points for first place, 7 points for second place and 4 points for third place is used to determine the All-Sports Standings for the SIAC 12-member institutions.
Morehouse and Albany State received their awards at the SIAC General Assembly meetings held in Atlanta, GA May 20-22. Commissioner, Gregory Moore, Esq., presented the Athletic Department of each school the award. The prestigious Commissioner's All Sports Trophy is presented to the men's and women's athletic department who have excelled athletically within the conference by winning or placing the most conference titles throughout the year.
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