INDIANAPOLIS – Butler University claimed Horizon League regular season or tournament championships in all five fall sports, vaulting them to the top of the McCafferty Trophy standings after the fall sports season.
With 33 points, Butler holds a 16-point advantage over second-place Milwaukee.
The defending McCaffery Trophy holders, the Bulldogs claimed Horizon League Tournament titles in men’s cross country and women’s cross country, picking up the men’s title for the 13th consecutive year (one tie); the women’s crown was the eighth in nine seasons for Butler.
Butler added to its superb fall with Horizon League regular season and tournament titles in men’s soccer, going undefeated through the regular season and earning the No. 13 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The women’s soccer squad earned the League regular season co-championship, claiming a share of the top spot for the first time since 1996, falling in the tournament championship to fellow co-champion Milwaukee.
Butler wrapped up the fall season by capturing its first Horizon League Volleyball Tournament since 1997 after claiming the No. 2 seed during the regular season.
The Bulldogs joined Notre Dame (1993) as the only schools to win Horizon League regular season and/or tournament championships in all five fall sports in the same year.
Regular season titles in women’s soccer and volleyball, along with the women’s soccer tournament championship, carried Milwaukee to 17 points and the second spot in the rankings. Loyola used runner-up finishes in both cross country championships as a catalyst to finish with 12.5 points.
Named in honor of James J. McCafferty, who served as the conference’s first commissioner from 1979-80, 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.
McCafferty Trophy Standings
School, Points
1. Butler, 33
2. Milwaukee, 17
3. Loyola, 12.5
4. Cleveland State, 6.5
5. Green Bay, 6
6. Wright State, 4
7. Detroit, 3
UIC, 3
Valparaiso, 3
10. Youngstown State, 2
Men’s Sports Totals
School, Points
1. Butler, 14
2. Loyola, 7.5
3. Green Bay, 5
4. UIC, 3
5. Cleveland State, 2.5
6. Detroit, 2
Milwaukee, 2
Women’s Sports Totals
School, Points
1. Butler, 19
2. Milwaukee, 15
3. Loyola, 5
4. Cleveland State, 4
Wright State, 4
6. Valparaiso, 3
7. Youngstown State, 2
8. Detroit, 1
Green Bay, 1