LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (May 18) – After winning its first-ever Dixon Trophy last year, California University of Pennsylvania nearly claimed the trophy for a consecutive season after winning three spring championships before finishing in second place in the 2009-10 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Dixon Trophy standings, where were released by the league office on Tuesday.
The Vulcans finished second in the team standings with 159.5 points after winning four conference titles, including three during the spring season. Shippensburg earned the Dixon Trophy for a conference-record sixth time after totaling a Dixon Trophy-record 161.5 points, breaking the previous mark set by Cal U last year (160.0).
Following Shippensburg and Cal U in the Dixon Trophy standings was Kutztown in third place with 152.5 points, while Bloomsburg (148.5) and West Chester (146.0) rounded out the top five.
The Vulcans totaled 73 of their points during the spring season and amassed 92 of a possible 96 points from their six women sports. During the spring, Cal U claimed league championships in baseball, women’s golf and women’s tennis, while finishing second in softball and sixth in men’s outdoor track & field.
On the baseball diamond, Cal U claimed its first PSAC Championship since 2004 after winning all four of its games in the double-elimination conference tournament, including two against nationally-ranked teams. Also on the men’s side, the Vulcans earned 10 points towards their team total after the outdoor track & field team finished sixth at last weekend’s conference championship.
On the links, the Vulcans defended their title at the PSAC Championships in women’s golf by winning the event by an impressive 48 strokes. Cal U also earned its fourth-consecutive PSAC Tournament title in women’s tennis following an unblemished mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Vulcans finished second in the conference tournament on the softball diamond after losing in the PSAC Championships.
Seven different institutions have won the Dixon Trophy, led by Shippensburg with six. The other schools are: Lock Haven (three), Bloomsburg (two), Cal U (one), Kutztown (one), Millersville (one) and Slippery Rock (one).
The Dixon Trophy is awarded annually since the 1995-96 academic year by the PSAC to a member institution whose athletic program earns the best overall finish in conference championship and/or regular-season play. During the course of the academic year, points are awarded based on an institution’s finish in the 22 conference sports. Only a school’s best 12 finishes, six men’s and six women’s, are used in the final calculation of the Dixon Trophy standings.