May 29, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara has won the Big West Conference Commissioner's Cup for the second straight year and seventh time in the history of the cup. The Gauchos won seven conference championships and finished second in two other sports during the 2007-08 campaign. They averaged 127.9 points to defeat Long Beach State by a 7.9-point average in the final standings.

The Cup is presented to the institution with the best overall results in the conference's 17 sponsored sports championships. It is the tenth year the Cup has been awarded.

UCSB started the fall sports season with championships in women's cross country and men's soccer. But it was the winter sports season that saw the Gauchos truly dominate; winning three of the four titles outright (women's basketball, men's swimming and women's swimming) while sharing the crown in men's basketball. UCSB won its seventh title of 2007-08 in the sport of men's tennis during the spring season.

"I am very proud of our coaches and student-athletes," said Athletics Director Gary Cunningham. "As was the case with all of the other Commissioner's Cups, this one is a testament to their ability, hard work, and pride in UC Santa Barbara."

Long Beach State, which won the Commissioner's Cup in 2005-06, won five championships this past season. The 49ers started the year steady with a title in women's soccer and second place finish in women's volleyball. When the spring season hit, the 49ers were unstoppable, winning three titles outright (women's tennis, men's track and field, softball) and sharing a fourth in baseball.

UCSB and LBSU have finished one-two in the Cup standings in each of the last seven seasons.

UC Irvine and Cal Poly swapped spots from a year ago, finishing in third and fourth place, respectively. Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge remained in their places from a year ago, finishing in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

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 Commissioner's Cup is then awarded to the school with the highest average.