Hanover College Athletics wins first HCAC Commissioner's Cup

Men win All-Sports title and women second

After securing top two finishes in the men's and women's all-sports standings, the Hanover College Athletic Department has been announced as the winner of the 2018-19 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Cup.

Hanover, with 155.67 points, is winning its first-ever HCAC Commissioner's Cup and last won a combined sports overall trophy nearly two decades ago. The men won their second all-sports trophy this year with 77.5 points, while the women tallied 78.17 points to place in second-place and just 0.16 points out of first. All three scoring totals are new highs for the College's athletic department.

As a department, the Panthers have enjoyed arguably one of the greatest seasons in school history. The Blue and Red have combined for eight HCAC regular season and tournament championships in 2018-19, while also accumulating 17 of a possible 22 top-three sport finishes for the Commissioner's Cup standings. Hanover had three fourth-place performances as well, placing 20 of 22 teams inside the top half of their respective season standings.

Men's basketball and women's tennis each won regular season and tournament titles in the HCAC, while both soccer programs, football, and women's track & field also added conference championships as well.

The Panthers finished with a double-digit advantage in the final standings, as Rose-Hulman and Transylvania rounded out the top three with 143.83 and 137.17 points, respectively.

The HCAC sponsors 11 sports on both the men's and women's sides to combine for 22 sports for the Commissioner's Cup. The conference sponsors basketball, cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track & field, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, and tennis for both genders, while also having baseball and football on the men's side, and softball and volleyball for the women. For sports that crown both regular season and tournament champions, the final regular season standings are how the points are divvied out. Points are also allocated during meet championships for the three running events, golf and swimming.

Since the Commissioner's Cup inception in 2005-06, Hanover has 11 top-five finishes. The Panthers have now placed inside the top three each of the past seven years.