Butler leads McCafferty Trophy standings through fall sports

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INDIANAPOLIS - Through the completion of the fall sports season, Butler University leads the James J. McCafferty Trophy standings in the race for the Horizon League's 2009-10 all-sports championship.

The Bulldogs have earned 24 points to lead reigning champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (18 points). Loyola University Chicago ranks third with 12 points, followed by Cleveland State University with 9.5 and Valparaiso University with 8.5. The University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wright State University are tied for sixth with five points each.

Butler also leads the men's all-sports standings with 14 points. The Bulldogs earned the maximum seven points in cross country and soccer, winning the League championship in cross country and coupling the regular-season soccer title with a runner-up finish in the tournament. Loyola and Green Bay are tied for second with five points apiece.

Milwaukee tops the women's standings with 15 points, earning seven points in soccer, five in volleyball and three in cross country. The Panthers won the soccer regular-season and tournament titles and claimed the volleyball tournament crown following a third-place tie in the regular season. Butler is second with 10 points on the strength of its cross country championship and additional points in soccer and volleyball. Loyola and Cleveland State are tied for third with seven points each, followed by Valparaiso (6 points) and Wright State (5).

Last year, Milwaukee claimed the McCafferty Trophy as the Horizon League's all-sports champion for the fifth time in the last nine years and fourth in the last six. UWM also took home the women's all-sports award for the fourth consecutive year, while UIC captured the men's for the second time in three years.

The McCafferty Trophy is awarded annually by the Horizon League to a member institution compiling the greatest number of performance points, based on their finish in the League's 19 championship sports. For the sports of men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball, points are awarded based on combined regular-season (60 percent) and championship (40 percent) finishes. For all other sports, points are based on performance in the League championships. The award is named in honor of James J. McCafferty, who served as the conference's first commissioner from 1979-80.