ATLANTA, Ga. (June 27, 2024) - The Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) is thrilled to announce the recipients of the prestigious Commissioner's Cup for the 2023-24 year. After a fiercely competitive season, Maryville College and Piedmont University have emerged as the victorious institutions, earning these esteemed honors for their exceptional athletic achievements across multiple sports.
This marks the completion of the league’s second year of competition, during which the top men's, women's, and overall athletic programs are recognized.
"We are incredibly proud of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by all our member institutions this past year," said CCS Commissioner Beth Vansant. "The performances of Maryville College and Piedmont University are a testament to their commitment to excellence both on and off the field. Congratulations to both institutions for their remarkable achievements."
The Commissioner's Cup is a highly coveted award presented annually to CCS member institutions that demonstrate outstanding athletic performance and overall excellence throughout the academic year. The recipient is determined through a point system, which reflects each team's regular season finish and awards additional points for top-4 championship finishes. The CCS Commissioner's Cup honors the athletic departments that excel in both men's and women's sports, with the overall award being determined by a combined total of men's and women's achievements.
A descending scoring system is used for the regular season finish based on the number of participating teams. Additional points are tallied with four points for conference titles, three points for runner-up championship finishes, and 1.5 points for third and fourth-place finishes.
Piedmont’s Back-To-Back Year
The Lions have successfully defended their men's and overall Commissioner's Cup titles, showcasing their dominance throughout the 2023-24 season. This past year, Piedmont kicked off the year by claiming their first men’s cross country title and followed up in the spring collecting titles in men’s golf, women’s tennis, and men’s outdoor track and field. Additionally, the Lions secured runner-up titles in men’s tennis and women’s outdoor track and field. Piedmont's performances continued with top-4 finishes in men’s basketball, women’s soccer, and softball, cementing their position and earning them valuable points towards the coveted award.
The Lions narrowly edged out the competition within the conference by just two points to claim the Overall Commissioner's Cup. They secured four championship titles, including three men's championships and one women's championship crown.
"We are very proud of the accomplishments of our coaches, student-athletes and support staff for repeating as Men's Commissioner's Cup Champions and also the Overall Commissioner's Cup Champion. The dedication of everyone in our department to the pursuit of Excellence is demonstrated with winning awards like the Conference Commissioner's Cups," said Piedmont's Athletic Director Jim Peeples.
"We are proud to be members of the Collegiate Conference of the South. The level of competition that we compete against in the sports contested in our conference is very strong across the board. We also want to congratulate Maryville for winning the Women's Cup this year and their strong performance."
Maryville’s Cinderella Story
Maryville collected four championship titles during the 2023-24 season, with a pair of men’s and women’s postseason titles. The Scots came out on top in women’s soccer and continued their reign as men’s basketball champions. They finished the year claiming their first-ever softball and baseball championship titles in a commanding fashion. The Scots also finished the year collecting a runner-up title in women’s volleyball and finished with top-4 championship finishes in women’s basketball, men’s soccer, and women’s tennis, each earning them points towards this award.
"It was an unbelievable year for the Scots, especially for our women. We are incredibly proud of their achievements, not only athletically, but also in the classroom. Our students brought home a lot of hardware and accolades and competed with great pride for the Orange and Garnet," said Sara Quatrocky, Athletic Director at Maryville College.
"Our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for the way they lead our students. Over the past four years we have built of culture of creating success for students by focusing on their day-to-day experiences. Hopefully, this proves that if you stay within our culture, you’ll find the success that makes Scots Nation so special."
Awards will be presented to each respective institution on campus this fall.
Commissioner’s Cup Standings (2023-24)
Men’s Standings
| Piedmont |
45.5 |
| Belhaven |
41 |
| Maryville |
39.5 |
| Covenant |
34 |
| LaGrange |
22.5 |
| Huntingdon |
20 |
| Berea |
19.5 |
Women’s Standings
| Maryville |
53.5 |
| Covenant |
51 |
| Piedmont |
49.5 |
| Berea |
41.5 |
| Belhaven |
38 |
| Huntingdon |
37.5 |
| LaGrange |
26.5 |
| Agnes Scott |
20.5 |
| Wesleyan |
7 |
Overall Standings
| Piedmont |
95 |
| Maryville |
93 |
| Covenant |
85 |
| Belhaven |
79 |
| Berea |
61 |
| Huntingdon |
57.5 |
| LaGrange |
49 |
| Agnes Scott |
20.5 |
| Wesleyan |
7 |
Previous Commissioner’s Cup Winners
| Year |
Men’s Champion |
Women’s Champion |
Overall Champion |
| 2022-23 |
Piedmont University |
Piedmont University |
Piedmont University |