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BYU wins sixth consecutive WCC Commissioner’s Cup

By Shaun Gordon

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 10: A flag for the Brigham Young Cougars enters the field of play for their game against the Utah Utes, at Rice Eccles Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 10: A flag for the Brigham Young Cougars enters the field of play for their game against the Utah Utes, at Rice Eccles Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images) /
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BYU athletics claimed their sixth consecutive WCC Commissioner’s Cup for the 2017-18 sports year, but the margin of victory was much smaller than previous years.

BYU athletics can claim once again to be the best program in the West Coast Conference once again, but this time their margin of victory was much more narrow.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Cougars won the WCC Commissioner’s Cup, awarded to the most outstanding athletic program when accounting for all sports.

BYU now holds the records for most Commissioner’s Cup wins and most consecutive cup wins.

The only time BYU didn’t win the cup was their first year in the conference, during the 2011-12 sports year. That year, the Cougars finished third behind San Diego and Pepperdine.

Since then, it’s been all BYU at the top of the conference, mainly due to a strong women’s sports program. The Cougars have won the women’s side of the cup for the last six years alongside the overall title.

The men didn’t fare so well this year, finishing second to San Francisco. BYU’s men have won the men’s cup four times (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17).

This year’s overall standings finished like this:

  • BYU – 94 points
  • Loyola Marymount – 89 points
  • Gonzaga – 83 points
  • St. Mary’s – 77.5 points
  • Pepperdine – 75.5 points
  • San Francisco – 75 points
  • San Diego – 74.5 points
  • Santa Clara – 69.5 points
  • Pacific – 59.5 points
  • Portland – 58 points

BYU’s 5 point margin of victory is much smaller than it has been in recent years. Last year the Cougars won by 24 points, and the year before that by 21. Those runaway wins came as both the men and women won their cups decisively.

All in all, the WCC hosts 15 sports, 6 on the men’s side and 9 on the women’s. BYU competes in 5 of the men’s sports and 7 of the women’s.

Of the 12 sports the Cougars competed in, they won or split conference championships in four sports: women’s volleyball, women’s golf, men’s cross-country, and softball.

While cup win solidifies BYU’s continued dominance in the WCC, the smaller margin of victory and the lack of a men’s cup win could be viewed as cause for concern as the Cougars look to the future.

Looks like it’s time for the men to step it up.

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