HILTON HEAD, S.C. (May 29, 2025) – East Tennessee State University has been awarded the Southern Conference Commissioner's Cup, which goes to the top men's athletics program in the SoCon, after a campaign full of athletic success. The win marks the seventh time the Commissioner's Cup honor has belonged to the Buccaneers.
The victory was announced at the league's Honors Dinner on Wednesday evening at the conference meetings in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It is the first time the institution has claimed the honor since the 2021-22 academic year.
To earn the honor, ETSU won both the baseball and men's golf championships outright, with the baseball team also earning a regular-season title. The Buccaneers also claimed shares of the men's tennis and men's soccer regular-season championships. In football and men's basketball, third-place finishes earned points for ETSU.
"This award is a testament to the hard work and championship mindset of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff," said Athletic Director
Dr. Richard Sander. "We take great pride in representing ETSU and the Southern Conference at the highest level."
Since the 2014–15 academic year, the Southern Conference has used a scoring format modeled after the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. Each school's total is calculated based on its top seven sports, with scoring done on a percentage basis.
Every sport is worth a maximum of 10 points, with placement points distributed evenly according to the number of schools that sponsor that sport. For sports that crown both a regular-season and tournament champion, the tournament winner earns an additional two-point bonus. A school's final score is determined by dividing its total points by 70, the maximum possible from seven sports, to produce its overall percentage.
Since its inception in 1970, the Southern Conference Commissioner's Cup has served as the benchmark for overall athletic excellence among the SoCon's men's teams. Only seven institutions have captured the prestigious honor, with ETSU having now secured the title seven times.
2024-25 SoCon Commissioner's Cup Standings
| 1. ETSU |
.870 |
| 2. Samford |
.851 |
| 3. Western Carolina |
.710 |
| 4. Furman |
.681 |
| 5. UNCG |
.626 |
| 6. Chattanooga |
.598 |
| 7. Mercer |
.546 |
| 8. The Citadel |
.451 |
| 9. VMI |
.412 |
| 10. Wofford |
.399 |
